Top 10 Acid-Driven Wine Producers According to Me

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m an acid freak.  Not the LSD kind of acid but wines with a big blasting hit

of acidity when they hit my palate.  This is, of

course, for my own personal consumption.  I

am well aware that most wine drinkers prefer

wines with a more balanced acidic profile and

adjust my approach accordingly when I select

wines.

Why do I love wines with acidity so much

Well first, they age well.  The acidity keeps the

wine fresh for years, sometimes decades.  Also,

they are great with food, especially fatty,

rich food. And sometimes fried food.

So without further ado, I present my list of my top 10 Favorite Acid-Driven Wine Producers .

A word of caution: sometimes these may show with a bit more acid bite when closed.

Beware.

1. Paul Weltner - Hailing from acid central, aka Franconia, Paul's wines are never shy on the acid and can be described as electric. But the acid enables them to age so well. 08's at the winery were great but also could use even more time. The extraordinary precision combined with the opulence of these wines is a perfect match with the unreal acids. Classic Fass Selections taste profile here.
2. Martin Muellen - Martin Muellen also has to be the most acid-driven producer in a region of acid-driven producers, the Mosel. His reductive winemaking style combined with the acids make these wines almost eternal. He also excels in vintages where the acid is not perfect, like 2009, 2011 and 2005. But in high acid vintages no one's wines will live longer. It doesn't matter what level. From humble QBA to 3 Star Auslese Trocken they will our live you and your loved ones.
3. Hofgut Falkenstein - We move to the Saar here and the magical Rieslings of Erich Weber. From complicated hard to pronounce sites like Krettnacher Euchariusberg they make very dry wines with very high acidity. They are nimble and terroir driver and of course acid driven. They age well and they also make a fascinating and lighter style Spatburgunder that is not shy on the acids. These are for only Riesling Advanced Drinkers
4. Robert Denis - The Legend of Azay-Le-Rideau who still to this day holds the title of the most acidic but awesome Chenin Blancs I've ever drunk. His 89 Sec and 96 Demi-Sec are epic wines that might not ever be ready because he also used to add a ton of sulfur. You can't find them so don't bother looking
5. Florent Garaudet - My good friend Florent makes incredible reds and whites in the humble and highly elevated village of Monthelie. He also makes a brilliant village Puligny and Meursault. The common thread with all of this wines is there is a freshness and sense of energy due to the acid in these wines. But combine that with the incredible fruit and opulence and you have one of the most slept on winemakers in Burgundy. These wines need age or heavy decants but are a thrill a sip.
6. Pascal Bouley - Making Volnay the same hard working way since the 40's & 50's these are some of the most delicious, authentic and age worthy wines that I sell. They also make some cool wines from Beaune and Monthelie. They have big acids which ensures very long lives. From most of all the top sites in Volnay they have vines and this is such a great address for classic, uncompromising acid driven Volnay. The fruit that is deep, rich and exquisite. Combine that with the intense acids and you have a recipe for success!
7. Billard-Gonnet - The most traditional producer in all of Pommard by a long shot. Not only are these acid driven they are also tannin driven and fruit driven and mineral driven. In vintages like 08 and 10 the acid is damn near piquant. I've had 90's and '78's at the Domaine and the wait is worth it as these wines harmonize like Smokey Robinson and the miracles. But it takes time. Drinking them young sometimes is not fun. Sometimes it is though.
8. Francois Cotat & Pascal Cotat - I mean it's Sancerre so of course it is acid driven and if these Cotat wines are able to age 25+ years it’s because of the acid, stupid. Combine that with a little RS sometimes and barrel fermentation and you have the greatest wines in all of Sancerre and the most ageworthy.
9. Zilliken - Hanno Zilliken has been making some of the most acid driven wines of the Saar for decades and his 83's are epic. But the acid really comes into play for his nobly sweet wines like Auslese, Auslese GK and LGK and BA and multiple TBA's. These are incredible wines with some of them lasting 50-100 years and they could not without the incredible acidity Hanno gets because he is in the Saar.
10. Laible - There is so much complexity and layering in these wines that one can forget about the acid. But these age and have a fierce spine due to always excellent acidity. Laible’s wines have a decent amount of acid but they are very well balanced and express their terroir exceptionally well.