Niels van Laatum (@NEZPOURVIN) shares a wine discovery every time. He wrote a book on natural wine, gives wine lectures and travels the world in search of that one exceptional bottle, region, grape or winemaker.
At Frank John, winemaker in the Palatinate, the road literally stops. Against the edge of the forest, just below an old chapel, you will find his modest wine cellar. A 400-year-old building, restored to beautiful condition. Frank runs the business with his wife and his children Sebastian and Dorothea. On the land, they work biodynamically, in the cellar traditionally and minimalist. With lots of used wood and some amphorae for fermentation and maturation. Every bottle has natural cork, which he considers the most sustainable. Frank's wines are pure, precise and focused. Phenomenal work that gets more and more beautiful with age. Whether it's Sekt or a still wine. With wistfulness, I think back to the last bottle I tasted from him: a 2017 Riesling. Spectacular. Remember that name.
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