# Frankstein Riesling Grand Cru Nature (2021)

- **Producer:** Domaine Jean-Louis et Eric Kamm
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Riesling
- **Region:** Alsace, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €25
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blossom, plum, grapefruit, fennel, ginger, smoke, petrol, honey

## About this wine

Domaine Jean-Louis et Eric Kamm is located in the historic medieval commune of Dambach-la-Ville in Alsace, France. Winemaker Eric Kamm, often described as an iconoclastic figure in the natural wine movement, took over the family's 13th-century estate in 2005. He transitioned the vineyards entirely to organic and biodynamic farming. While Eric is known for his playful and irreverent labels on entry-level cuvées, his Grand Cru Frankstein bottling is crafted with deep respect for tradition, aiming to showcase the serious, laser-focused, and crystalline expression of Alsatian granite soils.

## Interesting facts

- Winemaker Eric Kamm is affectionately known in the natural wine scene as an 'anarchist punk' winemaker.
- The vines are planted on 'arène granitique', a stony soil of decomposed granite rich in quartz and mica.
- This Grand Cru Riesling is bottled with zero added sulfites, containing only 4 mg/l of naturally occurring SO2.

## Food pairing

The high, crystalline acidity and intense salinity of this granite-grown Riesling cut beautifully through the delicate fats of noble white fish and poultry. Its bone-dry, mineral-driven profile acts as a palate cleanser, making it an exceptional match for regional cheeses without overwhelming their subtle textures.

## Wine making process

The grapes are 100% hand-harvested from old vines grown on granitic arena soils. Vinification follows a strict low-intervention approach with zero additives. Whole bunches undergo gentle pressing, followed by a slow, spontaneous fermentation using only indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats without temperature control, lasting between 9 to 11 months. The wine is aged on its fine lees in old, neutral oak barrels to encourage micro-oxygenation without imparting oak flavors. It is bottled completely unfined, unfiltered, and with no added sulfites.