Pfeffingen (Pfalz, Germany)
Pfeffingen is one of the great wineries in the Pfalz. The family has been making wine in this region for over 250 years, and production is currently overseen by Doris and Jan Eymael (mother and son). Jan's grandparents, Karl and Helene Fuhrmann, took over the Pfeffingen estate in 1952. Karl raised the reputation of the winery to be one of the finest in the region, he did great work with Scheurebe, he found ancient Roman artifacts on the property which helped create public interest in the region's history, and he helped to see the winery through the rough Flurbereinigung period (discussed in greater detail below).
<-- The family Coat of Arms has a unicorn ("Einhorn") perched on top, and this is the inspiration for their current label.
Pfeffingen is one of the great wineries in the Pfalz. The family has been making wine in this region for over 250 years, and production is currently overseen by Doris and Jan Eymael (mother and son). Jan's grandparents, Karl and Helene Fuhrmann, took over the Pfeffingen estate in 1952. Karl raised the reputation of the winery to be one of the finest in the region, he did great work with Scheurebe, he found ancient Roman artifacts on the property which helped create public interest in the region's history, and he helped to see the winery through the rough Flurbereinigung period (discussed in greater detail below).
<-- The family Coat of Arms has a unicorn ("Einhorn") perched on top, and this is the inspiration for their current label.
Flurbereiningung
The Flurbereiningung is perhaps the single most important event of the last century that has shaped German winemaking and guided the Pfeffingen estate to where it is today. The Flurbereiningung was a reaction to the trickle-down effects of what the wine business refers to as the "Napoleonic Laws." Napoleon put a new system into play that ensured by law that property would be split up equally between male children; this was a departure from the previous status quo in which entire property was handed down to the eldest son. The premise of the law is very democratic, yet after several generations of exponential population growth, all of the properties had been split, split again, and split again until individuals owned a few vines here and a few vines there. These laws also affected other wine regions including Burgundy; and the current fractalized ownership of vineyards can be quite problematic there. To combat this frustrating issue, Germany decided to organize a massive land-redistribution called the Flurbereiningung. Essentially, all the vineyard land went into one big pot, and the property ownership was redistributed in larger, more easily workable parcels.
This was a time of great change. Many owners wanted their new, larger vineyards to be more cohesive, so lots of wineries chose to uproot and replant vines with a fresh start. If they were thinking about working with different varieties, this was the time to replant. The government also took this opportunity to make some much needed improvements to the roads around the vineyards, to vineyard infrastructure, and to agricultural mapping in general. They built bird refugee areas to increase biodiversity. Jan also notes that "In the long run this was better, but it was a difficult transition. We had water problems that were fixed-- we dug ditches so that water flows around the vineyards, not through them," like the one pictured below:
The Flurbereiningung is perhaps the single most important event of the last century that has shaped German winemaking and guided the Pfeffingen estate to where it is today. The Flurbereiningung was a reaction to the trickle-down effects of what the wine business refers to as the "Napoleonic Laws." Napoleon put a new system into play that ensured by law that property would be split up equally between male children; this was a departure from the previous status quo in which entire property was handed down to the eldest son. The premise of the law is very democratic, yet after several generations of exponential population growth, all of the properties had been split, split again, and split again until individuals owned a few vines here and a few vines there. These laws also affected other wine regions including Burgundy; and the current fractalized ownership of vineyards can be quite problematic there. To combat this frustrating issue, Germany decided to organize a massive land-redistribution called the Flurbereiningung. Essentially, all the vineyard land went into one big pot, and the property ownership was redistributed in larger, more easily workable parcels.
This was a time of great change. Many owners wanted their new, larger vineyards to be more cohesive, so lots of wineries chose to uproot and replant vines with a fresh start. If they were thinking about working with different varieties, this was the time to replant. The government also took this opportunity to make some much needed improvements to the roads around the vineyards, to vineyard infrastructure, and to agricultural mapping in general. They built bird refugee areas to increase biodiversity. Jan also notes that "In the long run this was better, but it was a difficult transition. We had water problems that were fixed-- we dug ditches so that water flows around the vineyards, not through them," like the one pictured below:
Water Control Ditch Built During Flurbereiningung The Flurbereiningung had been an idea since the early 1900s. Legislature passed going into the 1950s, and the restructuring took place from the 1950s through the 1970s. This long-term scope gave vintners plenty of time to work out the terms of land redistribution, plan any replantings, and plan the changes in phases that would be financially viable for them. For Pfeffingen, most of their changes and replantings occurred in the 1980s.
The Flurbereiningung was expensive, and many wineries took a hit during this time period. To put this in perspective, it can cost about €30,000 to replant 1 hectare. At Pfeffingen, they replanted 10 hectares within a 2 year period of time. Many carefully planned the replanting of their now-cohesive vineyards in stages so that they could have workable fruit each year, but despite staggered replanting most wineries had to deal with extremely young vines for almost a decade, and lowered their output. Quality took a hit as the new plantings grew to maturity. Three decades later, the Pfalz is full of mature vines and producing stunning wines.
But the Flurbereiningung also had an unexpected surprise in the Pfalz. As they dug out the new vineyards and refurbished roads and pathways many people started to find ancient Roman artifacts. Karl found several items on the Pfeffingen properties including a Roman coin, a Roman blade, and several sarcophagi. Archeologists excavated what they could. But they couldn't take all of the artifacts, and some are still at Pfeffingen.
<-- Jan shows us the ancient Roman blade. In the background you see the Roman sarcophagus that was hand-chiseled from local stone.
Part of these historic findings included a Roman complex that dates to 300AD. In the photo to the left the walls are all authentic Roman stone, but the columns are modern replicas to give a more accurate idea of what it may have looked like.
The complex came complete with a Roman bath.
<-- Here is a picture of Jan & I taking a break in the 1,700 year old hot tub!
Jan is a thoughtful guy with a great sense of humor. His mother, Doris, was one of the first three women to graduate from Geisenheim. Jan is also a Geisenheim graduate, and he and his wife, Karin, apprenticed winemaking in Australia. From speaking with him, you get the idea that he sees the big picture of wine; from his global experience he understands how Pfeffingen fits into the world market, and I'm sure he also came back home with an understanding of the uniqueness of his family winery.
Terra Rossa Soil Pfeffingen owns several parcels, but one is incredibly unique.
There are two known vineyards with terra rossa soil in Germany: the Steingruber in Westhoffen and this Weilberg vineyard in Ungstein. Pfeffingen's Weilberg vineyard has a strip of terra rossa soil that runs from the top of the hill to the bottom. The terra rossa portion takes up about 4 hectares of the vineyard's 30 hectares. Pfeffingen owns 2 of the 4 terra rossa hectares. They plant riesling on it, the co-op that owns the other half plants it with spatburgunder.
Jan notes that, "Terra rossa is a very dense soil. It's very thick and extremely difficult to work with. When it's dry, it is as hard as concrete. When it's wet, it's really sticky."
Here is an interesting comparison:
Two rieslings, both made from vines approximately the same age, both picked at roughly the same Oeschle (ripeness level when picked), but grown on completely different soils.
Pfeffingen "Herrenberg" GG Riesling, 2011 (Pfalz, Germany)
KALKSTEIN soil, 27 year old vines
very savory aromas and flavors like fresh picked herbs, a sizzling mineral texture that lasts quite a long time
Pfeffingen "Weilberg" GG Riesling, 2011 (Pfalz, Germany)
TERRA ROSSA soil, 30 year old vines
thick and rich, almost a sandy, soil texture that grates against the sides of the tongue. dense, dark, and spicy, with tension and depth.
Two rieslings, both made from vines approximately the same age, both picked at roughly the same Oeschle (ripeness level when picked), but grown on completely different soils.
Pfeffingen "Herrenberg" GG Riesling, 2011 (Pfalz, Germany)
KALKSTEIN soil, 27 year old vines
very savory aromas and flavors like fresh picked herbs, a sizzling mineral texture that lasts quite a long time
Pfeffingen "Weilberg" GG Riesling, 2011 (Pfalz, Germany)
TERRA ROSSA soil, 30 year old vines
thick and rich, almost a sandy, soil texture that grates against the sides of the tongue. dense, dark, and spicy, with tension and depth.
Pfeffingen's Scheurebe
Writing about Pfeffingen wouldn't be complete without bringing up Scheurebe. Karl Furhmann was instrumental in popularizing Scheurebe. Pfeffingen's work with the grape is so highly prized that the Pfalz government granted them special permission to produce Scheurebe GG/GL. (By law only riesling, pinot noir, and pinot blanc may be labeled as Grosses Gewachs/Grosse Lagen).
Jan had plenty of insightful things to say about this grape:
"Scheurebe can be a tough cookie in the vineyard. You need to have it in the right place on the right soil. It took my grandfather some time to discover that Herrenberg (limestone) was the best place. Unripe Scheurebe is green and herbaceous. As it gets riper the flavor profile becomes more like lime citrus. When it gets close to botrytis cassis, lychee, and mango notes come out. Scheurebe was bred to be disease resistant, so you don't get much botrytis, but it will happen late in the season. We pick twice-- first when it is just ripe to get the lime citrus notes, then later for the tropical notes, and we ferment these together."
Writing about Pfeffingen wouldn't be complete without bringing up Scheurebe. Karl Furhmann was instrumental in popularizing Scheurebe. Pfeffingen's work with the grape is so highly prized that the Pfalz government granted them special permission to produce Scheurebe GG/GL. (By law only riesling, pinot noir, and pinot blanc may be labeled as Grosses Gewachs/Grosse Lagen).
Jan had plenty of insightful things to say about this grape:
"Scheurebe can be a tough cookie in the vineyard. You need to have it in the right place on the right soil. It took my grandfather some time to discover that Herrenberg (limestone) was the best place. Unripe Scheurebe is green and herbaceous. As it gets riper the flavor profile becomes more like lime citrus. When it gets close to botrytis cassis, lychee, and mango notes come out. Scheurebe was bred to be disease resistant, so you don't get much botrytis, but it will happen late in the season. We pick twice-- first when it is just ripe to get the lime citrus notes, then later for the tropical notes, and we ferment these together."
Jan showed us this vineyard map of the Pfalz from 1828, which appears to be one of the earliest vineyard classifications of the region.
Here are some tasting notes from the wines that we tried:
Pfeffingen Weissburgunder trocken 2012
(Pfalz, Germany)
94 Oeschle (combined), 6.1 g/L TA, 5.8g RS, 13% abv
this is a selection from loamy soils to make a smoother wine
rich and tart, like a fresh green pear; mild acidity, subtle mineral finish
Pfeffingen Dry Riesling 2012 "RWS"
(Pfalz, Germany)
90 Oeschle (combined), 7.5 g/L TA, 6.7g RS, 12.5% abv
this is a selection from two vineyards, Nussriegl (loam & colored sandstone soils) and Herrenberg (limestone)
crisp, dry, and tart. star fruit, yellow stone fruit, tart pineapple, limestone-like minerality in the background.
Pfeffingen Dry Scheurebe 2012 "RWS" (Pfalz, Germany)
89 Oeschle, 6.6g/L TA, 6.4 RS, 12.5% abv
lychee, pineapple, yellow plum, white pepper
Pfeffingen Ungstein Gewurztraminer trocken 2012 (Pfalz, Germany)
95 Oeschle, 5.3g/L TA, 7.3 RS, 13% abv
this fruit comes from the Nussriegl vineyard grown on sandy soils from the creek. The grapes are grown on both sides of the creek; they often get poor flowering here. This wine used to be called "Gewurztraminer Spatlese Trocken," but the naming has changed under the new VDP laws, which require higher levels of RS to name wines by Pradikat names like Spatlese. For a comprehensive read about this issue (Pradikat labeling vs. terroir-based labeling), reference this previous post, Dry German Wine & the VDP.
rose petals, candied ginger
Pfeffingen "Herrenberg" GG Riesling, 2011 (Pfalz, Germany)
KALKSTEIN soil, 27 year old vines
very savory aromas and flavors like fresh picked herbs, a sizzling mineral texture that lasts quite a long time
Pfeffingen "Weilberg" GG Riesling, 2011 (Pfalz, Germany)
TERRA ROSSA soil, 30 year old vines
thick and rich, almost a sandy, soil texture that grates against the sides of the tongue. dense, dark, and spicy, with tension and depth.
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