Mélanie Pfister : Riesling "Berg" 2023

Characteristics and tasting advice for the Riesling "Berg" 2023 by Mélanie Pfister

Tasting

Color

The color shows a pale yellow hue with bright highlights.

Nose

The nose opens on aromas of ripe fruit, accompanied by delicate floral notes. With aeration, the bouquet reveals fine aromatic complexity.

Palate

On the palate, this dry wine charms with its beautiful tension and its characteristic limestone texture. The palate expresses remarkable aromatic brightness, carried by a pronounced minerality and a lingering freshness. The balance between liveliness and roundness gives the whole great elegance.

Food and wine pairings

This Riesling "Berg" 2023 pairs perfectly with grilled fish, seafood and shellfish. It also goes very well with lightly spiced Asian cuisine, or a cream-based poultry dish. Fresh goat cheeses also make a harmonious match.

Serving and cellaring

The Riesling "Berg" 2023 is ideally enjoyed at a temperature between 10 and 12°C. This wine offers excellent aging potential and can be kept until around 2033, during which time it will continue to develop its aromatic complexity.

A mineral, taut Alsatian Riesling from Domaine Mélanie Pfister

The estate

Founded in 1780 in Dahlenheim in Alsace, Domaine Pfister spans 10 hectares of clay-limestone terroirs. Since 2008, Mélanie Pfister, an agronomist and oenologist, has run this family estate for eight generations, becoming the first independent woman winemaker in the line. An environmental pioneer, she earned the HVE and Fair'n Green certifications. The estate produces 60,000 bottles annually through organic farming. Co-founder of the « Divines d'Alsace » in 2011, Mélanie Pfister embodies the union of winemaking tradition and committed modernity.

The vineyard

"Berg" comes from the lieux-dits Auf dem Berg and Silberberg located in Dahlenheim in Alsace. The name Berg means "mountain" and reflects the relief of these plots. The vines, around 40 years old, grow on a terroir of stony calcareous clay over a base of Oligocene shelly limestone. This soil type gives the wine its highly distinctive mineral texture and its beautiful tension on the palate.

The vintage

The 2023 vintage in Alsace began with a mild winter, followed by a very dry summer through the end of July. The August rains allowed the vines to regain a favorable water balance. Hand harvesting took place on October 5 and 6, 2023, making it possible to pick grapes at optimal ripeness, combining aromatic concentration with preserved freshness.

Winemaking and aging

After hand harvesting, this cuvée was vinified in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, preserving the fruit’s aromatic purity and the expression of the terroir. The wine was then aged on fine lees until bottling, a technique that brings roundness and complexity while maintaining the grape variety’s characteristic freshness.

Grape variety

100% Riesling.