Falkenstein: The Tangy Soul Of The Saar
2/21/15 -
(Erich and Johannes Weber, the father and son team behind Falkenstein (photo by Lars Carlberg))
‘Make wines low in alcohol with lovely aromas.’ A tenet of the legendary Jules Chauvet of Beaujolais, rarely is this phrase associated with German winemaking. Yet the wines of Hofgut Falkenstein in the Saar valley fulfill this as well as any producer in Germany, let alone France. This is an anachronistic estate. Though the history of Falkenstein wine only goes back to 1985, when Erich Weber moved his family to the Falkensteiner Hof, then a run-down manor house in Niedermennig that he spent years restoring, in many ways their dry, tangy tonics are a throwback to the 19th century, with all the work being done by hand and almost no intervention in the cellar. A surprisingly small amount of sulfur is used. Their nearly ancient fuder are treated with sulfur a few days before the new, gently-pressed wine is racked into them via gravity and a touch more is used before bottling the whites. Overall, we’re talking about 20-30 mg/l of total sulfur, low by even strict standards (the Association of Vins Naturels qualifies natural white wines as below 40 mg/l and Demeter’s upper limit is 70 mg/l), and certainly not the norm in the Mosel. The reds often don’t receive any additional sulfur.
In addition to the old-school approach, they aim to make affordable wines that ‘go down easy,’ in the words of Johannes Weber, the energetic 27 year-old who is steadily taking over the winemaking duties from his father. Indeed, the wines do go down easy but that belies their complexity and delicate construction, not to mention the way they very clearly express the nuance of their respective terroirs. In the valley of the Saar there is less protection from brisk, western winds, giving the wines grown in the vineyards around this Mosel tributary a characteristic core of cool acidity, which the Falkenstein lineup demonstrates with aplomb. They are a pure jolt of Saar zip, from the cooler, later-ripening Sonnenberg site in Niedermennig to the warmer south-facing Euchariusberg plots near Krettnach where they produce ethereal Auslesen that still has the charming, cool backbone of acidity that is their trademark.
Of course, they also go down easy because they are low in alcohol and the tangy spritz is a terrific digestive aid with food. Combined with the aforementioned lack of winemaking additives, they feel downright healthy to drink. According to Lars Carlberg, doctors in the 19th century used to prescribe light, dry Mosel wines for ‘a variety of ailments.’ Given that the Webers make wines in large part the same way they would have been made 125 years ago, it may be worth filling those latter-day physicians’ prescriptions with some Falkenstein Riesling to see if their advice holds true. I know drinking a bottle always makes me feel pretty great. Jonathan Kemp
