Weingut Knipser – Spätburgunder Kirschgarten GG – VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS

The Spätburgunder Kirschgarten GG 2020 from Weingut Knipser is a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS from the Palatinate vineyard site Laumersheimer Kirschgarten. This is where a classic Spätburgunder is created with a deep, complex bouquet and soft, mellow tannins, which can mature excellently.

On the nose, the well-structured, dry Spätburgunder red wine shows a cool scent of ripe sour cherries, due to the calcareous soils. Some caramelized hazelnut and fine forest floor notes are added, black pepper and smoky roasted aromas from the wood are perceptible. On the palate, the fruit of juicy, red stone fruit continues, harmonious, self-contained, yet very elegant. True red wine drinking pleasure. Long-lasting finish, enormous aging potential.

Weinwisser 9/2019 writes: "With four years of aging, Knipser's Kirschgarten is already approaching its peak form, as expressed by the now well-matched notes of black cherries, rosehip, and herbal spices. The fine roasted-smoky note from the barrique aging also fits well. On the palate, it offers full freshness with juicy fruit, delicate minerality, and spice not only from herbs but also from the wood. The tannins have also passed their impetuous Sturm und Drang phase and begun to integrate." 18.5 points

Winemaking – Weingut Knipser

The vines for this Spätburgunder grow in the top Palatinate vineyard site Kirschgarten. Several parcels on the southern outskirts of Laumersheim form the basis for this red wine. Extremely calcareous sites such as the Mergelweg parcel are used, as is the Riescht parcel, located directly next to houses, where the oldest Spätburgunder vines, 30 years old, stand on loamy loess soils. The very sheltered location in the wind and rain shadow of the Orlenberg was already appreciated in the Middle Ages, with the first documented mention of the Kirschgarten site in 1654, by the Kirschgarthen convent of nuns in Worms. They maintained a winery in Laumersheim and gave the site its name.

Good vineyard work is a prerequisite for the best wines, which is why Weingut Knipser takes important steps to reduce yields through short pruning in winter and green harvesting, vendage vert, in summer.

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

Spätburgunder Kirschgarten – a wine and its values

• Origin Wine from Germany
• Growing region Palatinate
• Grape variety Spätburgunder
• 13.5% vol. alcohol
• 5.9 g/l acidity
• 0.3 g/l residual sugar

Wine – awarded vintage

• 95 points James Suckling
• 95 points Eichelmann