Pinot Noir "Excellence" 2015 - Binner, Christian (VN)

Pinot Noir Excellence, a clay-like but silky texture. We dare to call it unctuous with great conviction. A spicy and juicy big red with a clear touch of sour cherry and surprisingly refreshing. Very elegant Alsace wine with beautiful acids in an intense style. Brand clean natural wine.

The grapes (exclusively from our own cultivation) are picked overripe, you can taste that ripeness in the wines. Furthermore, they work as naturally as possible, without any manipulation: no sulphites added and purely natural yeasts present on the grape itself.

In Ammerschwier, in the heart of Alsace, you will find biodynamic winegrower Christian Binner. The art of winemaking has been passed down from father to son on this estate since 1770. Joseph, Christian's father, who witnessed the rise of chemistry and atomized agriculture, has always continued to plough his land and cultivate it exclusively organically. Christian himself has only continued this with his takeover. Under Christian's influence, 4 hectares were added, he bought several plots of land on grand crus and had a new, bioclimatic wine cellar built from natural materials from the area.

In 2016, Christian embarked on a new project, guided by the idea of ​​'degrowth', he decided to rent out a large part of his vines, in order to better focus on those of the hills and the grands crus. Hermetically sealed in the new cellar, the wines can now develop for 1 to 3 years, entirely at their own pace. According to Christian, it is up to the winegrower and his team to accept that less must be done rather than more, with a benevolent gaze, ready to intervene if necessary, in order to make better wines. Quality over quantity, of course a view that all biodynamic farmers can agree with, but where for Christian this philosophy is reflected in every gesture and every decision.

With this tranquility, this patience, Christian has been able to create beautiful wines for 20 years now, free of sulphites and chemicals, grown completely biodynamically, which are spotlessly clean and very stable over time, and will only become more beautiful.

• Country / Region : France / Alsace
  
• Grape variety(ies): 100% Pinot Noir
  
• In the vineyard: Late harvest. The vineyards consist of loess, limestone and clay soils and lie against the slopes of the Vosges, created by the wind, at an altitude of 220 metres. Biodynamic farming.
  
• In the cellar: Very slow maceration period of 2 to 3 weeks. Daily pigéage with the foot for a soft extraction. Spontaneous fermentation. Maturation in hundred year old wooden barrels, sur-lies for 24 months. Many Binners wines are quite reductive, which is why the wine certainly needed 2 years in barrel. Unfiltrated, without the addition of So2.
• Character: Soft, fresh, elegant red
  
• Quality mark: Biodynamic and Vin Nature