7 editor-picked estates growing Cabernet Sauvignon in Pfalz.
Where to taste Cabernet Sauvignon in Pfalz: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
A 99.7 ha Laumersheim estate under Werner, Volker and Stephan Knipser, VDP member since 1993, and the German barrique-pioneer estate for Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Noir from the 1980s onward.
Tasting: Estate Vinothek at Hauptstrasse 47-49 by appointment; tastings cover Kirschgarten, Mandelpfad and Steinbuckel GGs and the Knipser Bordeaux-blend reds that pioneered the category in Germany from the 1980s.
A 44 ha north-Mittelhaardt estate at Freinsheim under brothers Steffen and Andreas Rings, VDP member since 2015; spontaneous-ferment dry Riesling and Pinot Noir from Saumagen, Annaberg, Weilberg and Felsenberg in a new underground cellar.
Tasting: Estate Vinothek at the new (2018) cellar at Am Gottesacker 10, set 70 percent underground in the Schwarzes Kreuz vineyard; tastings by appointment of Kallstadter Saumagen, Annaberg and Ungsteiner Weilberg GGs.
A 58 ha Bissersheim estate in the north Pfalz under brothers Frank and Thomas Pfaffmann; vineyards on Goldberg, Held, Orlenberg and Steig in Bissersheim, Steinacker in Kirchheim and Burgweg and Osterberg in Grosskarlbach.
Tasting: Vinothek at Bissersheim by appointment; tastings cover Bissersheim Goldberg Sauvignon Blanc Fume Reserve and Bissersheim Kalkmergel Chardonnay Reserve.
A 92 ha Ellerstadt estate founded by Markus Schneider in 1994 with one hectare; modern-label Pfalz red and white program around the Black Print Bordeaux-blend brand and the Kaitui Sauvignon Blanc.
Tasting: Vinothek at Am Hohen Weg 1 in Ellerstadt with regular tasting events; cellar tours and brand portfolio across Black Print, Kaitui and the Riesling line.
An 85 ha Hainfeld estate in the 15th Lergenmueller generation since 1538; broad Burgunder-led portfolio, ownership of Weingut Sankt Annaberg from 1998 and a sustainability-driven cellar program.
Tasting: Vinothek at Weinstrasse 16 with daily opening hours; tastings cover the Burgunder lineup and the Sankt Annaberg single-vineyard reds.
Vinothek of the Knipser family estate in Laumersheim in the northern Pfalz, working 40 hectares since 1876. Riesling and Spaetburgunder alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Gelber Orleans cuvees.
A Bordeaux-style blend from the Knipser brothers at Laumersheim, working Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grown in the warmer northern Pfalz. One of the rare under-EUR-25 serious German Bordeaux cuvees.
Tip: Cuvee X is the cheapest serious German Bordeaux blend; drink it alongside roast lamb or pink beef to see what the warm northern Pfalz now ripens.