GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Pinot Noir

TASTING NOTE: A very elegant and dry wine. Pale in color with a seductive, floral bouquet. On the palate it is creamy and smooth with sumptuous flavors of melon and kiwi. Delicate with ripe acidity.

FOOD PAIRING: Ideal with fresh cheeses, salads, poultry or seafood.

VINIFICATION: This is a white wine produced from Pinot Noir. After the grapes are harvested by hand they are gently pressed. The wine is then made without the skins which would otherwise add color and make it red. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. 50% of the wine is then stored in used 225L oak barrels for three months while the balance remains in tank. The lots are blended right before bottling.

ESTATE: Carl Ehrhard and his family tend 22 acres of Riesling and Pinot Noir spread throughout six prime vineyards around the town of Rüdesheim in the Rheingau region of Germany. The estate has been in the family since 1815 and was taken over in 1998 by Carl, his wife Petra and their three daughters.

Weingut Carl Ehrhard is an historic family estate and winery situated on Germany’s Rhein River in the town of Rüdesheim. It was founded in 1815 and Carl took over from his father in 1998. Carl strives to make wines endowed with personality that express the unique character of his vineyards. In Carl’s words, he achieves this by “following the nature” and “returning to the roots.” Specifically, this means all the grapes are grown 100% organically and biodynamically. Fermentation occurs spontaneously from indigenous yeasts, and it is slow. Fermentation and aging only take place in 1200L or 600L neutral oak barrels. The finished wines are not filtered or fined. Some of Carl’s Rieslings are produced using a traditional wooden basket press, skin contact, and natural stabilization (no added sulfur). But these specifics are simply an extension of responding to what nature already provides on its own, and Carl believes that is enough to make outstanding wines. He needs only to listen to nature, and then do the hard work of reflecting it in his wines.
Carl’s vines are spread throughout seven famous Rüdesheim vineyards: Berg Rottland, Berg Roseneck, Bischofsberg, Kirchenpfad, Klosterberg, Klosterlay, and Drachenstein. These vineyards are situated on the steep banks of the river and reflect a wide spectrum of soils ranging from loess and loam, to quartzite, red slate, and limestone. Such diversity gives Carl the fortune to produce a wide variety of wines, and he accepts this charge with enthusiasm and delight. The precise, powerful wines are lively and fresh in their youth and develop great depth and character while maintaining clarity as they age.

Press: The Eichelmann and Vinum wine guides are considered the most prestigious in Germany. Carl Ehrhard is the only German winery to be distinguished by both guides as the “Aufsteiger des Jahres” which means “Climber” or “Rising Star” of the year. Only one winery is chosen annually by each guide and to receive this recognition by even just one of them is very special. Carl Ehrhard is the only German winery to be chosen by both Eichelmann and Vinum – in 2017, and 2020, respectively.