Weingut A. Christmann

WEINGUT A. CHRISTMANN RIESLING 2018 WITH SPÄTBURGUNDER 2015 & 2016 NEW CORNEY & BARROW UK EXCLUSIVITY

“Great wines that tell the story of the wonderful Pfalz countryside with its exceptional soil and fantastic climate, as well as the story of our family’s history and passion. This has been our calling since 1798.”

STEFFEN CHRISTMANN

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INTRODUCTION For the genesis of this very exciting new exclusivity, I have to look back to January.

“We rely on the harmony between vine, vineyard, climate and soil for your enjoyment.”

STEFFEN CHRISTMANN

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Each year in May I am lucky enough to go on a great wine trip with a group of friends who happily are also rather splendid customers. We have gone to a different region each year and for 2019, it was to be Germany.

Back in January, before you think I have confused May and January, I was deep into the planning of the trip when, over a “visit plotting” dinner, two of the group (Dr) Achim Berg, with encouragement from Colin Henry, mentioned a producer we “must go and see”. This producer was A. Christmann in the Pfalz, in the wonderfully named village of Gimmeldingen. The visit was scheduled, via Achim, and what a visit it was. I knew the estate’s name and reputation but no more than that.

Steffen and daughter Sophie, who is heavily involved as you will see, gave the ten of us a brilliant tour and tasting on a Saturday morning, Steffen even being brave enough to, “join for lunch” afterwards.

During the tasting I had been blown away by the wines and could tell from the stares and raised eyebrows (positively so) that the group thought we, Corney & Barrow, should be representing the estate. I placed myself next to Steffen at lunch and managed to set about subtly, well I thought I was being subtle, enquiring about their distribution in the

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UK. That was not the time for a full conversation but an agreement to speak further was established.

Fast forward to August and Guy Seddon and I were in Gimmeldingen for a full tour of the vineyards and a more structured conversation with Steffen, his wife Daniela and Sophie. I am delighted to say an agreement was reached – though Steffen, quite rightly, made us work for it!

I cannot recommend these wines enough. One of the most exciting things is that they will age immaculately but at the same time show their true class and fascinating complexity quite early. Guy’s notes are a great read and set the wines in a splendid context.

There is one further piece to the jigsaw that I hope will be helpful. It is a write-up I have done of a ten vintage vertical 2009-2018 of the IDIG Riesling GG. I was lucky enough to get an invite to this tasting that happens every five years in conjunction with two other top producers and their top single vineyard wines. Please see the notes on the insert.

My thanks to Achim and Colin for this introduction and the wider team for the part they played. Please enjoy the offer and do not hesitate to contact me or the team with any questions.

WILL HARGROVE Head of Fine Wine, October 2019

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A BRIEF HISTORY The estate of 20 hectares dates back to 1798. The recent history is one of grandfather, father and daughter.

Steffen (father and president of the VDP “on the side”) has 25 years of experience at the estate.

Sophie (daughter) has been with the estate for over a year now, having studied at Geisenheim and gained

experience in wineries around the world. She is involved in all areas of the estate but it is fair to say she has a particular focus on the Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir).

Both Steffen and Sophie are still supported by Fritz (grandfather) who celebrates turning 90 this year.

These three winemaking generations are the family’s 7th, 8th and 9th.

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Legende VDP.ERSTE LAGE ® VDP.GROSSE LAGE ® Neues Projekt Vogelsang

Langenmorgen

Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten

DEIDESHEIM

Reiterpfad-Hofstück

RUPPERTSBERG Ruppertsberger Spiess Ölberg-Hart „Kapelle“

Königsbacher Ölberg Idig

Gimmeldinger Biengarten

GIMMELDINGEN

Gimmeldinger Kapellenberg Meerspinne im Mandelgarten

MUSSBACH Vogelsang

NEUSTADT

an der Weinstraße

THE REGION The Upper Rhine Valley in southwestern Germany has an almost Mediterranean climate. The Palatinate region, within which Pfalz lies, is half an hour from Strasbourg and an hour from Frankfurt.

The Christmann winery is in the village of Gimmeldingen in the centre of the Mittelhaart area, with the Haardt Mountains as a protective backdrop.

It is a stunning part of the world with a patchwork of vineyards, akin to Burgundy in many ways.

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VINEYARDS AND CELLAR

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Guy has covered individual holdings in his excellent tasting notes below so I will not repeat this here. In the vineyards themselves the work is done in harmony with nature – no herbicides, insecticides or synthetic fungicides. The estate has been certified biodynamic since 2002.

In the cellar nothing is left to chance. The freshly squeezed juices run into the barrels without further intervention.

Once inside, the natural yeasts from the vineyard sites start the fermentation. There is no fining. Only a racking off the lees and a very gentle filtration are required at bottling time.

WEINGUT A. CHRISTMANN

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THE LEVELS As we are dealing exclusively with dry wines here, the hierarchy is more straightforward than it may sometimes appear with German wines. It may be lazy to draw parallels but there are many with Burgundy. This is both in terms of hierachy and the fact that wines can be declassified by a tier, should a producer so wish.

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A B C D A - VDP Grosse Lage (think grand cru – e.g. Chambertin) B - VDP Ertse Lage (think premier cru – e.g. Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru) C - VDP Ortswein (think village – e.g. Gevrey-Chambertin Villages) D - VDP Gutswein (think regional – e.g. Bourgogne Rouge)

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THE 2018 VINTAGE

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It is fair to say that the whole of Europe experienced an extraordinary summer in 2018. There was no exception here in the south of Germany. It was warmer than usual, although not as unusually hot and dry as further north.

Until the middle of July, there was average rainfall. It was the beginning of August when a certain dryness, bordering on drought, was felt in the Palatinate.

The harvest started on 27th August – earlier than ever before, even “beating” 2015 and 2017 out of the blocks, one record year following another. In 2018, the must weights are high, but not as high as might have been feared. Further good news – the acidity was significantly more marked than initially might have been expected from a warmer vintage.

It was interesting speaking with Steffen, whilst on a tour of the vineyards: “All in all, choosing the optimal picking day is becoming

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increasingly important for us. Nothing is as decisive for the quality of a great wine as the time at which the grapes are harvested. If you set the harvest day too early, you have unripe, green aromas. If it is too late, the wine loses precision and freshness, saltiness and the overall taste of the vineyard due to over-ripeness.”

The window of picking opportunity in a year like this was very narrow. In an interesting and totally quality oriented move, the team took a decisive move. In order to relieve the strain on younger vines and to be fast in picking at optimal ripeness later, they intensively preharvested the vineyards, with a resultant lowering of the yield. The perfect times for picking were then crucial and with almost 100% hand picking, they could only succeed with their large team of more than 30 pickers.

2018 showed just how important and positive biodynamic cultivation is for the vineyards. The roots went deeper into the soil, the vines were less plagued by drought.

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THE WINES - RIESLINGS Tasting notes by Guy Seddon.

The Rieslings in this offer are all from the 2018 vintage.

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GUTSWEIN

ORTSWEINE

PFALZ RIESLING

RUPPERTSBERG RIESLING

Green citrus and cantaloupe melon on the nose, this promises refreshment and gets your saliva glands working immediately. The citrus-driven palate does not disappoint, managing to be dry and precise with a well-pitched level of acidity which makes this drinkable without setting your teeth on edge. Fresh lemon, rosehips and kumquat. You could happily drink this on its own as an aperitif, aided by the refreshingly low 11.5% abv.

The Ruppertsberg Riesling is classified as an Ortswein (the level below Erste Lage), although it comes from two higher-quality vineyards: Reiterpfad (Grosse Lage) and Ruppertsberger Nussbien (Erste Lage). Something like making a village-level Burgundy by blending a premier and grand cru! The grapes here are picked slightly later, making for a riper style. This is immediately apparent on the nose, which falls into the stone-fruit spectrum – apricots and a little lychee – with yellow flower perfume.

Despite this ripe, even plump palate, the finish hones back in on a precise, defined line of acidity and mineral tension, with a trail of tamarind spice. Very impressive.

12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 16.5+ Recommended drinking from 2020 – 2024 £80/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

Corney & Barrow Score 17 - 17.5 Recommended drinking from 2022 – 2030+ £105/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

GIMMELDINGEN RIESLING This is another Ortswein, again picked in the second and third passes through the vineyard, produced from two young sites in Gimmeldingen: Kapellenberg and Biengarten, both Erste Lagen. So again, in Burgundian terms we effectively have a village wine made from a blend of premiers crus. This is more chiselled and citric than the Ruppertsberg, majoring on an impressively honed acid curve. In simple terms, it is a more intellectual wine – buy this for the purity and stony mineral tension, or buy Ruppertsberg (above) for the plumper fruit. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 16.5 - 17 Recommended drinking from 2022 – 2030+

To Order LONDON

020 7265 2430

£110/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

KÖNIGSBACH RIESLING

EDINBURGH

01875 321 921 EMAIL

sales@corneyandbarrow.com PLEASE NOTE These wines are released en primeur. Delivery dates to be confirmed. All prices are quoted in bond UK.

This Königsbach Riesling Ortswein comes from the younger vines of Christmann’s Grosse Lage monopole, IDIG. Pure and classical on the nose, with green citrus fruit to the fore. The palate is shot through with superlinear, driving acidity, the freshest sensation by some stretch so far. Pure, stony and taut, this is impressively pared-back. Needs time but you feel this will blossom given a little patience. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 16.5 - 17+ Recommended drinking from 2022 – 2030+ £120/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

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ERSTE LAGEN

RUPPERTSBERGER SPIESS RIESLING The Erste Lage Spiess lies on a hillside overlooking Deidesheim. The name comes from the vineyard’s shape, which resembles a spearhead, “Spiess” meaning spear in German. Taut and citric on the nose – lemon and lime zest – this keeps its cards close to its chest. All becomes clearer on the palate, which has a fabulous sense of stony minerality, anchoring you to the soil rather spectacularly.

This is only just starting out on its life and although it is all in impressive harmony, it is one to put away for the foreseeable. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18+ Recommended drinking from 2025 – 2035+ £150/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

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GIMMELDINGER KAPELLENBERG RIESLING Kapellenberg, in Gimmeldigen, forms the southeast slope of a vineyard situated high in the foothills of the Haardt mountain range. A chapel below the vineyard gives the site its name. Zesty and brightly citrus-fruited on the nose, this is immediately enticing, with flashes of wet-stone minerality. The palate is brilliantly defined, the laser-cut acidity further enhanced by fine mineral tension. I wish I could fast-forward five years, as I suspect this will come out of its shell quite gloriously. 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18+ Recommended drinking from 2025 – 2025 £150/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

KÖNIGSBACHER OLBERG RIESLING Königsbach was listed in the Royal Bavarian Soil Survey of 1828 as one of the top sites in the Pfalz. This has a standout nose, of flinty minerality and hints of kerosene.

The palate is wonderfully nuanced, lime zest and apricot mingling with slaty mineral notes and pretty white flowers. Stunning, ageworthy and approachable! 12% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2023 – 2033+ £160/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

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GROSSE LAGEN – THE “GG”s REITERPFAD HOFSTÜCK RIESLING GG

IDIG KÖNIGSBACH RIESLING GG

The Grosse Lage Hofstück im Reiterpfad site is situated on the hillside directly overlooking Deidesheim. The name Hofstück derives from the Prince Archbishop of Speyer, Lord of Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg, the former owner of the site. A complex nose of slaty minerality, sherbet, lime rind and candied orange, hinting at both precision and a degree of decadence. The palate delivers just that, a crescendo of power building to a rather symphonic climax. More overtly approachable than some of the Erste Lagen, although there are clearly hidden depths yet to emerge. Very impressive. 13% abv.

The Grosse Lage IDIG, a Christmann monopole in all but name, is one of the most highly-rated sites in the Pfalz. On the nose, this brings together the ripeness and ebullience of Reiterpfad Hofstück with the rigour of Meerspinne im Mandelgarten. The palate veritably chimes with energy, from the green citric top-notes, through the apricot-fruited, mineral-infused core, to the resonant foundations which rumble beneath the surface.

Skewered and lifted by a rapier-line of acidity, the effect is a wine which soars. The finish goes on and on, pretty lemony perfume and white flower aromatics filling your mouth. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 - 18.5 Recommended drinking from 2023 – 2038+

Corney & Barrow Score 19 Recommended drinking from 2025 – 2045

£260/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK £315/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

MEERSPINNE IM MANDELGARTEN RIESLING GG Meerspinne is a Grosse Lage sub-plot of Mandelgarten, dating back to 1456. Even then, this site was known for outstanding yield potential and today it is considered the best plot in Gimmeldingen. The nose combines candied citrus, lime zest and riper apricot with yellow flower perfume and fine crushed-rock mineral notes. On the palate, the sense of mineral tension greets you first, swiftly followed by a briskness of acidity which grips you in a firm embrace and simply refuses to let go. More than the Reiterpfad Hofstück, this demands patience. The structure is all there to repay it in spades though – this will be a great wine. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 - 18.5+ Recommended drinking from 2025 – 2040+ £285/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

Tasting Guide Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.

Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

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THE WINES - SPÄTBURGUNDER (PINOT NOIRS) The Pinot Noirs are always released later, meaning these are the 2015 & 2016 vintages.

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PFALZ SPÄTBURGUNDER 2016

GIMMELDINGER BIENGARTEN SPÄTBURGUNDER 2016

This comes from vineyards around Gimmeldingen. The grapes are destemmed and spend one year in barrel. A highly classical Pinot Noir nose, of leafy red berries and fine earthy minerality, with a touch of farmyard to keep things honest. The succulent, cranberry-fruited palate steps up a gear, drawing on reserves of fresh acidity and bright raspberry fruit. Medium-bodied and highly drinkable, this is a very encouraging start to the line-up!

12.5% abv.

This Erste Lage vineyard consists of steep terraces in the Haardt hills between Gimmeldingen and Königsbach.

The site is protected from cold winds by a small hollow in the hillside. The nose is immediately more powerful and expressive – bright raspberry and a latent forcefulness which brings to mind the more structured villages of the Côte de Nuits. The palate is similarly strident, with fine tannins making their presence felt, imposing impressive definition and rigour on the finish. 13% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17+ Recommended drinking from 2020 – 2025

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2022 – 2030

£95/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

£220/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

GIMMELDINGEN SPÄTBURGUNDER 2015

IDIG SPÄTBURGUNDER GG 2015

This is voluntarily declassified as a Orstwein, although it comes from the earlier ripening grapes of an old-vined Erste Lage site in Kapellenberg. Bright red cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose, with flinty, spicy detailing.

The palate is upbeat and energetic, carrying the lively red berry flavours through to a long, precise finish, with a deft hint of cedary oak spice adding weight. 12.5% abv.

The Grosse Lage IDIG vineyard is one of the most highlyrated sites in the Palatine region and is a Christmann monopole, making this the flagship of the estate. Stefan Christmann calls the IDIGs “the defining wines of the Grosses Gewächs category”. In simple terms, Grosses Gewächs, or GG, is comparable to grand cru status in Burgundy. The pale brick-ruby colour of this wine belies a surprisingly forceful nose of raspberry, pepper, thyme and clove. The palate combines supple redcurrant with cedary spice and undergrowth, with fine grippy tannins pointing to substantial development to come. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17 - 17.5 Recommended drinking from 2021 – 2027 £140/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

Corney & Barrow Score 18+ Recommended drinking from 2022 – 2030 £340/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

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