2020 Heitlinger Pinot Noir, Baden, Germany

ABOUT THIS WINE

The grapes are carefully harvested by hand, meticulously sorted, and fermented as whole berries in small vats. The aim is to produce bright, elegant, and persistent Pinot Noirs with a fine tannin structure. Malolactic fermentation takes place in used barriques, where the wines mature for 8-12 months.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Founded in 1960, Heitlinger is Burg Ravensburg's mirror image: 85% of plantings in Burgundy varieties (Spätburgunder, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder, Auxerrois, Chardonnay), with Riesling reduced to a minor role. The vineyards sit high on marls and sandstone around 210 million years old that turn white, purple, red, and variegated within a few hundred meters. Oak for some of the estate's barrels is harvested from its own hill above the Grosse Lage Eichelberg. Together, Heitlinger and Burg Ravensburg farm a combined 115 hectares biodynamically, and their ability to offer a comprehensive range at that scale and quality is reminiscent of Austrian estates like Bründlmayer and Schloss Gobelsburg.

The estate is owned by the Heiler and Jacklin families, with Claus Burmeister serving as managing director and Daniel Rupp as cellar master. Philip and Patrick Jacklin represent the younger generation of the family business. Their philosophy is essentially to act as interpreters of the vineyard: farming carefully and intervening as little as possible so that soil, grape variety, vintage and site remain recognizable in the finished wine.

Sustainability is a major part of Heitlinger's identity. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically, and the estate carries both EU organic and Demeter certification; VDP materials state that Heitlinger has been Demeter-certified beginning with the 2024 vintage.