Domaine Bechtold Alsace Riesling 'Nef des Folles' 2020
“Nef des Folles” translates to “the nave of the mad”—a nave being the central area of a church which houses the congregation. Jean-Marie may well consider himself slightly mad, in his gently self-deprecating way, for such unorthodox experimentation, but this wine makes a wholly compelling plea for his sanity. From the Sussenberg vineyard macerated for twelve days on its skins and aged in a single old foudre, this Riesling is ample yet mineral on the palate, with notes of flint, lemon verbena and toasted almond. It is both palate-coating and vivacious, and its total lack of added sulfur manifests in a palate of great purity and directness.