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Erich Weber and his son Johannes have been meticulously cultivating 13 hectares in Konz Valley, a side valley of the Saar River. Their farming methods are rooted in tradition, dating back to 1561 when the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium wine estate was first established. The result is a collection of pure, distinctly dry, and racy wines that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with since their 2016 release.
Using ambient (natural) yeasts, Erich and Johannes allow their musts to ferment in old oak casks located in a deep, cool, and damp cellar with fabulously moldy stone walls. The result is a selection of wines that are either naturally dry (trocken) or off-dry (feinherb). When I visited their vineyards, I really got to experience how cool and damp the cellar was! But the stunning view made it all worthwhile. Their brilliantly-crafted and focused wines have continued to impress me over the years.
If you’re interested in trying these exceptional wines, act fast. I receive a small yearly allocation and they tend to go quickly.
NOTE FROM THE PRODUCER:
“The Webers neither chaptalize nor de-acidify any of their wines (including trocken and feinherb), and thus indicate all of these as Prädikatsweine (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese), which, pre-1971 Wine Law, were called Naturweine, or “natural wines.” They also shun cultured yeasts and yeast nutrients. (That’s why so few wines fermented dry in the 2018 vintage.) The Webers never use artificial fertilizers and are cautious of over-tilling the soil, two measures that can cause too much vine vigor and eventually lead to rot at harvest time.”