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Dirler-Cade, Pinot Noir “Cuvée Luc”

Alsace, France 2017 (750mL)
$29.00
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Dirler-Cade, Pinot Noir “Cuvée Luc”

One thing we’ve all come to expect is that Pinot Noir skews expensive. It’s a delicate variety that’s difficult to grow, but it seems everyone wants to try their hand at the “heartbreak grape” regardless. So, whenever I encounter a Pinot Noir like today’s—classic terroir; biodynamically farmed; overflowing with real Pinot Noir character; eye-popping low price—I’m going to shout about it until someone listens.
We’ve been singing the praises of German Pinot Noirs all year long, particularly those from right across the French/German border in Baden, and now Dirler-Cadé and Alsace takes a turn in the spotlight. Tasting today’s 2017 had us all asking, “Why don’t we offer more Alsatian Pinot Noir?” The main reason, of course, is that there isn’t very much of it: Pinot Noir accounts for just nine percent of vineyard plantings in the region, and there are instances where US importers ignore the reds in their producers’ portfolios to focus on the whites. That’s unfortunate, because it seems like every time I come across an Alsatian Pinot Noir lately, it blows me away. “Cuvée Luc” certainly did—the value-for-dollar here is simply incredible for a true cool-climate Pinot Noir of great purity, soil character, and aromatic complexity. You will be as charmed by it as we were, and it will have you asking the same questions, like “How do I get more of this in my life?”
As has been well-documented here on SommSelect, Alsace is one of my favorite wine regions on earth. Its remoteness, combined with its bucolic, frozen-in-time feel, is restorative for anyone lucky enough to visit. And, like the Loire Valley, it has an especially large concentration of organic and biodynamic producers, of which Dirler-Cadé is a shining example. In 1998, after Jean Dirler and Ludivine Hell-Cadé married and merged their respective family vineyards, they became one the earliest members of the Syndicat International des Vignerons en Culture Bio-Dynamique, the body that issues the BIODYVIN seal of approval. Founded in 1995, the member list includes fewer than 150 properties in Europe, among them fellow early adopters like Domaine Leflaive, François Chidaine, M. Chapoutier, and Zind-Humbrecht. Since the 2007 vintage, all the Dirler-Cadé wines have been certified organic (“AB,” or agriculture biologique) and biodynamic. The estate spans 18 hectares of vineyards, 42% of which fall in the Grand Crus of “Saering,” “Spiegel,” “Kessler,” and “Kitterlé.”

We’ve offered numerous Dirler-Cadé white on SommSelect, including sumptuous Grand Cru Rieslings from acclaimed sites like Kessler and Saering, but this is the first red. It may go without saying at this point, but it won’t be the last! “Cuvée Luc” is sourced from two vineyard areas, “Bux” and “Schwarzberg,” near the winery’s home base in Bergholtz, at the southern end of the Alsace AOC in the “Haut-Rhin” subzone. Soils are predominantly clay in these sites, one of which Jean Dirler planted using vine cuttings from the Premier Cru “Clos des Epeneaux” in Burgundy’s Pommard. The wine sees no oak during fermentation or aging, resulting in a brightly fruited, floral style of Pinot Noir with tremendous finesse and great persistence on the palate.

In the glass, the 2017 is a deep garnet moving to pink at the rim, greeting you with a basket-full of wild berries and mountain wildflowers as you put your nose in the glass. Scents of red and black cherries, raspberries, and currants are layered with rose petals, warm spices, forest floor, leather, and tea. It is medium-bodied, with some cranberry snappiness on the palate that makes your mouth water and crave some food to go with it: Decant it 15-30 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees, then bring on just about anything, really—this is a red well-suited to bridging the meat/fish divide, but since I’m in an Alsatian frame of mind, I can’t help but want to pair it with something from its homeland. Check out the attached recipe for tarte flambée, which feels like the perfect mix of sweet/smoky/savory for this delicious, high-toned red. Enjoy!
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Country
France
Region
Alsace
Sub-Region
FranceHaut-Rhin
Soil
Clay-based
Farming
Organic & Biodynamic
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
None
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2022
Decanting
15-30 Minutes
Pairing
Tarte Flambé

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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