Cuvée No. 104 Sekt Brut Nature

Wine description for Cuvée No. 104 Sekt Brut Nature L21 by Christmann & Kauffmann

Colour & appearance

Brilliant straw yellow with fine green reflections, crystal clear and threaded with an evenly fine, persistent mousse.

Nose

A sparkling wine of filigree and structure. The aromatic profile is distinctly reductive, clear and taut: white peach, zest of lemon and bergamot, yellow and green apple. Behind these lie chalky, calcareous tones that ground the bouquet and lend it a linear coolness. The lees are present but perfectly integrated – they provide structure. Fine herbal accents of fennel, anise, chervil and lemon thyme, along with a hint of white pepper, bring tension and lightness.

Palate

Taut, puristic, of impressive clarity. A high-calibre, vibrant acidity sets the direction, flanked by a delicate, almost transparent creaminess from the carbonation. The fruit remains pale yellow and clear: Nashi pear, yellow citrus zest, bergamot. This luminosity meets fine vegetal spice – lemongrass, fennel – and a chalky-mineral depth that grants the wine length and linearity. Not a sparkling wine of opulence, but one with drive and architectural clarity.

Finish

Cool, focused and with a precise aftertaste – the high yet perfectly integrated acidity of the 2021 vintage carries on long into the finish.

Terroir & origin

From the vineyards of the Mittelhaardt in the Palatinate, where limestone and coloured sandstone define the subsoil. The cool nights descending from the Palatinate Forest bestow upon the grapes the acid freshness that great sparkling wines require. This is where a sparkling wine is born that could have grown nowhere else.

Grape variety & vinification

Pure Riesling – all 100-series numbers at Christmann & Kauffmann are pure Rieslings. The digit 4 indicates the fourth disgorgement. Spontaneous fermentation in large wooden casks, at least 31 months on the lees, zero dosage. No sulphur, no fining. Hand-harvested in 8-kilo crates; from grape to press takes a maximum of thirteen minutes.

Food recommendations

The taut acidity and herbal spice make it an ideal partner for oysters, sea bream ceviche or sashimi. It also makes for an exciting combination with asparagus with hollandaise sauce, fresh goat’s cheese on crispy baguette or vegetable tempura.

Special features

Christmann & Kauffmann is Germany’s first purely biodynamic sparkling wine estate and a member of respekt-BIODYN. Mathieu Kauffmann, Chef de Cave at Bollinger for thirteen years, and Steffen Christmann, VDP President, unite Champagne expertise with Palatinate terroir. The numbering system ensures transparency: the 100 series denotes Rieslings, and the final digit documents each disgorgement.