Weingut A. Christmann in Gimmeldingen.

While both dry and fruity styles continue to co-exist in the Pfalz, it was made clear to us that the future of this region lies in the dry wines coming from its 56 Großes Gewächse (or classified "Great Growths"). These crus, to borrow the French term, that were officially established (or re-established, as discussed below) in 2002, and have been building up momentum since at least the late 1990s when the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweinguter (or VDP), the association of the top 200 or so German wine estates, realized the necessity for a classification similar to that of Burgundy. We tasted with six leading estates during our brief stay in the Pfalz, and left with a new found appreciation for these dry, mineral-driven Rieslings which are expressing their terroirs with precision and elegance, especially in the 2007s that the estates were showing during our visit. While the Pfalz is loaded with top-notch producers, Steffan Christmann of the Weingut A. Christmann estate in Gimmeldingen impressed us the most.

Steffen Christmann

Jesse and 7th-generation winemaker Steffen Christmann taking in the Idig GG from a viewing platform above the vineyard.

Classifications always bring conflict as inevitably certain vineyards are rated lower than their owners think they deserve (it is a classification system, after all), and the Pfalz has not escaped its share of strife in establishing the Großes Gewächse. As reported by Michael Schmidt in the Wine Report 2009, Steffen Christmann is the new president of the VDP is now working to bring more peace amongst the growers. He feels that the VDP members must now stand together to promote the concept. During our visit, Steffen was generous with his time and took us to his almost alleinbesitz (monopole) vineyard of Idig. The normally focused winemaker became momentarily distracted as he watched a fellow grower working a tractor on the small portion of Idig which he does not own, because Steffen works his majority ownership of Idig by hand and with biodynamic techniques.

Große Gewächs Idig

The lagenkarte of Gimmeldingen, Königsbach, and Ruppertsberg in the Pfalz. Courtesy of www.weingut-christmann.de.

The VDP based the 2002 classification on lagenkarten (land maps) dating from 1828 when the best vineyards where appraised for tax purposes. The 2002 classification, which follows the model of Burgudy's Regional, Village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru categories, ranks as follows: Gutsweine, the Regional equivalent, which literally translates as "estate wine" or wine produced by grapes grown by the estate; Ortsweine, the Village equivelent, translating as "commune wine"; Erste Lagen, is the term chosen by the VDP to mean "Premier Cru", which can all, confusingly, be made in sweet or dry styles.

It is in the Große Gewächse or "Grand Cru" category where things can get particularly interesting, and is where the leading estates of the Pfalz are making their mark. These wines must be made in a dry style, whose upper limit of residual sugar has now been reduced to 9 grams per liter and are identified by a special bottle with an embossed logo displaying the number "1" and a cluster of grapes. And the VDP is now requiring its members to add the letters "GG" after the vineyard name to drive home the point.

Steffen Christmann propagates Königsbacher Idig GG, Gimmeldingen Mandelgarten GG, and Ruppertsberger Reiterfad GG. His "SC" (or "Selection Christmann") wines are declassified from the above mentioned GGs so that only his most complex and concentrated wines go into the GG wines, and his dry wines all land in the range of 3.5 to 4 grams of residual sugar, which he feels is the right balance for Pfalz Rieslings. These were dry, concentrated and mineral and some of the best dry Rieslings we tasted on our trip.

The south-facing Große Gewäch of Idig near Königsbach.

The loamy mix of loess, chalk, and sandstone at Idig.

Great site.