Cabernet Franc
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 3–10 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, grilled lamb chops, herb-crusted pork tenderloin
✨ Technical Specifications
In the sun-drenched Pfalz region, often referred to as the 'Tuscany of Germany,' Oliver Zeter crafts a remarkably expressive Cabernet Franc that challenges traditional cool-climate expectations. Benefiting from the protective Haardt mountains and warming soils of limestone and loess, this wine showcases the grape's capacity for deep complexity outside of its classic French homes. Zeter vinifies this varietal with meticulous care, employing traditional fermentation followed by extended aging in French oak barriques. This process tempers the grape's natural herbaceous qualities, coaxing out rich dark fruit, graphite, and refined, velvety tannins. The bottle features the estate's signature whimsical bear, a nod to a historical sketch commissioned by Oliver's great-grandfather, bridging a playful family legacy with serious, world-class winemaking.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2007 by brothers Oliver and Christian Zeter in the Mittelhaardt village of Neustadt-Haardt, Weingut Oliver Zeter is celebrated as a transformative force in modern German viticulture. Following apprenticeships in Italy, South Africa, and the Pfalz estate Dr. Deinhard, Oliver returned to his family's wine roots to champion grape varieties unconventional for the region, most notably Sauvignon Blanc alongside classic Riesling and Chenin Blanc. Sourced from limestone-rich slopes in Haardt Herzog and marl-sandstone terroirs across top parcels such as Kallstadter Saumagen, the vineyards benefit from the protective rain shadow of the Haardt hills. In the cellar, Zeter balances precise temperature-controlled stainless steel with wooden casks, concrete vessels, and amphorae to fashion textured, mineral-driven whites marked by vibrant acidity. The estate's whimsical mascot—a wine-drinking bear sketched by Palatinate artist Otto Dill—adorns benchmark labels such as the barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, Le Moelleux Chenin Blanc, Saumagen Riesling, and the luscious botrytised Goldschatz TBA.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Franc
🍷 ABV
13.5-14%