Weissburgunder "Im Scherben" 2022

A cool, spicy Pinot Blanc with a pronounced limestone imprint. Acidity and salinity are in harmony, with a fine richness cradling the fruit.

The Im Scherben site sits in a highly exposed location on the Isteiner Klotz, on Jurassic sedimentary rock and coral limestone. The limestone here is very shattered, hence the site's name ("Scherben" meaning shards). The 2022 vintage began with very little rainfall in the first quarter; two freezing nights at the end of March caused frost damage, after which warmth and dryness spurred vine growth. On the barren, exposed sites, the water supply came close to the critical range until rain fell a few weeks before harvest. Picking already began at the end of August.

Organically farmed Pinot Blanc, hand-picked and carefully selected. Minimal intervention is the rule in the cellar: 15 months of ageing in large oak casks, followed by three months as a blend in steel tank before bottling. 12.5% vol., dry.

On the nose, toasted white bread with salted butter, cold smoke and stony coolness, underpinned by ripe apricot and mirabelle plum, grilled pineapple, grilled corn and plenty of lemon zest, along with artichoke, fennel, sage and lemon balm. On the palate the fruit comes through crisp and acid-driven, with acidity and salinity playing to each other's strengths. The herbal and vegetal notes gain intensity as the wine develops, and the noticeable minerality duels with the richness.

Steamed cod with creamy kohlrabi and herb jus, confit halibut with lukewarm artichoke bottoms and toasted almonds, as well as grilled corn-fed chicken breast with fennel braised in orange.

Weingut am Klotz was founded in 2018/2019, when the families of the sparkling wine estate Reinecker along with Fritz and Friedrich of Weingut Franz Keller took over the estate, which had no successor, and converted it to organic farming. The Jurassic limestone of the Isteiner Klotz is a rarity in Germany.