By Grit or By Force:  Rare Catherine Riss 2023 Releases - "Intense, detailed, textural and supremely mineral."

Catherine Riss - Alsace -- Intense, detailed, textural and supremely mineral. Catherine Riss' wines might not be on your radar for Alsatian producers but they bloody well should be. You could be forgiven for never seeing a bottle before, only a small dusting comes into the country once a year and in my experience each year's allocation is sold very very quickly. Catherine grew up around food and wine, and her family is famous for hospitality in France, no winemaking family tradition or inheritance. Given that, she still has a very accomplished resume of winemaking (Chapoutier, Jean Louis Trepat, Angelus) and this shows in the formal and correct nature of her wines. She currently has a tiny 4 hectares of vines planted fairly high at 400m, and they all benefit from the cool air that descends from the summit of Mount Ungersberg. Like all of the best winemakers, organic and often biodynamic farming is the foundation here, and she works a mixture of soil types, mainly Sandstone and a fascinating blue schist which is an oddity in Alsace. The wines themselves are made very simply. Typically pressed off to old Burgundy barrels with malo occuring for reds and whites. Maybe a little touch of sulphur if the wine needs it. Done. Incredibly humble and well made wines from a gorgeous part of the world. C'est Bon. - Will --- Catherie Riss -- "Catherine Riss is one of the rare examples of starting from scratch in modern Alsace; both her diligence and her abilities as a winemaker have shown that it's possible, especially in the les-trod part of the Bas-Rhin near Reichsfeld. Aslatian by origin, Riss comes from a family of restaurateurs but studied viticulture in Beaune as well as Alsace; she apprenticed, among other places, at Chateau Angelus in Saint-Emilion. Her 4 hectares of vines are the real explanation for her wines' sublimity. They're planted at higher elevations (up to four hundred meters); the cool air descending from the summit of the Ungersberg mountain provides freshness, and a mix of mostly old schist soils and pink sandstone bring gravitas to the wines." - The New French Wine, Jon Bonne - "I’ve been tasting and visiting with Catherine since 2016, and I haven’t seen her this happy with a vintage before. 2023 had a cold and wet spring which was followed by a dry June and NE winds. But good rain, over a consistent period during the summer months saved the vintage from being another problematic year. Good yields (50hl/ha instead of the usual 35/40 hl per ha) especially for whites, great ferments and a smiling Catherine. 2023 offers a vintage of magnificent purity, and with their hallmark minerality and tension they are wines that will reward those that choose to cellar some. Additionally as wines in their youth they enjoy oxygen." - Liz Carey, Importer -- The Whites - Catherine Riss 2023 Alsace Blanc 'Dessous de Table' Offer: $69.00 - 2 bottles available - "An assemblage of Pinot Auxerrois and Sylvaner in equal portions, Whole bunches are directly pressed together slowly over 6 hours, the juice settled overnight before being racked into old barrels. Steep slopes at altitude of 350 meters, Sandstone soils. Clarity with yellow fruit and citrus. Tightly wound on opening, this opened beautifully. A mineral spine wrapt in citrus (curd, pith and skin) Lemon balm, fruit depth. Precise and fluid." - Liz Carey, Importer - Catherine Riss 2023 Alsace Riesling 'De Gres ou de Force' Offer: $79.00 - 1 bottle available - "From east facing steep slopes, this plot of 45 year old Riesling vines is gravelly Sandstone soils (gréseux in French). Direct pressed, elevage in old barriques, on lees, for 18 months. Crushed rock, citrus and some blossom. Citrus and pear shine on the palate with minerality entering mid way and giving great length. Chiselled. Slippery. Elegant." - Liz Carey, Importer -- The Reds - Catherine Riss 2023 Alsace Pinot Noir 'Libre Comme l'Air' Offer: $75.00 - 1 bottle available - "The only vineyard not in the valley and with a different soil profile. The 0.5 hectare of 48 year old vines have clay rich soils with gravel and limoux on top. 2021 sees 50% de-stemmed, the first time Catherine has done so. Maceration for two weeks, elevage for 9 months in old barrels. Kirsch and a little frambois on the nose. There’s density and depth to the fruit. Black Forest cake. It opens beautifully, fruit weaved with under growth. Cherry cola. Lithe tannins with a little spice. A true reflection of the vintage and the soils." - Liz Carey, Importer - Catherine Riss 2023 Alsace Pinot Noir 'T'as pas du Schiste' Offer: $139.00 - 1 bottle available - "15-45 year old pinot noir planted in the lieu-dit Schieferberg, above the village of Reichsfeld, on soil composed of much pure slate. This is a rarity and a soil that produces structured reds with a view to cellaring. 15 days whole bunch maceration, 12 – 14 months elevage in used Burgundy barrels. In Catherines words, T’as pas du Schiste was the student of the year. Mineral. Vertical, a wine that ensures you take note. Tight grained tannin kisses brambly fruit. There’s power and a lot of length. The acidity dances, a hallmark of Pinot on schist. Profound. A wine that will only get better with time and should be decanted if drunk young." - Liz Carey, Importer --- --- Autumn Leaves Reds 6-Pack (RRP: $345.00) Offer: $295.00 (approx. $49/bottle) - Joshua Cooper 2024 Central and Western Victoria Claret Salomon Estate 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Braeside Vineyard' Alessandro Stefani 2022 Yarra Valley Cabernet Franc 'Franc' Chateau Blanzac 2018 Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux Chateau des Laurets 2018 Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion Chateau Senejac 2020 Haut Medoc --- If you would like any of the above, would like to come by for a private appointment, or just have some questions please let us know.