How Knipser Gaudenz winery tastes

The Knipser Gaudenz 2019 is a dry red wine cuvée made from Cabernet Franc and Dornfelder from the Knipser winery and is classified as a VDP.GUTSWEIN. The wine has light roasted aromas on the palate, an intense color, and is quite powerful. This is due to both its grape varieties: Cabernet and Dornfelder, with the Dornfelder deliberately staying in the background, and to the must reduction, which means that a part of the Gaudenz, specifically the first-flowing light juice of the grapes, is used for the Rosé Clarette.

On the nose, the Gaudenz shows fine notes of blackcurrant; on the palate, it is juicy and only lightly influenced by the 18 months in used French oak barriques. An uncomplicated, yet sophisticated red wine that pairs just as well with a wild game dish as it does with a snack board or a grilled steak.

The red wine cuvée Gaudenz is a tribute to an ancestor, Gaudenz Knipser, who was a city architect and council member in the South Tyrolean city of Merano in the 16th century. The awarding of the family coat of arms, which is still used today, by Archduke Ferdinand in Innsbruck in 1582, also dates back to this period.

Winemaking – VDP Weingut Knipser

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

The selective hand harvesting of the grapes in late autumn usually takes place in several passes to harvest optimally ripe grapes. At the winery, all grapes are destemmed, i.e., freed from their stems. The free-flowing, resulting mash runs off and from this the Rosé Clarette is produced. The Gaudenz is vinified from the remaining must. First comes the classic mash fermentation, which takes about 14 days, then it is gently pressed in a tank press and, after a short settling period during which the large yeast settles, transferred to wooden barrels. Here, malolactic fermentation then takes place, in which malic acid is converted into milder lactic acid, which gives the wine softness and a good mouthfeel.

Aging always takes place in wood. The basic qualities mature in older barrique barrels. The top qualities are aged, depending on the grape variety, entirely or partially in new barriques. For Pinot Noir, 30% - 50% new barrels are used, for Dornfelder or Cabernet up to 100% new barrels. The storage period in wood is between 12 and 30 months. Bottling usually takes place in August before the next-but-one harvest.

Gaudenz – a wine and its values

• Origin: Wine from Germany
• Growing region: Palatinate
• Grape variety: Cabernet Franc and Dornfelder
• 3.5% vol. Alcohol
• 5.5 g/l acidity
• 0.3 g/l residual sugar