Weingut Christmann - Aus den Lagen Riesling, Pfalz, Germany (2021)

TASTING NOTES

Dry, powerful, mineral and textural. Phenolic grip and plush, lush slightly tropical fruit.

Fermented with 20-30% whole grapes, aged with 20% new wood, bottled in May 2021.

Weingut A. Christmann is an estate which continues to achieve new heights, especially after Sophie Christmann joined her father Steffen in the cellar fulltime in 2018 (the 7th and 8th generations of the family making wine here). They were awarded Winemaker of the Year in the 2021 Vinum wine guide, one of the most prestigious accolades for a German estate and one rarely given to producers in the Pfalz.

The beautiful winery and home of the Christmann family can be found in the quaint town of Gimmeldingen in the centre of the Mittelhaart of the Pfalz. The estate dates back to 1798 and now has 20 hectares of vineyards in the Mittelhaardt and was converted to biodynamic viticulture in 1996 by Steffen. While the Pfalz is known for ripeness and power, their vineyards are slightly cooler, around Gimmeldingen and Königsbach, where cool air comes through a gap in the Haardt Mountains.

The vineyards are planted to mostly Riesling with some Spätburgunder and Weissburgunder. Sophie is working to expand their reputation for Spätburgunder. 

The Riesling style is dry, powerful, minerally, and textural. The wines often have some phenolic grip and the fruit quality can border on tropical. While the intensity is at the forefront, the wines are always balanced with focused acid that maintains tension. Their top wine is from the Grosses Gewächs monopole Idig. It has achieved unanimous praise from every top wine critic and is considered among the very best sites in Germany. Other high quality sites include Ölberg Kapelle, Langenmorgen, and Reiterpfad - Hofstück. VDP Estate.