May 21, 2024

Swiss Movement: Natural Pinot Noirs from Phillip Grob

Marked down to make room for the next vintage

Did you know that only 1% of all wine made in Switzerland makes it out of the country? There is an even smaller small slice that is natural wine. So yes, you could say that the options for great natural Swiss wine available for us to sell are few and far between.

Fortunately I ran into Philipp Grob while visiting to Switzerland last Spring, and his wines immediately spoke to me. Low alcohol, zero sulfur Pinot Noirs that are deeply delicious and unlike any other Swiss wines available in the U.S.

There's a word that Philipp uses to describe the taste and experience he endeavors to create in his wines—chlapf—a Swiss German word that is best translated as "slap," as in when my 12-year old says "this song slaps."

We're the exclusive retailer of his wines in the U.S. and we're making room for his next vintage, so these are getting a serious discount for our newsletter subscribers: get 20% off with the code GROB20 at checkout. We just opened these and they are in a great spot right now.

BUY WEINBAU GROB NOW

Philipp works out of a garage winery in St. Gallen which is the easternmost canton of Switzerland, on the border of Lichtenstein. His vineyards are all severely sloped (see above pic), to the point that his access to farm them often arises from the vineyard owner not wanting to deal with the back breaking work anymore. Every parcel is situated on Lake Constance (shown in the topmost image of this email), and are constantly blazed by alpine breezes and mountain sunshine. Philipp is quite young and his first vintage was only 2019, but he worked with some of the key natural winemakers in Switzerland including Michael Broger and Markus Ruch. Having grown up in St. Gallen, his relationships there afforded him the ability to farm preferred, old-vine sites in the region.

Everything is organic and biodynamic, natively fermented and without any sulfur at all. The alcohol levels are supremely low—he is able to achieve aromatic ripeness due to the alpine sunshine, while maintaining low sugar levels because it never gets super hot in St. Gallen in the summer.

It's no small feat to get wine out of Switzerland but for these bottles it was worth it. We're proud to be sharing Philipp's wines and are excited to see what he does next.

Cheers,

Greg Rubin

greg@vwm.wine

Weinbau Grob Chlapf "Schlossberg" Pinot Noir 2021

$32.00

A remarkable vineyard: the forgotten south garden of the ancient Hahnberg Castle's church (hence the name 'Schlossberg'), overlooking Lake Constance. The total plantings amounts to a mere 0.08ha. Farmed for years by the same caretaker, he is now too old to work the steep slope. Savory, peppery Pinot Noir—fresh red fruits that become riper with air, clean and pure on the palate, and elegant. Zero sulfur Swiss Pinot Noir for what a coffee and croissant might cost you in Geneva. 12% abv. Get 20% off with code GROB20.

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Weinbau Grob Chlapf "Naglestein" Pinot Noir 2021

$53.00

A tiny terraced parcel of just 0.12ha owned by a family that recently had twins and thus no time to farm the labor of love. This is a crisp, mineral-driven example of the ancient terroir in St. Gallen. Crisp fruit, gentle but present acidity, and just the slightest roundness from the 10 year old French oak barrels it rests in before bottling. Absolutely crushable and in lovely shape right now. White pepper, mission fig, and red plum. Unfiltered and unsulfured. 12% abv. Get 20% off with the code GROB20.

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Weinbau Grob Chlapf "Huberberg" Pinot Noir 2021

$75.00

40 year old vines planted in a terraced vineyard on a wooded foothill of the eastern Alps. Juicy red fruits, the thinnest tannins, and soft acidity make this the real star of the show. Ethereal and detailed with layers of spice. 10 months in old French oak barrels. For fans of Claire Naudin and Loire Pineau d'Aunis. Unfiltered and unsulfured. 12% abv. Get 20% off with the code GROB20.

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