The Lingenfelders have been making wine for 500 years, focusing on traditional varieties of the Pfalz region. The 60s, 70s and 80s saw numerous winemakers introducing technical improvements such as additions and extensive fining, but a small group, including Georg’s grandfather, remained stubbornly committed to a low intervention approach in the cellar. Initially, Georg had little interest in continuing the family tradition in Großkarlbach and left to study geology and to travel. Time away was vital, but every year the pull of harvest called him home and his passion for wine and the fields of Pfalz grew steadily stronger than his enthusiasm for geology. In 2019, he decided to return to the winery. Weekdays were spent studying at Geisenheim with weekends at home in the vineyards and cellar, the sturdy foundation of family experience informing his own philosophy and winemaking. Georg released his first vintage in 2020; a distinct line in his own style. In search of energy and tension, skin maceration is often used to underline the wines giving texture, complexity and life, rather than becoming the focal point.
Morio Muscat is a white variety created in Pfalz; a crossing of Gelber Muskateller (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains) and Silvaner. Once prominent in this region, its use in the mass production of sweet wines gave it a poor reputation and today roughly 200 ha remain. Georg’s grapes are from 50 year old vines on tertiary limestone; the oldest Morio Muscat vineyard in Germany. Walking through this vineyard at harvest, the air is filled with the aromatic scent of the wine itself. For the ’22 vintage, whole bunches are crushed and macerated in a cool spot for 3 days. When Georg tasted the first slightly fizzy berry, at the very beginning of fermentation, he pressed, allowing the juice to flow into the cellar via gravity. Matured in barrique for a year, with a minimal amount of sulphur added at bottling. Drink chilled.