Mineralstein Cabernet Franc 2023

Gerd Stepp

These Cabernet Franc grapes are grown on an east-facing vineyard overlooking the Rhine Valley. Cabernet Franc is a relatively new addition to Gerd’s small portfolio of wines – but nonetheless this vineyard is one of the oldest Cabernet Franc vineyards in the Pfalz. The site is well suited as it is protected from cold westerly winds, ensuring full maturity of the grapes, an enviable achievement not only here but in plenty of other areas of northern Europe.

Hand-picked grapes were fully de-stemmed and transported to open-top fermenters without the use of pumps. The berries and juice were kept at below 10°C for four days to gently extract the colour from the skins. Alcoholic fermentation commenced naturally but selected yeasts were added at the later stages. Pigeage was carried out twice to three times daily to keep the skins submerged. After fermentation, 100% of the wine went straight to 2nd fill French oak, 228 litre Jupille barrels. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in barrel during the winter months. In total the wine was matured 18 months in barrel. To retain the wine’s vibrancy, fruit and body it was only lightly filtered once prior to bottling.

If you love Cab Franc as much as we do – and we really do! – then get a hold of this cracking wine. The full ripeness of the fruit might surprise you, and yet there is a cool restraint throughout, with the oak in perfect balance and not obtrusive at all. The tannins are reminiscent of biting into a big, juicy red apple and there are delicious peppery notes throughout the silky tannic structure.