2023 Kruger-Rumpf "Estate" Pinot Noir Rosé, Nahe, Germany

ABOUT THIS WINE

100% Pinot Noir from two vineyards: Münsterer Kapellenberg and Münsterer Rheinberg. Vines grow on clay and loam soils. Fermentation and maturation is in stainless steel.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The roots of the Kruger-Rumpf estate date back to the early 1700s. Like most vine-growers at the time, the family sold the majority of their grape production to larger houses or cooperatives. This practice continued through the ninetieth and early twentieth centuries until Stefan Rumpf kept the majority of their harvest to produce their own estate wines in 1984. This move allowed Kruger-Rumpf to focus on quality and express the distinctive terroirs in the family’s holding. Stefan’s son Georg now continues the trajectory with renewed energy and technical skill. Georg studied viticulture and oenology at Germany’s prestigious Geisenheim University. With Georg in the cellar and vineyards, this estate is producing world-class wine. This is an innovative estate that is on the move, always striving for new levels of quality and terroir expression. “I’m still trying to improve what I’m doing,” says Georg. “I’m not at the end of the road and still searching for the best possible expressions for each site that I can produce”.

The Kruger-Rumpf estate is located in Münster-Sarmsheim, a small village on the western side of the Nahe River, in the most northern section of this region. Paradoxically, though it is the furthest point north and where the Nahe meets the Rhein River, it is the warmest area of this region. Geographically unique, this area represents the intersection of four major German wine regions: the Nahe where the winery is located, the Rheingau and Mittelrhein to the north, Rheinhessen to the east.

Kruger-Rumpf’s holdings represent some of the greatest terroirs in the region with south-facing exposures and classic Nahe soil compositions, though each is uniquely arranged. The Grosses Gewächs sites are the jewels of the estate: the steep slate vineyard Münsterer im Pitterberg while the Münsterer Dautenpflänzer, a tiny parcel within Kapellenberg is quartzite and loess-clay based. Both sites are south-facing allowing for the production of high quality Grosses Gewächs (dry) styled wines. Binger Scharlachberg located in Rheinhessen, is composed of quartz and red sandstone soils and produces a Grosses Gewächs of power and finesse. The 2 hectare Dautenpflänzer is rarely affected by frost and the top layer of soil is nutrient rich, both factors are important in cultivating young vines. The name Dauten means “shoot” and pflanzer means “planter,” a nod to its previous life as a vine nursery The Münsterer Rheinberg. Located behind the village, Dautenpflänzer is made mostly of quartzite with sandy loam and a south/south-east exposure.