A. Christmann Pfalz Spatburgunder 2014
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In 1845 Prof. Dr. Ludwig Hausser and his cousin Johann Martin founded a small winery in Gimmeldingen as a hobby, and over the course of the next generation winemaking became their main profession. In 1894 Eduard Christmann married Henriette Hausser, the granddaughter of the founder. The Estate bears the name of her son Arnold, and is run in the 7th generation by Steffen Christmann.
Devotion to soil vitality and the preservation and individuality of the terroir has lead them to practice organic agriculture, strict vineyard management, and severe yield reduction. In the cellar they employ long and gentle pressing with low pressure, clarification through natural sedimentation, and a slow, not too cool fermentation sometimes until as late as June with only one filtration. Today, A. Christmann Rieslings and Pinot Noirs are widely regarded as Pfalz's finest.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This sunny and relatively dry region served for many years as a German tourist mecca and was associated with low cost, cheerful wines. But since the 1980s, it has gained a reputation as one of Germany’s more innovative regions, which has led to increased international demand.