With an impeccable résumé and invaluable experience garnered around the world, Yannick Meckert has quickly announced himself as one of the rising stars of Alsace.
Born to a Burgundian mother and Alsatian father, Yannick was introduced to wine at a young age. However, it was to be no fairytale beginning and having grown disenchanted with the methods of farming his family were practising, he set off to discover a different kind of wine.
Along the way he was lucky enough to work alongside the likes of Patrick Meyer, Phillipe Pacalet and Clementine and Gianmarco of Le Coste, as well as spending time learning the art of sake in Japan alongside the brilliant Terada Honke. Whilst their diverse influences are writ large across his work, Yannick is very much forging his own path.
He farms three and half hectares of classic Alsatian varieties planted over clay and limestone in and around the village of Obernai, as well as sourcing biodynamic grapes from a friend in the region. In his own vineyards, the focus is on retaining as diverse an ecosystem as possible. He practises his own take on organic agriculture, eschewing not only chemicals, but also copper and sulphur, instead using clay, infusions and essential oils to help the vines. He prefers to let the wild herbs, grass and flowers around the vines grow, resulting in vineyards that teem with life.
In the cellar he exercises a deft hand that is a credit to his experiences and intuition, adjusting methods of vinification to suit the nuances of each variety in any given vintage. In general the white varieties are pressed directly to barrel, while his macerations are heavily influenced by the work of Jules Chauvet, using whole bunch fermentations to coax gorgeous texture and perfume from his Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this most talented of growers.
Yannick’s wines are now available on Tutto a Casa