Gérard and Gabrielle Neumeyer meticulously farm 40 acres of plots in and around the village of Molsheim in the northern Bas-Rhin. On the hills of Molsheim is the Grand Cru Bruderthal, where the Neumeyers are proud owners of 8.6 acres. Their “Les Deux M” come from parcels in Molsheim and Mutzig. This perfectly situated, southeast facing vineyard is planted to all four of the appellation’s noble varieties; Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Muscat.
Gérard tends all of his parcels meticulously by hand using only natural vine and soil treatments. Harvest is of course, also manual. The goal is to fully express the terrior and varietal character. His wines are more Germanic, and has resisted the “bigger is better” movement in the South. Fermentation by ingeneous yeats and aging in large, neutral oak foudres.
Color is a medium lemon, not as gold coloured as some wines of this varietal. Really elegant on the nose, almost Riesling-like. The wine is very aromatic and perfumed with apricot, lime curd, candied lemon, lots of minerality and the one aroma that makes this distinctively Gewurztraminer, lychee. Full, mouth-coating body and medium sweet. Acidity keeps the body and sweetness in check without being too over-bearing. There is a slight bitterness on the finish that will certainly dissipate with time. The only negative I have with the balance is the sweetness could be a tad lower and the acidity a tad higher, but otherwise a great example of a northern Bas-Rhin vin naturel.
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.