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Peter Wagner bottled his first wines from half a hectare in 2016, and in a short time has become one of the hottest growers in Baden, exporting all over the world – we were lucky to get in before demand completely outstripped supply. His eight hectares of vineyards lie in the heart of the volcanic soils of the Kaiserstuhl, many in GG sites, and with plantings mainly of Pinot Noir he produces pure, finely crafted wines that are appealing young but promise a long life.
Peter is the fifth generation to run his family estate. He came with considerable experience. An apprenticeship at a nearby estate and studies in Geisenheim were followed by stints in Sonoma and New Zealand, culminating in six years as the winemaker at the famous Franz Keller estate, a large operation of over forty hectares, which he left in 2017.
Helped by his father and his brother Lothar, a former Audi engineer, Peter converted to organic viticulture two years ago, and will become biodynamic from next year. Rather like their neighbour Holger Koch twenty years ago, they have embarked on an extensive replanting program to replace German clones with Burgundian ones.
His winemaking is minimalist, designed to maximise elegance and purity rather than extract power. A short pre-fermentation maceration is followed by a fermentation with wild yeasts. There is no punching down, only gentle pressing, very little new oak, long lees contact and no fining or filtration. The results are breathtaking.
The damp 2021 was a difficult year for Pinot Noir, and a particular challenge for organic growers. Leaf plucking to aerate the canopy and a later harvest set the agenda, and rigorous selection – three passes through each vineyard during the harvest – ensured that the Wagners gathered a healthy crop, but they decided not to bottle the top wines separately, blending all their grapes into their Orts-weine. Doesn’t sound all that promising – but have no fear: these are lovely, elegant wines with plentiful pure fruit and superb balance
A note on the 2020 vintage…
Last year we were very taken with Peter Wagner’s two top reds tasted in cask. When they were presented at our September tasting, however, they were oxidised, and we thought them faulty and withdrew them from sale.
Just before we sent them back, we tasted them one last time. To our astonishment, there was no sign of oxidation: the wines were as fresh and pure as they had been when first tried a year earlier. So we are offering a second chance to get hold of these extraordinary wines.
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