It all began in 2012, and it went really quickly. Philipp Kettern, who is running a well-known Mosel winery, was attending a tasting in the Caribbean. Fortunately, Dirk van Niepoort, of Niepoort port wine fame, was also attending, and the two were discussing wine, and Dirk’s love for German Riesling came up. After a couple of more discussions, they hit it off and started a new winery in the Mosel. They are using some of Philipps vineyards, which they farm naturally. All based on principles that were supposed to bring Mosel wine back to its roots. Low intervention wine, which gets time as much as it wants and attention only as much as needed. Dirk’s son also joined the project, moved to Germany, and now helps Philipp on-site with all things wine.
The grapes for this Pet Nat come from the steep slopes around Piesport, a famous town in the Mosel region. In a very unusual style for a Petillant Naturel, which are usually quickly fermented and moved to the bottle, they can be enjoyed the following year. This wine took 4 years to be ready for consumption. The pressed juice spent two years in a very cool cellar for a prolonged fermentation, so they still had enough sugar once they went into the bottle to continue the fermentation for another two years. This phase is spent in a relatively warm part of the cellar, so the wine slowly creates its carbonation with the remaining sugar and yeast. It’s an astoundingly well-made sparkler with the right amount of Riesling acidity and Mosel minerality. With all its seriousness, it’s still a very fruit-forward wine showing off with grapefruit, apple, and kumquat. A perfect wine to kick off spring-things or eat the last ramen with.