WEINGUT A. CHRISTMANN 2022 & 2020

Wine Region

Rheinpfalz, Germany

Vineyard

20 hectares

“Great wines are born in harmony with nature.”

SOPHIE CHRISTMANN, AUGUST 2023

Guy Seddon and I have got ourselves into the pattern of visiting our German producers in late August or early September. It works on many levels, the emails are permanently flowing in whilst we are away and, more importantly, we get to have a good look at the vineyards whilst they are thriving.

The trip usually takes us via Luxembourg and the Mosel down to visit Steffen and Sophie in the wonderfully named Gimmeldingen, in the heart of the Pfalz. It was a little wet this year so we settled in to taste rather than having a tour in the Christmann “Landy”.

I love this tasting. It is equally fascinating in Riesling or Spätburgunder. Not many estates can pull this off – reds and whites of equal status. There is always charm and seriousness in equal measure - making the wines approachable but also cellar worthy. These apparent contradictions are a result of meticulous attention in the vineyards and some wonderful sites. As was the case last year, the Christmann range now begins with Aus den Lagen, a blend of Erste and Grosse Lagen from across the estate.

All the other wines are now single-vineyard Erste and Grosse Lagen. If you have not bought or tried these yet than I urge you to! If you have then I know you’ll be back for more.

WILL HARGROVE
HEAD OF FINE WINE

The estate of 20 hectares dates back to 1798. The recent history is one of grandfather, father and daughter.

THE REGION
The Upper Rhine Valley in southwestern Germany has an almost Mediterranean climate. The Palatinate region, within which Pfalz lies, is half an hour from Strasbourg and an hour from Frankfurt. The Christmann winery is in the village of Gimmeldingen in the centre of the Mittelhaart area, with the Haardt Mountains as a protective backdrop. It is a stunning part of the world with a patchwork of vineyards, akin to Burgundy in many ways.

Guy has covered individual holdings in his excellent tasting notes below so I will not repeat this here. In the vineyards themselves the work is done in harmony with nature – no herbicides, insecticides or synthetic fungicides. The estate has been certified biodynamic since 2002. In the cellar nothing is left to chance. The freshly squeezed juices run into the barrels without further intervention. Once inside, the natural yeasts from the vineyard sites start the fermentation. There is no fining. Only a racking off the lees and a very gentle filtration are required at bottling time.

The Team

Steffen and Sophie represent the family’s 8th and 9th generation. Scroll left and right below…

STEFFEN CHRISTMANN
Steffen (father and president of the VDP “on the side”) has almost 30 years of experience at the estate.

SOPHIE CHRISTMANN
Sophie (daughter) has been with the estate for three years now, having studied at Geisenheim and gained experience in wineries around the world. She is involved in all areas of the estate but it is fair to say she has a particular focus on the Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir).

THE LEVELS

A quick guide to the German VDP wine hierarchy

As we are dealing exclusively with dry wines here, the hierarchy is more straightforward than it may sometimes appear with German wines. It may be lazy to draw parallels but there are many with Burgundy. This is both in terms of hierachy and the fact that wines can be declassified by a tier, should a producer so wish.
A - VDP Grosse Lage (think grand cru – e.g. Chambertin)
B - VDP Erste Lage (think premier cru – e.g. Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru)
C - VDP Ortswein (think village – e.g. Gevrey-Chambertin Villages)
D - VDP Gutswein (think regional – e.g. Bourgogne Rouge)

‘’The biodiversity of our vineyards is of central importance to us.”
SOPHIE CHRISTMANN, AUGUST 2023

THE 2022 RIESLING VINTAGE, in the words od Sophie Cristmann
“A new wine year brought new challenges. Too much rain fell in 2021, then the opposite in 2022. Fortunately, we had almost 90 litres [90 mm] of rain, very locally, within five days at the end of June. It rained slowly and steadily, so our humus-rich soils could store a lot of water. 19 years of biodynamics with gentle soil work are very valuable in dry years. Our vines have deep roots and are therefore very resilient. Harvest started on 2nd September and finished on the 27th . Wonderful, ripe Pinot Noirs could be harvested. The weather at harvest was changeable. In addition to beautiful, sunny days, showers forced us to take frequent breaks. Maturity was slow. Thanks to the efforts of our large harvest team, we were able to make good use of the sunny days to harvest ripe, healthy grapes quickly. Today we are very satisfied with what we have picked. In the cellar lies a vintage full of pressure and excitement, with good integrated acidity and spice. So 2022 joins its wonderful predecessors, such as 2020, 2017 and 2015.”

THE 2020 PINOT NOIR VINTAGE
Based on her experience in France and Baden, Germany, Sophie Christmann introduced some winemaking changes from the 2017 vintage, which was the first in which she took charge of the Spätburgunder production. These included larger fermentation tanks and a greater reliance on pumping-over rather than punching-down, as well as shorter post-fermentation maceration and less new oak. Four vintages on, this approach is working wonderfully.
Over 16 years of biodynamics helps too of course, although in Sophie’s opinion, it is the calcareous marl soils, similar to those found in Burgundy, which really let the estate’s Pinot Noir shine. An average of 25-30% whole-bunch fermentation was used in 2020, a vintage which Sophie described as “a really nice, balanced year – a summer that was warm but not hot. According to the data, it was a perfect year for the reds.” 2020 was the shortest harvest ever at the estate – a very balanced growing season, with enough water in the summer, warm but never hot, with cool nights. Picking started in the final days of August, finishing on 10th September. The berries were smaller and more concentrated than in 2019 and 2021. The Pinot Noirs were bottled in May 2022.

AUS DEN LAGEN

The Rieslings in this release are from the 2022 vintage, whilst the Pinot Noirs are from 2020. Following trials which began in 2015, the estate has used Diam composite corks (Origine 30) for its Rieslings since the 2021 vintage. The Pinot Noirs remain under natural cork.

AUS DEN LAGEN RIESLING 2022

The Aus den Lagen (‘from the sites’) Riesling is a blend of Erste and Grosse Lagen from across the estate. It comprises 10-20% of each of the family’s single-vineyard sites, with around 20% coming from Idig itself. A wine of friable white peach fruit, sustained by taut acidity and underpinned by wet-stone minerality. Around 20,000 bottles were produced. Bottled in early July 2023, as were all the subsequent Rieslings. 11.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17+
Recommended drinking from 2023–2028
£140/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

AUS DEN LAGEN

ERSTE LAGEN

The line-up looks a little different this year, as almost 4 hectares have been leased to other growers. As Sophie described it, “We wanted to shrink the size of the estate a little bit – we only want to have wines that we 100% stand behind.” So the ‘entry-level’ wine is a new creation, Aus den Lagen, a blend of Erste and Grosse Lagen from across the estate. The Rieslings in this release are from the 2022 vintage, whilst the Pinot Noirs are from the 2020 vintage.

GIMMELDINGER KAPELLENBERG RIESLING 2022

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. This is a richer golden colour than the preceding wines, with herbal aromas in the forefront and stony minerality behind. Peach and apricot fruit on the palate, which is immediate and pure, then lemon zest on the finish, with fabulous mineral tension. “A really good seafood wine”, in Steffen’s words. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2026–2035
£215/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

RUPPERTSBERGER REITERPFAD RIESLING 2022

Reiterpfad is 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 is evident in a certain fleshiness and generosity of stone and orchard fruit. Apricot and peach fruit linger on the long finish. This is the more generous and approachable of the two Erste Lagen. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17-17.5
Recommended drinking from 2025–2035
£225/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

RIESLING ERSTE LAGEN

GROSSES GEWÄCHS

MEERSPINNE RIESLING GG 2022

One of the coolest Grosse Lagen, planted on soils of loess, loam and a little limestone. The Christmanns 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. Citric and just on the right side of puckering, this is super-focused and saline-mineral. Lots of ageing potential. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2026–2046
£390/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£140/CASE OF 1 MAGNUM, IN BOND UK

ÖLBERG-HART KÖNIGSBACH RIESLING GG 2022

Ölberg-Hart is a cool site and the furthest north, right behind Idig – it is a Grosse Lage inside an Erste Lage. Steffen and Sophie Christmann have 0.8ha here. Wet-stone minerality on the nose, leading into a palate of cool lemon and lime fruit, with a compressed fruit ripeness and latent power. The heavier soils – lime marl, so-called terra fusca – mean this is always the most powerful of the Rieslings, according to Sophie. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 +
Recommended drinking from 2026–2046
£390/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

VOGELSANG NEUSTADT RIESLING GG 2022

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, which enjoys warm days and cool nights. There is a notch more fruit ripeness here – honeysuckle and apricot. The palate is more mineral, granular and salty, with fruit ripeness coming in behind. “For us, it’s on the same level as Idig, but a very different expression”, said Steffen. Around 5,000 bottles are produced. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18+
Recommended drinking from 2027–2047
£410/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

IDIG KÖNIGSBACH RIESLING GG 2022

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. Discreet and reticent when tasted in August 2023, this is biding its time. The palate slowly reveals chalky minerality and dry extract – this will put on weight, becoming rounder, broader and more powerful in due course. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2028–2048
£425/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£145.00 / CASE OF 1 MAGNUM, IN BOND UK

PINOT NOIR

AUS DEN LAGEN SPÄTBURGUNDER 2020

As for the Riesling, this new wine is a blend of Erste and Grosse Lage sites from across the estate. Whole bunch exotic spices on the nose, with pretty red berry fruit. It is focused and sappy on the palate, with a gentle pepperiness adding definition. 8,000 bottles have been made. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17
Recommended drinking from 2023–2030
£185/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

GIMMELDINGER SCHLOSSEL SPÄTBURGUNDER 2020

This is an Erste Lage, 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. A friendly nose of upfront fruit purity. The palate is supple and juicy, with a bitter cherry bite to the finish. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2024–2034
£245/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

KÖNIGSBACHER ÖLBERG SPÄTBURGUNDER 2020

Ölberg is a high, sloping Erste Lage in Königsbach, seen as one of the best in Pfalz. It benefits from morning sun and late afternoon shade. As at Idig, the soils are composed of limestone marl and the brown clay and loam known as terra fusca. Spicy, peppery and gently exotic aromas, leading into a focused palate of drive and elegant power. 13% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18
Recommended drinking from 2025–2035
£315/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£115.00 / CASE OF 1 MAGNUM, IN BOND UK

GIMMELDINGER BIENGARTEN SPÄTBURGUNDER 2020

This Erste Lage vineyard consists of steep terraces in the Haardt hills between Gimmeldingen and Königsbach. There are 0.3ha of old vines, planted in 1982, with another 0.7ha plot having been planted recently. The site is protected from cold winds by a small hollow in the hillside. “Our Clos St-Jacques – my hidden favourite,” according to Sophie. Crystalline red berries on the nose, then pure and imposing on the palate. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2025–2034
£445/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£155.00 / CASE OF 1 MAGNUM, IN BOND UK

IDIG SPÄTBURGUNDER GG 2020

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, is comparable to Grand Cru status in Burgundy. 75% of Idig was planted in 1975, the rest in 2008. A flagship for the region, this is darker-fruited on the nose, leading into a driving palate of blackberries and wild strawberries, framed by wonderfully fruit-coated tannins and lifted by just-so acidity. A wine of panache, which manages to remain open and accessible. 12.5% abv.

Corney &a Barrow Score 18.5+
Recommended drinking from 2025–2035+
£580/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£195.00 / CASE OF 1 MAGNUM, IN BOND UK