Sylvaner Origin White 2020

Sylvaner Origin White 2020

Jean-Marc Dreyer

With Sylvaner Origin 2020, Jean-Marc Dreyer brilliantly reinterprets this often underestimated Alsatian grape variety. Thanks to whole-bunch maceration and eleven months of aging in foudres, he gives it remarkable depth and structure. A natural, vibrant, and refined wine, a cross between a dry white and an orange wine.

Natural vinification for a pure expression of the terroir

Grown biodynamically, this Sylvaner benefits from meticulous work in the vineyard and the winery: spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no filtration or clarification, and no added sulfites throughout the process. Maceration extracts fine tannins, giving the wine body and a silky texture, while preserving a beautiful mineral tension.

An intense and structured Sylvaner

Behind its golden color with amber highlights, this wine reveals an expressive nose with notes of candied citrus, orange peel, and fine spices. On the palate, the attack is full-bodied, driven by perfectly balanced acidity and a straight, elegant structure. The subtle tannins provide a lingering length, marked by a saline and slightly tannic touch that invites tasting.

Food and wine pairings and tasting moments

Served between 12 and 14°C, this macerated Sylvaner shines as an accompaniment to seafood, fine fish, and shellfish. It also excels with more gourmet dishes such as financial vol-au-vent, porcini mushroom ravioli, or mature cheese. Its balance between freshness and opulence makes it a wine equally at home as an aperitif or on a fine dining table.

Find out more

"Maceration is a tradition in Alsace!" says Jean-Marc Dreyer, adding that direct pressing in this region is a modern invention, linked to the advent of electricity. In the past, people worked by hand and let the grapes macerate before sending the pomace to the press. » Whole-bunch maceration is Jean-Marc Dreyer's signature and represents 85% of the estate's production, the remainder consisting of direct-pressed whites, often aged using controlled oxidation. Jean-Marc succeeds several generations of his family at the Dreyer & Fils estate, established in 1830 between Obernai and Molsheim. Upon taking over the estate, he immediately opted for biodynamics, but he hesitated for a while between several methods: at first, his wines were more oaky, aged in new barrels with stirring. Then came the sweet period: all his wines contained residual sugar. In 2008, he tried vinifying without any sulfur and found his direction: the following winter, upon returning from the pilgrimage to Compostela, he swore never to add sulfur to any wine again. Having made this decision, he asserts his style around skin maceration, quite advanced, chiseled, always surprising on Alsatian grape varieties, of which it brings out the structure without sacrificing the delicacy. Jean-Marc works in single-varietal or blended vintages and also produces Pinot Noir reds of surprising depth.