Domaine Amelie & Charles Sparr Pinot Gris 'Sensation', Alsace, France 2022

Description

Charles is the 12th generation of the Sparr family, which dates back to the 12th century and has Scandinavian roots. In 2007 the Pierre Sparr brand and company were sold to the Cooperative of Beblenheim, but Charles Sparr kept the 12 hectares of vineyards. Sparr completed his studies in oenology and marketing and then worked for two years in Napa at Pernod-Ricard; he came back to Alsace in 2010 and worked the family vineyards, starting the conversion over to biodynamic agriculture (his wines were certified Ecocert organic in 2017 and will be officially Demeter biodynamic certified in 2019). Charles met his wife, Amelie, in 2010 at a wine fair (where else do wine people meet?) and they decided to work together and create a new wine estate. They make all their wines in Wettolsheim at the Vignoble des 2 Lunes winery (previously known as Buecher-Fix, Amelie’s family winery). The Amelie & Charles Sparr estate was founded in 2017, and it vinifies all the grapes from the Sparr vineyards, while the Vignoble des 2 Lunes bottles the wines that used to go under the Buecher-Fix label. Amélie and Charles have imagined and created a new vision for what Alsatian wine can be. They experiment, dream, and push boundaries and in the process they are redefining what we can expect from Alsace. All of their farming is biodynamic, certified by Demeter as of the 2019 vintage. Most of their wines are classic in style, but they play around too. They have planted some Syrah in Mambourg, which will disqualify that parcel from being declared as grand cru in the future! They also make an orange wine called “Liberté” which comes from grand cru vineyards, the name is self explanatory.