Weingut Knipser Cuvée X - the Top Red Wine Cuvée from the Palatinate

The Weingut Knipser Cuvée X 2019 is a dry red wine cuvée made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, essentially a classic Bordeaux blend in the style of a Médoc, but from the Palatinate. More than any other wine, it represents the Knipser estate: a top red wine cuvée, outstanding, full of character, not allowing itself to be constrained, a long-distance runner that opens up more and more over time and reveals its full developmental potential.

It was only in the 1980s that winemaker Werner Knipser "imported" the first vines from France, as EU law made it possible for the first time. Back then, when probably no one suspected what a legendary wine would one day emerge from these vines, he met with more disapproval than support for planting Bordeaux vines in the Palatinate. Today, the Cuvée X, made from now over 30-year-old vines, is a cult wine that can easily stand up to international comparison.

On the nose, the Cuvée X shows fruity, sweet-tart notes of blackcurrants; on the palate, it is characterized by the 24 months in new French oak barriques, yet remains juicy. This red wine exhibits density and depth, smelling as if one were inhaling from a small leather tobacco pouch while sitting in the midst of a cedar forest after a summer rain.

A sophisticated red wine that pairs equally well with game dishes, as it does with braised lamb or pan-seared beef.

Winemaking – Weingut Knipser

Good vineyard work is a prerequisite for the best wines, which is why at Weingut Knisper, important steps are taken to reduce yields through short vine pruning in winter and green harvesting, or vendage verte, in summer. The vines for this red wine cuvée grow in the best vineyards around Laumersheim, characterized by calcareous marl rock. This limestone originated from deposits of calcareous algae that formed reefs in a tropical sea during the Miocene, and it can be found in the subsoil of Großkarlbacher Burgweg, Laumersheimer Kirschgarten, Laumersheimer Steinbuckel, and Dirmsteiner Mandelpfadt. These sites are ideal for all grape varieties that thrive on body and benefit from well-buffered acidity.

The selective hand-picking of the grapes took place in multiple passes during the last days of October, in order to harvest optimally ripe fruit with a fabulous 107° Oechsle. At the winery, all grapes are destemmed. First, classical mash fermentation takes place, which takes several weeks, followed by gentle pressing in a tank press and, after a short settling period during which the coarse lees settle, transfer to wooden barrels. Here, malolactic fermentation then occurs, converting malic acid into milder lactic acid, which gives the wine softness and a good mouthfeel. Aging in new French oak barriques lasts 24 months. Bottling takes place in June 2022.

Cuvée X – a wine and its values

• 62% Merlot
• 10% Cabernet Franc
• 28% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 13.5% vol. alcohol
• 5.1 g/l acidity
• 0.3 g/l residual sugar

Awarded with

• 94 points James Suckling
• 93 points Vinum
• 92 points Eichelmann
• 93 points Falstaff

The Cuvée X from Knipser is among the top 10 wines in the Eichelmann Wine Guide.