WEINGUT A. CHRISTMANN

Literally “from the sites”, this new wine is a blend of Erste and Grosse Lagen from across the estate. 15% Idig, 20% Kappellenberg and so on – 10-20% from each of the family’s single-vineyard sites. A flinty, taut bone structure frames generous, supple stone fruit. A meeting of pliant fleshiness with wet-stone minerality. 20,000 bottles were produced. Bottled in May 2022. 12.5% abv.

Kapellenberg, in Gimmeldigen, forms the southeast slope of a vineyard situated high in the foothills of the Haardt mountain range, with cooling breezes from the nearby forest. A chapel below the vineyard gives the site its name. Herbal aromas, with crushed-rock minerality. The palate is yellow hued, with apricot and honeysuckle, very pure and immediate. Bottled in the first week of July 2022, as were all the subsequent wines. 12% abv. In Sophie Christmann’s words, “cool, salty, elegant.”

Reiterpfad forms a large, gently sloping terrace. It was formed over thousands of years and consists of red sandstone boulders from the Haardt mountains. This is a warmer site than Kapellenberg, which comes through in the juicy, accessible ripe peach and pear fruit. Although it has only 0.8g/l residual sugar, the natural ripeness of the site shines through, making for an earlier drinking style. This is the more generous and approachable of the two Erste Lagen. 12.5% abv. 

One of the coolest GGs, planted on soils of loess, loam and a little limestone. The Christmann's have 1.1ha here. Sophie described it as, “the coolest and the slimmest – salted lemons!” Meerspinne is a Grosse Lage sub-plot of Mandelgarten, dating back to 1456. Today it is considered the best plot in Gimmeldingen. Deft white peach aromas, with peppery spices. The palate is acid-driven and precise on the attack, finding a green citrussy intensity on the mid-palate, with a grapefruit flair to the finish. 12.5% abv. 

Ölberg-Hart is a cool site, right behind Idig – it is a GG inside an Erste Lage. Steffen and Sophie Christmann have 0.8ha here. Lemon and lime aromas, leading into a luminous palate of wet-stone minerality. The heavier soils – heavy lime marl, so-called terra fusca – means this is always the most powerful of the Rieslings, according to Sophie. Fine-boned on the attack, opening onto a mid-palate of weighty green citrus and stone fruit. Hunkered down and focused when tasted in August 2022. 12.5% abv. 

Its name meaning ‘birdsong’, this is described by Sophie as “the second pillar of our estate [with Idig].” 3.5ha of hard limestone makes for a driving, linear style of Riesling. Located at the end of a deep, broad valley, with warm days and cool nights. Honeysuckle and apricot aromas – warm and enticing. The palate is steely and salty on the attack, with a lemony zest making for an upbeat mid-palate, the tangy fruit ripeness lingering on the finish. 5,000 bottles have been produced. 12.5% abv. 

This Grosse Lage is one of the most highly rated sites in Pfalz. The Christmann family owns the majority: 4ha of the total 6.5ha. Over half of their holding is planted to Riesling. Idig’s tertiary limestone soils result in higher pHs and a softer, more open-knit texture. Stony, reductive-smoky aromas when tasted in August 2022. The palate has the most pronounced sense of chalky texture and mineral grip of the GGs, a phenomenal communion of soil and site, sustained by lemony acidity. The Chevalier-Montrachet of Pfalz! 12.5% abv. 

As for the Riesling, this new wine is a blend of Erste and Grosse Lage sites from across the estate. Dark and gently peppery on the nose, with a supple palate of sapid, textured blackberries. There is 30% whole bunch fermentation here. 8,000 bottles have been made. 13% abv. 

This is an Erste Lage site, first made as a wine in its own right in 2019. It is between Kapellenberg and Idig. “Always the fruitiest and the most accessible when young,” according to Sophie Christmann. Darkly cherried and grippy, with a ferrous mineral bite and fine, fruit-coated tannins. 13% abv. 

Ölberg is a high, sloping Erste Lage site in Königsbach, recognised as one of the best in Pfalz. It benefits from morning sun and late afternoon shade. As at Idig, limestone marl and the brown earth known as ‘terra fusca’ predominate – clay and loam. Spicy and cedary, the power of Ölberg really coming through here. This is a big, forceful wine in 2019, which will repay cellaring. 13% abv.  

This Erste Lage vineyard consists of steep terraces in the Haardt hills between Gimmeldingen and Königsbach. The site is protected from cold winds by a small hollow in the hillside. “Our Clos St-Jacques – my hidden favourite,” according to Sophie. Cooler and more insinuating, this is a Pinot by stealth that builds on the palate into a softly berried beauty. This really suits the character of the cooler 2019 vintage. 100% old vines, planted in 1982. 13% abv. 

The Grosse Lage idig vineyard is one of the most highly-rated sites in the Palatine region, making this the flagship holding of the estate. Grosses Gewächs, or GG, can be seen as comparable to Grand Cru status in Burgundy. 75% of Idig was planted in 1975, the rest in 2008. A flagship for the region, which revels in sensual raspberries, wild strawberries and a deft creamy density, offset against crisp acidity. Powerful and yet tender. 13% abv.