Weingut Knipser – Wine from the Palatinate
Weingut Knipser is one of Germany's best wineries, and its home has been Laumersheim in the northern Palatinate since 1876. To this day, it is run as a family winery by brothers Volker and Werner Knipser and their son Stephan Knipser. The winery, also known as Johannishof, originally operated as a mixed farm growing fruit and vegetables, and includes a successful restaurant with a vinotheque called Halbstück, which we highly recommend for a visit to the Palatinate.
Weingut Knipser – the top winery
Since 1993, Weingut Knipser from Laumersheim has been a member of the VDP, the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates. The vineyards stretch from the Freinsheimer Höhe in the south to the edge of the northern neighbouring village of Dirmstein and boast renowned sites such as Großkarlbacher Burgweg, Laumersheimer Kirschgarten, Laumersheimer Steinbuckel and Dirmsteiner Mandelpfad.
The 75 hectares of vineyards are planted in small parcels with red and white grape varieties, with Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) making up the lion's share of red wines and Riesling for white wines. Estate wines such as Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Sauvignon Blanc, or the white wine cuvée Chardonnay Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) are all developed for good drinkability. "The wines should be expressive but not thin. But such that you would gladly open a second bottle," as Volker Knipser puts it.
The wines from chalk marl grow on limestone, which originated from deposits of calcareous algae that formed reefs in a tropical sea during the Miocene. The chalk marl wines impress with cool minerality and subtle flint notes and already possess good aging potential. However, the wines of the Großes Gewächs category, such as the Spätburgunder Kirschgarten, surpass this wine quality, as do the top Cuvée X, made from the Bordeaux grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, or the Syrah. The wines show fullness and density, complexity and great structure, have a body with a little "fat" yet are elegant and multi-layered. They need time, and the Knipsers give it to them, so they only come onto the market after a few years of bottle aging.
Weingut Knipser price list: with us, you buy Knipser wines at ex-farm prices.
