2Naturkinder, Fledermaus Weiss (2021)

Nahe, Germany— Funky, floral and aromatic! More reigned in than some previous vintages, this wine a beautiful blend of mostly Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner. Hazy citrus, white flowers, fresh cut grass with zippy, pleasant acidity! 

Michael and Melanie on this wine’s story: “In 2014, we took over a Müller-Thurgau vineyard from a colleague. There is a neat cottage in the middle of it which just looked like a perfect home for bats. Together with local bat hero Christian Söder, we developed the idea of a cycle: we get guano from local bat colonies – a wonderful fertilizer. In the vineyard, we have several bat boxes installed to offer opportunities for those lovely animals to hang out. In return, we give a share of the revenue back to the bats via the Landesbund für Vogelschutz. The bat (Fledermaus in German) on the label is the grey long-eared bat which has become very rare in our area. It’s also incredibly cute and we want to help it stay around.” Of the 2021 harvest, they add: “After the 2020 frost vintage 2021 was another difficult year with plenty of rain and powdery mildew as a constant threat causing severe damage all over the place. Nonetheless we were able to pick enough grapes to continue this blend the way we envisioned it: a major batch of Müller-Thurgau for the fruit, a slightly smaller batch of Silvaner for more structure and acid and finally a spritz of Riesling for and extra aromatic sparkle.” Grapes: 55% Müller-Thurgau, 33% Silvaner, 12% Riesling Vineyard: Kitzingen (Müller-Thurgau), Theilheim (Silvaner), Volkach (Riesling). Shell limestone. Making of: grapes are hand-harvested, foot trodded, and pressed straight away. The majority of the Müller-Thurgau and Riesling fermented and aged in big oak barrels, while the Silvaner and the rest of the Müller-Thurgau aged in stainless steel. Racked and blended before bottling the following August. No fining, no filter, zero sulfur added. Personality: pure and juicy! Floral with hints of stones.