Two BrandBros Natural Wines
Natural wine from the Pfalz is in the glass today: a Pet-Nat from 2018 and a Müller-Thurgau Pur from 2017 made by the BrandBros.
Keeping distances short in an environmentally conscious manner and therefore not only buying in Bockenheim from Andreas Durst, but also from the Brand winery. More precisely, from the new generation at the winery, the brothers Daniel and Jonas Brand. Both of them make natural wines from the Bockenheimer vineyards. Herbs and other plants are planted between the vines to attract insects and to revitalise the soil. A lot of manual works ensures healthy grapes, which are then fermented spontaneously and brought to the bottles unfined, unfiltered and without added sulphur.
First in the glass is the Müller-Thurgau Pur from 2017. The nose is yeasty, typical natural wine, a bit stinky but still fresh with a light minerality, apple that has been lying on the meadow orchard for too long and already has brown spots, an idea of marzipan. In the mouth then completely different than in the nose, clearly less acidity than the nose would have suggested, long, hardly or no fruit, creamy but in the middle of the tongue is powerful structure and at the edges of the tongue the acidity tickles, the apple, if you can call it that without any real fruit, is rather green and fresh here. The tannin is not completely round. With air some vegetable broth comes into the nose, balsamic vinegar, hard-boiled egg, the tannins become less stubborn. The wine needs temperature and time and rewards it with becoming rounder, but the resistance remains. The resistance is essential, not easy drinking.
On the second day the tannins are more intense, the wine is mustier, fruit is no longer to be recognized, the apple is gone. In the mouth the wine is round, but at the end there is edgy tannin, core, quince. The first evening I liked it better.
The real highlight was the Pet-Nat from 2018. Only one fermentation, directly putting everything in the bottle, Weissburgunder and Silvaner. Foams properly when removing the crown cork, there is apple, which was also already in the Müller-Thurga, an idea of Petrol, acidity already in the nose. On the palate then super refreshing, easily drinkable with an exciting structure, pome fruit peel, dry, tart. Really very easy to drink. Rather coarse bubbles, soft minerality, some hay. The wine just flows along the tongue and disappears in the throat, so that it is hard to keep up with refilling the glass. This is brutally fun, far away from boring and nevertheless or just because of that surely one of the perfect terrace summer wines. You can drink it away just like that and still it is interesting enough to keep you busy. Great, I’m looking forward to the remaining bottles and the rosé!