Meyer-Fonné

Strangely enough, Kermit came upon the Meyer-Fonné wines for the first time at his home down in Provence. He was tasting with Daniel Ravier, the winemaker at Domaine Tempier, and the two were blown away at the first, dazzling sip; now that we’ve all gotten to know the domaine, we understand why. Félix Meyer is a rising star in Alsace and has an evident instinct for his craft. He is the third generation in his family to be making wine since his grandfather founded the domaine in the late 19th century. Since taking over in 1992, Félix has already left his own mark, modernizing equipment in the winery, developing export sales, and now expanding the family’s holdings in many of Alsace’s great vineyard sites, including several grand crus.

It’s all about the details at Meyer-Fonné, with an emphasis on tradition and respect for terroir. The winery and family home is in the village of Katzenthal, known for its distinctive granite soils. Meyer is a master at the art of blending and astutely applies this skill in mixing the wine from various parcels into complex, balanced cuvées. He also believes in raising his wines on fine lees in large, older foudres, as was the tradition in Alsace. All of Meyer’s bottlings are characterized by stunning aromatics and a signature backbone of minerality and nerve. Racy and elegant, his wines are difficult to resist young but have all the right qualities for the cellar. For aromatic and textural seductiveness, no one in Alsace can top Meyer-Fonné.

Technical Information

Wine	Blend	Vine Age	Soil Type	Vineyard Area*
Crémant d'Alsace	60% Pinot Auxerrois, 20% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Blanc, 5% Pinot Noir	Planted in 1972 and 2009	Granitic Colluvium, Alluvium	1 ha
Edelzwicker	Varies by vintage, see below	Planted between 1982 and 2015	Granitic Colluvium, Alluvium	N/A
Gentil	50% Riesling, 25% Muscat, 20% Pinot Blanc, 5% Sylvaner and Pinot Gris	Planted between 1976 and 2010	Granitic Colluvium, Alluvium	N/A
Gewurztraminer “Réserve”	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1969 and 1999	Limestone, Sandstone, Marl	.8 ha (plus declassified Grand Cru and Lieux-dits fruit)
Muscat Vignoble de Katzenthal	33.3% Muscat d'Alsace, 66.6% Muscat Ottonel	Planted in 1969, 1975, 1990, and 2005	Granite with Mica, Calcareous Marl	.69 ha
Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes	65% Pinot Auxerrois, 20% Pinot Blanc, 15% Pinot Gris	Planted in 1965 and 1978	N/A	2.5 ha
Sylvaner “Oolithe”	Sylvaner	Planted in 1983, 1987	Oolitic limestone	.12 ha
Pinot Gris "Réserve"	Pinot Gris	Planted in 1988 and 2008	Marly Limestone	.55 ha (plus declassified Grand Cru and Lieux-dits fruit)
Pinot Noir “Reserve”	Pinot Noir	Planted in 1975	Limestone, Gray Marl, Granite	.3 ha
Pinot Noir “Gallus 1732”	Pinot Noir	27 years old	Sandstone, marl	.15 ha
Pinot Noir Altenbourg	Pinot Noir	Planted in 1996	Marly Limestone	.7 ha
Riesling “Reserve”	Riesling	Planted in 1969 and 2006	Gray Marl, Granitic Colluvium, Alluvium, Limestone	.8 ha (plus declassified Grand Cru and Lieux-dits fruit)
Riesling Vignoble de Katzenthal	Riesling	Planted in 1985 and 2009	Granite with Mica, Calcareous Marl	.8 ha (plus declassified Grand Cru and Lieux-dits fruit)
Gewurztraminer Dorfburg VV	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1965	Oolitic Calcareous Marl	.4 ha
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Kaefferkopf	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1965	Clay, Limestone	.4 ha
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Sporen	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1975 and 1979	Marly Limestone	.31 ha
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1959 and 1999	Granite with Mica	.48 ha
Pinot Gris Dorfburg	Pinot Gris	Planted in 1994	Oolitic Calcareous Marl	.35 ha
Pinot Gris Hinterburg de Katzenthal	Pinot Gris	Planted in 1982 and 1997	Granite with Mica, Calcareous Marl	.75 ha
Pinot Gris Grand Cru Kaefferkopf	Pinot Gris	1997	Clay, Limestone, Sandstone	N/A
Riesling Grand Cru Kaefferkopf	Riesling	Planted in 1978	Clay, Limestone, Sandstone	.32 ha
Riesling Pfoeller	Riesling	Planted in 1982	Limestone rich in fossils “muschelkalk”	.5 ha
Riesling Grand Cru Schoenenbourg	Riesling	Planted in 1995	Marl “marne verte de keuper”	.14 ha
Riesling Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg	Riesling	Planted in 1958 and 2010	Granite with Mica	1 ha
Riesling Grand Cru Mandelberg	Riesling	Planted in 1974, 2016	Limestone	.24 ha
Gewurztraminer Dorfburg VV SGN	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1965	Oolitic Calcareous Marl	.4 ha
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum VT	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1969 and 2008	Limestone, Marl	.45 ha
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Sporen SGN	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1975 and 1979	Marly Limestone	.31 ha
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg VV VT	Gewurztraminer	Planted in 1959 and 1999	Granite with Mica	.48 ha
Pinot Gris Hinterburg de Katzenthal SGN	Pinot Gris	Planted in 1982 and 1997	Granite with Mica, Calcareous Marl	.75 ha
Pinot Gris Hinterburg de Katzenthal VT	Pinot Gris	Planted in 1982 and 1997	Granite with Mica, Calcareous Marl	.75 ha
Riesling Pfoeller VT	Riesling	Planted in 1982	Limestone rich in fossils “muschelkalk”	.5 ha
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

Félix is increasingly interested in organic farming and uses no synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides to treat the vines. Cover crops are planted in every other row in the vineyards. Some vineyards are plowed, but certain parcels can be plowed only once a year because any more would erode the soils. He treats the grapes with the same individualized care, harvesting by hand and gently loading them into the press. The use of native yeasts during fermentation makes the process longer and slower, creating a more lush texture.

Vineyard Work:
Vineyards are planted at densities of 4500-5000 vines per hectare and can reach up to 8000 vines per hectare in the steepest vineyard sites. Guyot training is used but may be double or simple depending on each individual vine. Meticulous de-budding helps control yields, so green harvesting is rarely necessary. Sulfur, copper, and other organic products are used to treat the vineyards, and homemade compost from byproducts of organic agriculture is used to fertilize the poorest soils.

“Classic” White Wines:
• Grapes are are gently pressed in a pneumatic press for 4-10 hours, and then the must is left for 24-36 hours to allow the heavy lees to settle.
• Fermented 1-3 months in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks or oak barrels
• Wines are racked two weeks after the fermentation has completed, and kept on the fine lees until the mid-May bottling.
• 2021 Edelzwicker blend: 25% Pinot Blanc, 25% Sylvaner, 10 % Riesling, 15% Muscat, 5% Gewurztraminer, 20% Pinot Gris
• 2020 Edelzwicker blend: Pinot Blanc 45%, Sylvaner 20%, Riesling 15%, Muscat 15%, Chasselas 5%
• 2018 Edelzwicker blend: 55% Pinot Blanc, 15% Muscat, 15 % Riesling, 10% Chasselas, 5% Pinot Gris

Grand Cru & Lieux-Dits Wines:
• Grapes are gently pressed in a pneumatic press for 4-10 hours, and then the must is left for 24-36 hours to allow the heavy lees to settle.
• Fermented 1-3 months in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks or oak barrels
• Wines are racked two weeks after the fermentation has completed, and kept on the fine lees until the September bottling.

Crémant d’Alsace “Brut Extra”:
• Grapes are harvested at a potential alcohol of around 11% and vinified in the méthode champenoise.
• Around mid-March, the first fermentation is finished and the wine is bottled for the second fermentation, which lasts two to three months.
• Left in bottle for at least twelve months before disgorging, when a minimum of dosage is added.

Pinot Noir “Gallus 1732” & Altenbourg:
• Fermented in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts
• Aged 15 months in neutral oak barrels, then 3 months in tank before bottling
• Bottled unfiltered
• “Gallus” is the name of the vineyard, named for Gallus Meyer, the first Meyer who arrived in Katzenthal, and 1732 is his birth year.

MISCELLANEA

Then, one day at my place in the south of France, in the company of Domaine Tempier’s Daniel Ravier, I was tasting through an assortment of samples from all over the country. We lowered our noses into glasses of a Pinot Blanc. Hmm, old vines, who’s that? Meyer-Fon . . . We looked up at each other, eyes widening. HEY, that smells great. Wow, the stuff wine dreams are made of. We continued through the domaine’s samples with huge smiles and oohs and aahs, enjoying that rare thrill of recognition that you experience when you discover something crucial in your glass.

Kermit Lynch on his first tasting of Meyer-Fonné’s wines

AOC Alsace Explained

AOC Alsace wines are generally varietal wines. The wines in which the grape variety appears on the label are 100% the stated variety.

The permitted grapes are the four noble grapes: Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Riesling, and Pinot Gris, completed with Auxerrois (also known as Klevner), Chasselas, Pinot Blanc, Savagnin rosé, Sylvaner, and Pinot Noir.

When no grape variety indicated on the label, the wine is typically a blend.

Depending on which varieties are used in the blend, the producer can label the wine as AOC Alsace, AOC Alsace “Edelzwicker,” or AOC Alsace “Gentil d’Alsace.”

AOC Alsace blends and “Edelzwicker” can be a blend of any grapes allowed within the AOC. There is no grape minimum; the different varieties may be vinified together or separately. The mention of vintage is optional. There is no technical difference between the composition of AOC Alsace blends and “Edelzwicker”—it is at the producer’s discretion as to how they would like to label their wine.

The denomination “Gentil d’Alsace” is reserved for AOC Alsace wines that fit within the standards of a superior quality blend. This blend must consist of a minimum of 50% of noble grapes: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and/or Gewurztraminer, the rest made up of Sylvaner, Chasselas, Pinot Blanc, and/or Auxerrois. Before blending, each grape variety must be vinified separately and must officially qualify as an AOC Alsace wine.