Königsbacher Ölberg Spätburgunder VDP Erste Lage 2021

The nose is dark and inviting: sweet cherry, sour cherry and preserved morello cherries, joined by violet, lilac and forget-me-not. In the background sit elderberry and plum; with air, clove and cardamom emerge, alongside juniper, pepper, sage, undergrowth and cigar box.

The Christmann family farms 0.5 hectares of the VDP Erste Lage Königsbacher Ölberg, directly adjacent to the Idig vineyard. The slope faces east to southeast with a 5% gradient, catching early morning sun before falling into shade later in the day. Cold winds from the Klausenthal in the Palatinate Forest provide additional cooling. The soil is Terra Fusca, a mixture of limestone, loam and clay, with the topsoil interspersed with variegated sandstone gravel.

Pure Spätburgunder. In 2018, half the vines were top-grafted with French clones. The grapes were hand-harvested on 22 September 2021, with spontaneous fermentation using 10% whole clusters. Ageing took place in small oak casks, 10% new barriques, until February 2022, with bottling only in May 2023. 13.0% vol., dry.

Silky and cool, carried by a fine acid structure to which the fruity and floral aromas cling, building subtle tension. The tannin remains gentle, contributing pleasant bitter notes. Aromatically, sour cherry takes the lead, lifted by fine herbal accents. Elegance and subtle spice linger on the finish for minutes.

Sauerbraten with potato dumplings, duck breast with orange sauce and chard, or whole braised celeriac with mushroom stock and roasted hazelnuts.

The A. Christmann winery in Gimmeldingen has farmed biodynamically since 2003 and is certified respekt-BIODYN as well as EU organic. Steffen Christmann, president of the VDP since 2007, runs the estate together with his daughter Sophie Christmann, who joined in 2018. Across 17 hectares, the estate produces exclusively single-vineyard wines from Riesling and Pinot.