Alanna Cuvèe '21

There is a new generation of young winemakers in Germany, challenging the wine worlds view on what German natural wine is, and at the forefront is Martin Wörner and his label Marto. In 2015, Martin worked at Gut Oggau with Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe and in 2016 at Matassa with Tom Lubbe, some of the natural wine world’s most recognized producers. Applying a mix of both organic and biodynamic farming principles, Martin works approximately 5 hectares of vines, with a focus on soil health and biodiversity.

Another vintage, another variety!  This time Cuvée Alanna takes the form of a Riesling– something very near and dear to Alanna’s heart.  A single vineyard Riesling which was inspired by a visit in March 2021 to Yann Durrmann in Alsace, specifically his Grand Cru Kastelberg vineyard. Alanna is inspired by Rieslings from very sour soils, and I wanted to both express and experience this with this one particular vineyard they own (which had previously been harvested and blended into the Weiss).

This was the last vineyard they harvested, and they were fortunately blessed with absolutely perfect fruit.  In the cellar though, the wine challenged them quite a bit and it took nearly the entire year to fully ferment. In the end, we have a beautiful expression of a sour soil Riesling with insanely high acidity. Alanna recommends keeping it in the cellar for a few years for optimal drinking enjoyment. Topped up barrels, and perfect fruit, the wine is insanely stable.