Spätburgunder trocken 2022

A dry Palatinate Pinot Noir with dark fruit and fine oak spice, noble in style yet without heaviness. In the glass it shows a bright, slightly translucent garnet red. The nose remains elegant and balanced, with the oak present but finely integrated: smoke, nuts and vanilla alongside cherries with a touch of cream, a light mineral spice and a hint of juniper.

The grapes come mainly from the Im Sonnenschein site, the winery's monopole vineyard in Siebeldingen, where shell limestone forms the subsoil and lends a fine acid structure. On the edge of the Palatinate Forest, the Rebholz family farms 26 hectares across four geological formations, from Rotliegend to shell limestone, biodynamically.

Spätburgunder, about 70 percent destemmed and cold-soaked for several days before spontaneous fermentation. The cap is repeatedly pumped over, gently extracting colour and tannin; fermentation runs at just over 30 °C, with skin contact lasting three weeks. The following spring brings malolactic fermentation. Ageing takes place in barriques, one third each new, one-year and two-year; after 16 to 18 months the wine is bottled without fining or filtration.

Juicy, with a fine texture and clearly defined tannin structure alongside mild acidity. The oak remains noticeable, framing the dark fruit rather than covering it. A balanced, easy-drinking Spätburgunder with great appeal.

Hansjörg and Birgit Rebholz now run the estate together with their twin sons Hans and Valentin; for 25 years Hansjörg Rebholz led the VDP Pfalz. What began in 1889 with great-grandfather Eduard as a natural-wine philosophy is reflected here in a fully fermented, bone-dry style and in Burgundy varieties aged in small oak barrels.