Melsolo

Melanie Kroeber, in her own words, lives “a very colorful life!” Born in the German Democratic Republic in 1981, she studied economics and media in Jena (central Germany) and began a six-year media and market research career in Munich and eventually, London. The field of marketing weighing her down, she pivoted in 2012 to follow her (original) passion, in cheese, becoming a cheesemonger at Neal’s Yard Dairy and apprentice and cheesemaker for the legendary Mary Holbrook in Somerset. Fast-forward five years, and again eager to expand her horizons, Mel traveled for a year to different domaines (including multiple in Australia, 2Naturkinder, Kitzingen and La Garagista, Vermot) studying cheese and wine before ultimately moving to France to learn in Arbois and Galliac. Her first vintage was in 2019, using purchased grapes; she then obtained a small plot of Braucol and Mauzac in Andillac and began working for Domaine Causse Marines in Vieux, from whom she eventually took over 2.5 hectares in 2022 (Ondenc, Mauzac, Braucol, Petit Manseng, Semillon).

Mel draws her inspiration from the lesser-celebrated Southwest region where she has settled, using native and often-forgotten varieties. The majority of the terroir is clay limestone at low elevation; farming is transitioning organic, and production is small. Grapes are hand-harvested early morning; all destemming takes place by hand, all stomping by foot. Macerations typically range from six days to three weeks, followed by pressing and aging in fiberglass tanks on fine lees for a minimum of seven months. No fining or filtration is used, and racking occurs only before bottling, which is done by hand. Each cuvée is an embodiment of Mel’s  precision, intellect, and strive for perfection, creating wines that are refined expressions of the unique varieties and region they come from.

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