2023 Siebenschläfer

Tasting

In 2018 we planted a new vineyard and refused to pick a variety. Instead, a Frentsch: a field blend of white and red grapes, the way vineyards were planted for centuries and almost never are today. Several kinds of Silvaner, Muscat, members of the Pinot family, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Heunisch and near-forgotten vines like Vogelfränkisch and Adelfränkisch, about twenty varieties in all. Everything is picked on the same day and fermented together. Some grapes are very ripe by then, others still pretty sharp. (A family gathering where not everyone's in the same mood.) Nothing gets evened out; the differences are the wine. In 2023 it had seven days on the skins, old wood until summer and another six months in steel. Muscat and Gewürztraminer bring flowers and spice, along with red berries, a layered texture and a chalky thread that holds it all together. That much going on in the glass, and still just under 11 % alcohol.