Schweigen Kalkmergel Grauburgunder
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
creamy mushroom risotto, roasted pork loin, pan-seared veal chops
✨ Technical Specifications
The Schweigen Kalkmergel Grauburgunder is a masterful expression of Weingut Bernhart's unique cross-border heritage. Situated in Schweigen-Rechtenbach, the vineyards straddle the boundary between Germany's Pfalz region and France's Alsace, a geopolitical curiosity shaped by centuries of European history. This wine is defined by its 'Kalkmergel' (limestone marl) soils, which yield a Grauburgunder of remarkable tension, structure, and mineral depth. Unlike simpler, fruit-forward expressions of Pinot Gris, Bernhart's approach involves careful hand-harvesting, gentle pressing, and maturation on the fine lees, often utilizing traditional oak casks. This traditional craftsmanship coaxes out complex aromas of ripe pear, yellow apple, and wild herbs, underpinned by a distinct smoky, chalky minerality that reflects the ancient marine limestone beneath the vines.
🍾 About the Producer
Located in Schweigen-Rechtenbach at the southernmost tip of the Pfalz along the French border, Weingut Bernhart is a distinguished family-run estate renowned for bridging German and Alsatian viticultural traditions. Led by Gerd Bernhart, a member of the prestigious VDP since 2004, the estate crafts expressive, site-transparent wines from venerable cross-border sites like the Schweigener Sonnenberg. The winery is celebrated for its deep limestone-rich terroirs, which yield extraordinarily mineral, complex, and age-worthy Burgundian varieties—notably refined Spätburgunder, Weissburgunder, and Chardonnay—alongside tension-filled, crystalline dry Rieslings.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Grauburgunder
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
12.5-13.5%