The Eric Pfifferling of Germany: A Red and a White from a German Philosopher That Defy Categorization

I've been looking for something that truly pushes the envelope in Germany when it comes to

winemaking.  I have a few winemakers in France but not many as I only want to offer interesting wines that are also well made and delicious. I believe I have found one of the most unique voices in Germany or, rather, it found me (for lovers of the story, read below).  For those of you who have never heard of Eric Pfifferling, he is a singular winemaker in the Rhone whose wines have a cult-like following akin to Clos Rougeard - they are almost impossible to source (no offers in the US at present).

These are wines whose combination of style, terroir and varietal make them singular.  They will fool a Master of Wine at a blind tasting.  Heck, they'll fool a German Master of Wine at a blind tasting.

First the wines quickly for those of you who don't like to read long missives.

I have small amounts of both and this is the first time these have been sold commercially in the USA.

The 2013 2Naturekinder Grosse Wanderlust (the grape is 100% Regent) can be had today for as little as $32.99 on a 4-pack. One of the most original, dynamic, energy driven red wines I have ever had from Germany. This wine is a revelation. It has the acidity and energy of Loire reds crossed with the darker fruit qualities of a non spoofed Ribeira Sacra wine. I have never had anything like it before and it was the only bottle I hand carried back from Germany. Freshness combined with tons of spice and dark fruit. So evocative. So fresh and long. And incredible wine and you just have to try it type of wine. It defies explanation.  For grape trivia lovers, Regent is a cross between Diana (a Silvaner / Müller-Thurgau cross) and Chambourcin, a French-American hybrid, of what, we don't know.

The 2014 2Naturekinder Heimat Sylvaner is skin contact, low sulfur fermented Sylvaner and is one of the first of its kind in Germany. The wine is $32.99 on a 4-pack and is joy in a bottle. The polar opposite of Paul Weltner, but just as worthy and delicious. It has 10 days of skin contact so is a darker color than most Sylvaner and yields of only 20 hl/ha (nearly Lalou Bize-Leroy levels)! That is insane. This is so citrusy, leesy and deliciously savory with that juicy/drinkable 2014 thing peeking through again. It is ridiculously pure. So fresh. Michael recommends to decant for 4-5 hours while you drink. A wine that gets better and better and more complex and contemplative the more it is open. I spent only 30 minutes with it and was blown away by the complexity and purity. I can only imagine 5-6 hours.

The Story:

So now comes how this winery found me. I have a client who has one of the most accepting wide open palates of anyone out there. He loves the grandest of the grandest and the most humble of the humble. A truly democratic wine drinker and I appreciate him so much for this reason amongst many others. He was in Germany and visited 2Naturekinder and recommended that I contact Michael Voelker, who was the contact. I emailed Michael as I was leaving for Germany in a matter of weeks so I wanted to lock down the appointment. I was very lucky to get an appointment on Sunday morning as we were leaving Franken and going to the Mosel. I was humbled to know that he reads my blog as has been a fan of my writing for a number of years. We met outside of his home/winery in Kitzingen which is around 30 minutes from Burgstadt where Sebastien Fuerst makes wines. He greeted us with his lovely wife and absolutely adorable son, who quickly made a friend in Scooby the dog.

While Michael's wife Melanie and his son played with Scooby, I got some background info. They are a German couple, who come from studying Jewish Studies (Melanie) and Philosophy (Michael) then to publishing for 6 years in Germany, London and New York. They left their work life in June 2013 to pursue a life in wine as Michael's father had a winery in Kitzingen and it has been in the family since 1843. Michael told me about his and Melanie's love for simplistic, minimal craftsmanship and creating unique and authentic experiences (in this case through wine) and sharing them. Michael believes in order to express this philosophy the best way for him is through natural wine. He believes in this area with his grape varietals, some of which are oddball for sure (Regent, Domina and the such) that natural is the way to go. After tasting with him I am convinced he is 100% correct. Every wine I tasted was fresh, pure, deep and strikingly original. There is nothing like them in Germany. I'd never heard of natural wine in Germany up until now. Enderle & Moll are as close as it gets in my book.

The 2014 Heimat Sylvaner is from an organic vineyard of keuper and shell limestone. The vines are around 30 years old and the 2014 is the second vintage. They add zero So2 at bottling for this wine and 5 g/pl in the 2013. The wine is unfiltered and no pumps were used during production. For the second vintage of a new project to make natural wine in an area that is not known for it this is a remarkable wine and shows where talent and passion can get oneself rather quickly.

The 2013 Grosse Wanderlust is one of my favorite red wine "discoveries" of the year as it is such a classic wine geek wine. Weird grape, region, winemaking style and also a very cool label that has NYC on it. It is in a acid/mineral driven style like a ripe Loire red but has a darker fruit quality that is similar to some of the Reds grown on slate in Ribeira Sacra. The vines are in an organic vineyard in Sulzfeld which is a few kilometers away from the winery in Kitzigen. It is fermented on its skins for 20 days and then put in a 10 year old barrique. It is just exquisite wine and so delicate yet robust and juicy and most importantly fresh as a daisy.

2013 2Naturekinder Grosse Wanderlust - $34.99 ($131.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)

2014 2Naturekinder Heimat Sylvaner - $34.99 ($131.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)