Achillée Riesling 2021

Achillée and the Dietrich family

The ancients believed “that yarrow was a divine gift from the heavens bestowed upon humanity so that we could communicate with Heaven.”

Rudolf Steiner, the father of biodynamic agriculture, believed that yarrow is a carrier of spirit and brings cosmic forces into the earth. It is vital in one of the important preparations working to enlive the soil. Steiner said that you can never have enough yarrow on your land. It “radiates” so strongly that it is providing health by just growing there.

Yarrow is a nutrient accumulator. Its deep roots mine the subsoil for potassium, phosphorus, and copper, making it a nutrient-rich mulch. Because of its ability to fertilize, it is often used to increase fruit production.

Achillée is French for Yarrow.

The Dietrich family has been growing grapes organically since 1999 and biodynamic since 2003. They have built the largest straw building in Europe as their winery. Jean has worked for Ostertag, Deiss and Jean Paul Schmitt: Pierre has a degree in finance. In 2016, they came home to join their father, Yves.

With their family and friends, they have created Achillée - incredible vineyards producing amazing wines!

Winery: Achillée

Winemaker: Dietrich family

Varietal: Riesling

Region: Alsace, France

Vineyard/ Maturation/ Vinification/ Winemaking Info: 4 different soils are represented in this Riesling: sandstone, granite, schist, gravel zero irrigation which allows the roots go very deep and bring up all that minerality from the different soil types very low yield (50HL/ha) to achieve balance biodynamic - both vineyards and cellar 8 month fermentation in stainless steel

Tasting Notes: Asian pear and lemon zest bosc pear and honeycrisp apples powerful and structured the minerality & stoniness give incredible structure balanced and delicious!!

Pairing Notes: Sometimes I struggle to offer pairings because I think each individual's relationship with the wine is personal and thus subjective. Our own personal experiences and histories shape our present which includes the wine we drink. Let's just say that if I went out for spicy Thai, I'd bring this wine and if I found myself in Alsace eating Tarte Flambée drinking this wine, I'd be in heaven!