GRAPES: 45% PINOT BLANC, 40% PINOT GRIS, 15% GEWÜRTZTRAMINER
SKIN CONTACT: 7 DAYS
REGION: ALSACE, FRANCE
Vinification Method: The Domaine is called “Laurent Bannwarth” in honor of its founder, the father of the current winemaker Stéphane and his sister Régine who started the winery in 1955. Stéphane is a big fan of qvevri – his cellar has a special part dedicated only to these classic Georgian clay vessels, which are buried underground. This passion came from a Georgian vineyard helper that used to work for Stéphane – the conversation turned into an invitation, the visit to Georgia into a long stay; ultimately, Stéphane’s experience in the homeland of qvevri made him ship the first vessels for his own winemaking to Alsace back in 2011. Besides making his own delicious wines, Stéphane is also part of Les Vins Pirouettes, a collective project and a beautiful range of glou-glou natural wines started by the legendary winemaker Christian Binner.
The grapes are hand-harvested and meticulously sorted to keep only the healthiest ones. The Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris undergo 6 days of whole-cluster maceration and are gently foot stomped. A small amount of the Gewurztraminer is destemmed and macerated for 7 days. The wine is a blend of three vintages: 2019, 2020, and 2022. The 2022 was racked in February 2023 and bottled in May 2023. The other wines rested on the fine lees and were racked in their time as well. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no added SO2.
Tasting notes: light-bodied, tangerine, dried green plum, honeycrisp apple
Pairings: wontons in chili oil
Mix and match 3, 6 or 12 bottles!
