Kirschgarten Spätburgunder GG – VDP.Grosses Gewächs by Knipser

The Knisper Kirschgarten Spätburgunder GG 2021 from Weingut Knipser is a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS from the Palatinate region's Laumersheimer Kirschgarten vineyard. This is where a classic Spätburgunder with fine fruit and soft, mellow tannins is produced, which can mature excellently.

On the nose, this well-structured, dry Spätburgunder red wine displays a cool aroma of ripe sour cherries, attributable to the calcareous soils, with hints of caramelised hazelnut and fine herbal spice, as well as perceptible black pepper and smoky roasted aromas from the wood. On the palate, the juicy, red stone fruit continues harmoniously, self-contained, yet very elegant. True red wine drinking pleasure. Long-lasting finish, enormous aging potential.

This VDP. GROSSES GEWÄCHS consistently receives top ratings and is considered one of the best Spätburgunder Große Gewächse in Germany.

Winemaking – Knipser

The vines for this Spätburgunder grow in the top Palatinate vineyard Kirschgarten. Several parcels on the southern edge of Laumersheim form the basis for this red wine. Extremely calcareous sites like the Mergelweg parcel are used, as well as the Riescht parcel directly next to houses, where the oldest Spätburgunder vines, 30 years old, grow on loess loam soils. This very sheltered location, in the wind and rain shadow of the Orlenberg, was already valued in the Middle Ages (the Kirschgarten site was first documented in 1654) by the Worms convent of Kirschgarten. They maintained a winery in Laumersheim and gave the site its name.

Good vineyard work is a prerequisite for the best wines. Therefore, at Weingut Knisper, important steps to reduce yields are taken through short vine pruning in winter and green harvesting, vendage vert, in summer.

The selective hand-picking of the grapes took place in several passes during the last days of October to harvest optimally ripe fruit. At the winery, all grapes are destemmed, meaning freed from their stalks. First, a classic mash fermentation takes several weeks, followed by gentle pressing in a tank press. After a short settling period, where the large lees settle, the wine is transferred to wooden barrels. Here, malolactic fermentation takes place, converting malic acid into milder lactic acid, which gives the wine softness and a good mouthfeel. Aging in new barriques of French oak lasts 24 months. Bottling takes place in August before the next-but-one harvest.

Kirschgarten Spätburgunder – a wine and its values

• Origin Wine from Germany
• Region Palatinate
• Grape variety Spätburgunder
• 13.5% vol. Alcohol
• 5.9 g/l Acidity
• 0.3 g/l Residual sugar

Wine – awarded