Weingut Klaus Zimmerling

Dresden-Pillnitz, Sachsen

Vineyard area: 4 ha
Best sites: Pillnitzer Königlicher Weinberg
Average yield: 20 hl/ha

Klaus Zimmerling is a bit of an odd case, it seems. Not only does he grow his vines in Sachsen, Germany's smallest wine region and one that is not really blessed with long and warm growing seasons; he also does not consider as useful what is almost sacred to his French colleagues: an appellation of origin.

Zimmerling owns 4 hectares of a designated vineyard called Königlicher Weinberg in Pillnitz, near Dresden. Because of his dislike for any kind of bureaucracy, he chooses not to bother with formalities and instead bottles all of his wines as simple Sächsischer Landwein. Thus he avoids having to send samples of his wine to the authorities in order to obtain a Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (a quality control test number), which is the requirement for labelling a wine QbA or QmP.

A Landwein is what the French call a Vin de Pays. Whereas in France this category is often held in high esteem it does enjoy very little respect in Germany and is therefore rarely seen on labels. This is why it is even more surprising to find such excellent wines, as Zimmerling's undoubtedly are, bottled as a simple Landwein. Considering the average yields of 20 hl/ha they are more in the ranks of a Grand Cru. As good as this kind of conscientious winemaking is for the wine itself (in some years yields are reported to have been as low as 8 hl/ha), such low production also means that the availability of Zimmerling wines is limited. A quick search at Wine-Searcher.com shows that as of now Zimmerling wines are only sold in Germany and Switzerland.

Zimmerling is a trained engineer, who used to make wine only as a hobby. After a year-long training in Austria's Wachau region (which has the same granite and gneiss-dominated soils as Sachsen) he switched careers and became a full-time winemaker, one of the few who does not even have a website. He adheres strictly to organic principles in the vineyard in which he has planted Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Grauburgunder, Müller-Thurgau, Traminer and Bacchus.

At times when every vine-growing hamlet in France wants to have its own AOC, Zimmerling's approach is a welcome change of philosophy: what counts is in, not on the bottle. And if it is good, it will sell, even without an appellation. And despite the lack of a prestigious QmP or QbA designation on the label his wines can be found on the wine lists of many fine restaurants in Germany. Zimmerling keeps a low public profile. His wines speak instead.

Gewürztraminer (?) Sächsischer Landwein 2006

The label only shows a sculpture of a hugging naked couple in front of a luscious burgundy-red background. The side of the label bears the name of the artist: Malgorzata Chodakowska, who is Zimmerling's wife. This is the only information given on the front label. The wine tasted like a blend of Gewürztraminer and Grauburgunder, but I can't say for sure. Anyway, here are my tasting notes:

Medium straw color. Youthful nose with a pronounced intensity of tropical fruit aromas, biscuit and ripe pear. Dry. Medium acidity, medium(+) body and medium(+) alcohol. Fairly pronounced intensity of spices on the palate, dominating the tropical fruit and gooseberry flavor. Medium length with a slightly bitter, peppery finish. Medium(+) length.

Aromatic and concentrated. Spice flavors dominate, but are not out of balance with the ripe pear, gooseberry and tropical fruit. The fairly full body and the aromatic flavors should pair well with pork or with any eggplant dish. Drink within the next 3-5 years. Even the last half glass that was still left in the bottle after three days tasted surprisingly lively where most wines already fade into flatness.