A wine that has gone through many twists and turns to end up in its final form - a great example of some experimentation and ingenuity resulting in something delicious. A wine which always falls somewhere in between the orange and hazy-white wine world, the 2023 iteration marks a return to the lighter-hued juice thanks to lots of pre-harvest rain. The process is the same as always, a big jigsaw puzzle of various grapes, vessels and maceration times, all assembled shortly before bottling in April 2024.
It's a huge blend - a bit of almost everything weiss that the Brand Brothers grow: Müller Thurgau, Riesling, Kerner, Silvaner, Chardonnay, Weissburgunder and Grauburgunder. Each variety is picked by parcel, and begins vinification the same way: enthusiastically foot-stomped, then are either left to macerate for various lengths, directly pressed, or infused whole bunch. All done in either stainless steel or old barrel- whichever vessel the brothers decide the varietal is destined for.
The outcome? A bracingly zippy, palate-cleansing wine that buzzes with tart white grapefruit citrus and softens into the creamy peaks of a lemon meringue pie. A real zinger!
Fifth-generation winemaker Daniel Brand first brought organic production to his Bockenheim family farm in 2007 and joined by brother Jonas, started producing wines without sulphur in 2014 (Pur). Riesling and Pinot Blanc dominate their collection, and they make wines with youthful attitude but also care and precision. Their 16 hectares are mostly on the windy Bockenheimer hillside, planted on loam with a lot of shell limestone. It is one of the coolest climate sites in the Pfalz.