Gimmeldinger Biengarten Spätburgunder VDP Erste Lage 2022

A Pinot Noir built on tension rather than sheer fullness: ripe red cherry and raspberry over an earthy undertone of forest floor, with a silky texture. Vinified dry, 13.0% ABV. Steffen Christmann describes his stylistic ideal for Riesling as a "Primaballerino": powerful yet elegant, with perfect balance. This Pinot Noir follows the same line.

The Biengarten lies in Gimmeldingen in the Palatinate, where the A. Christmann winery has been based since 1798, and is classified as VDP Erste Lage. After the 2021 downsizing, the estate now comprises just 17 hectares, all of them classified sites. Variegated sandstone, limestone and terraced gravel shape each parcel differently.

Riesling accounts for 70 percent of the vineyard area, with the remainder split between Pinot Noir and a little Pinot Blanc. The winery has farmed organically since 2002 and biodynamically since 2003: horn manure, horn silica and compost preparations replace synthetic chemistry, and vineyard work follows the lunar calendar. "The roots reach deeper and the vineyards have found their balance," says Steffen Christmann of these two decades.

Juicy red fruit and dark berries, fine-grained tannins, a vibrant acidity and cool minerality. The finish stays long and lean, the fruit clearly delineated, a touch of violet lingering to the end.

Steffen Christmann took over the family winery in 1996 as its seventh generation and has served as president of the VDP since 2007. His daughter Sophie Christmann, a graduate of Hochschule Geisenheim with stints in Bordeaux and Australia, joined in 2018, while grandfather Fritz, now over 90, still works in the vineyard. The estate belongs to respekt-BIODYN and La Renaissance des Appellations.