Of all the wine regions I’ve visited, Alsace offers perhaps the most visceral image of what viticulture was like in centuries past—in part because so many of its producers still go about things the way their ancestors did generations ago. There’s no better example of this than Dirler-Cadé, where horse-drawn plows and old wooden barrels that look like they belong in a museum do the work that many others have given over to tractors and gleaming stainless tanks.
I think you can taste it in the wine—even an inexpensive Pinot Blanc like the 2015 we’re offering. Nothing has been done to this wine to make it taste like anything other than a product of the soil, and frankly, that’s not typical at this price point. Most of the wines this wine might sit next to on a store shelf have been engineered to hit certain pleasure points; this one gets there on its own. As we tasted it, all I could think about was the farmer’s market—and specifically, the feeling you get when you taste a piece of fruit that has hit its perfect point of maturity. You deserve nothing less in an ‘everyday’ wine, and I encourage you to grab as much as you can—think of it as a staple of any well-stocked pantry, like good sea salt or olive oil.
Often overshadowed by Alsace’s more “noble” varieties, Pinot Blanc is somewhat of an underdog. Riesling or Gewürztraminer usually take the spotlight, but when left to its own devices, Pinot Blanc has no problem proving its worth. The variety is commonly compared to Chardonnay for its “transparency”—i.e. its ability to exhibit terroir—and because of its flexible nature, is resigned to the hands of the winemaker. Dirler-Cadé’s hands-off approach in the cellar gives this biodynamically farmed Pinot Blanc the chance to express the soils and climate of Alsace—arguably the best place in the world to for this grape to grow. Extremely versatile and great with a variety of dishes, there is no doubt Pinot Blanc from a premium producer is one of the wine world’s greatest values, but when you tack on the old-school credentials of a Dirler-Cadé, this price seems almost too good to be true.
The Dirler/Cadé families have been growing vines in the area around the village of Bergholtz since the 1870s, and not a lot has changed since then: They farm their 44 hectares of vines biodynamically, plowing the steep-pitched sites with a horse and extending their biodynamic practices to the cellar. This estate’s holdings grew to their current size—and their brand name became hyphenated—when Jean Dirler married Ludivine Cadé in 1998. She brought a number of choice vineyard parcels to the mix, and in that same year the couple began the estate’s transition to biodynamic farming. Dirler-Cadé is actually the innovator of sparkling Crémant d’Alsace, and it was one of the earliest wineries in the Syndicat International des Vignerons en Culture Bio-Dynamique, the body that issues the official “Biodyvin” approval for biodynamic wine certification. They are meticulous in the vineyard, and listen to both the soil and the vintage. If fermentation stops, they do not intervene, even if it means leaving the wines with few degrees of residual sugar. Generally, however, the wines are dry and the Pinot Blanc Réserve offers both texture and clean fruit, representing both the place and the warm, exceptional 2015 vintage. The Dirler-Cadé Pinot Blanc Réserve is from the Bollenberg vineyard, comprised of marl and sandstone soils and surrounded by a number of Grand Cru Riesling sites. Vines are planted far enough from the Vosges Mountain range to receive the perfect amount of sunshine to ripen the fruit but retain freshness and acidity. The Pinot Blanc is fermented and vinified for a brief time in large oak barrels, not to manipulate the classic, nutty characteristics of the varietal.
In the glass the 2015 Pinot Blanc Réserve has a light golden yellow core with green and golden reflections on the rim. The nose displays classic aromatics of yellow apple, lemon pith, raw almonds, white flowers, honeysuckle, wet stones, and a touch of cream. On the palate, the wine is dry, with a creamy mouthfeel and texture lifted by bright, gripping acidity. As we get ready to transition from Spring to Summer, I can’t think of a better white to have on hand: It is ready to drink now, and I’d suggest giving it a quick decant right out of the refrigerator before serving in all-purpose white wine stems. Although it is most definitely dry (with a very marginal 3.8 grams of residual sugar), I still recommend a more-chilled serving temperature (40-45) to emphasize the fruit component over the perceived sweetness that sometimes crops up as the wine warms. Pair it with the attached recipe for vegetable risotto, taking advantage of the best your local farmer’s market has to offer. This wine will do it justice. Enjoy!
