Schweigen Tonmergel Chardonnay S
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted poultry, creamy mushroom risotto, pan-seared scallops
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the border town of Schweigen, where German and French winegrowing traditions seamlessly intertwine, the Schweigen Tonmergel Chardonnay 'S' is a masterclass in cool-climate elegance. The wine takes its name from the local 'Tonmergel' (clay-marl) soils, which impart a profound mineral depth and structured power to the Chardonnay grape. Crafted in a style reminiscent of fine Burgundy, the 'S' designation denotes a premium selection, typically fermented and aged in French oak barriques with extended lees contact. This meticulous process yields a wine of exceptional complexity, balancing vibrant acidity with a creamy, textured mouthfeel and subtle toasted notes.
🍾 About the Producer
Weingut Bernhart is situated in Schweigen-Rechtenbach along the southernmost fringe of the Pfalz, right at the French frontier near the historic Deutsches Weintor. While the family's agricultural roots date back centuries, estate bottling commenced under Willi and Wilma Bernhart in 1971, followed by their accession to the VDP in 2004 and formal organic certification in 2012. Today led by Gerd and Sabine Bernhart, the estate commands a singular cross-border terroir: approximately two-thirds of its roughly 20 hectares of vineyards are technically situated on French soil in Alsace, governed by special bilateral treaties that allow the wines to bear German designations. The viticultural backbone rests on dense, fossil-rich limestone, calcareous marl, and clay deposits across benchmark cru plots such as the Schweigener Sonnenberg. Winemaking emphasizes spontaneous fermentation, lees contact, and judicious wood aging, generating deeply structured, mineral-driven white and red expressions epitomized by their Kalkmergel and Grosses Gewächs bottlings.
🍇 Grapes
Chardonnay
🍷 ABV
13% - 13.5%