Christmann

The lawyer who became a winemaker

An unusual path led Steffen Christmann to wine: after studying law, he practised as a lawyer specialising in agricultural and wine law while completing his training as a winemaker at the same time. In 1996 he took over the family estate as the seventh generation, and today he is not only one of Germany’s most renowned winemakers but also, since 2007, president of the VDP. His daughter Sophie, a graduate of Geisenheim University with stints in Bordeaux and Australia, joined in 2018. Together with grandfather Fritz, who is still out in the vineyard at over 90, three generations represent the estate.

IDIG: almost a monopole

The IDIG site in Königsbach is the heart of the estate. Once owned by prince-electors whose wines were served at court, the neglected parcels were bought by the Christmanns in the 1990s and painstakingly restored. Today they own 95 per cent of the classified area, making it a monopole in all but name. The IDIG Riesling Grosses Gewächs shows a characteristic saline minerality, which Steffen describes in these words: “The soil is reflected in the saline note that gives the wines elegance and a silky texture.” Alongside IDIG, Meerspinne, Ölberg-Hart and Vogelsang are among the estate’s VDP.GROSSE LAGE sites.

20 years of biodynamics

The estate has been farmed organically since 2002 and biodynamically since 2003, and today it is certified by respekt-BIODYN. Horn manure, horn silica and compost preparations take the place of synthetic chemicals, and all work follows the lunar calendar. “The roots reach deeper and the vineyards have found their balance,” is how Steffen sums up the change. As a member of respekt-BIODYN and La Renaissance des Appellations, Christmann ranks among the international leaders of the biodynamic movement, much like its Pfalz neighbour Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz.

Riesling and Pinot, nothing else

After downsizing in 2021, the estate now covers just 17 hectares, all classified as VDP.ERSTE LAGE or VDP.GROSSE LAGE. Seventy per cent is planted to Riesling, the rest to Spätburgunder and a little Weißburgunder. Soils of red sandstone, limestone and terrace gravel leave a different mark on each wine. And with Sektgut Christmann & Kauffmann, founded with Mathieu Kauffmann, Bollinger’s former cellar master, Germany’s first biodynamic premium Sekt house is taking shape. Less is more: that philosophy runs through everything Sophie and Steffen do.