Eva Bonnet Pfalz Riesling Q.B.A. 1832 Signature Series 2022 (750ml)

 

Eva Bonnet is a modern day wine artist.  She is a creator of superb wines.  By taking grape varieties and applying her historical and generational knowledge she is able to bring forward what can be considered as some of the best and innovative wine in the world.

 

Eva Bonnet Pfalz Riesling Q.B.A. 2022

 

1832 Signature Series

 

This wine is fresh, easy drinking with typical aromas of Riesling that includes fruity flavors, melon, yellow fruit such as peach.  The sandstone soil plays a major role in these intense wine characteristics.  The grapes for our Riesling come from several exclusive vineyards intentionally.  The best grapes are selected from each vineyard.  The focus is on the body of the wine and its complexity.  This attributes to its fullness and dryer authentic style.

 

The grapes for this wine grew at the feet of Hambach Castle Hill and proves the history of the German National Banner the first time shown in “1832” at The Cradle of German Democracy”, Hambach Castle.

 

“We try to work really quick with no standing times.  After pressing, the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks.  Our fermentation time is approximately 12 days.  We use temperature-controlled fermentation.  All of our decisions are based on the quality of the grapes in the vineyard.  We only choose the best grapes from each selected vineyard.  There are approximately 3 different single vineyards collected together thus adding selected yeasts.”

 

Historical location of Pfalz, Germany

 

Pfalz is a key wine producing region in western Germany, located between the Rhine River and the low-lying Haardt Mountain range.  It covers a rectangle of land 45 miles (75km) long and 15 miles (25km) wide, to the north lies Rheinhessen; to the south, the French border and Alsace.  Pfalz's vineyards produce both white wines (60 percent) and red wines (40 percent).

 

The whites have long been the most successful and, as is standard almost everywhere in the Rheinland, Riesling dominates the local vineyards and wines.  The Pfalz area produces wines which are noticeably richer and riper than those found in the other top Riesling regions, Mosel, Rheingau and Nahe.

 

 

Weingut Georg Naegele/Eva Bonnet

 

A Stone’s Throw From Hambach Castle

 

The winery is situated in the picturesque Hambach wine village at the foot of the notorious Hambach castle.  This area is also considered to be the home of German democracy.  This wine village is located in the heart of the Pfalz region which has a mild Mediterranean climate and provides the perfect conditions for wine making.  Weingut Georg Naegele-Bonnet has been producing wines for over 200 years on the beautiful Baroque Estate still showcasing its romantic courtyard.

 

Winemaking since the 18th Century

 

The winery has been owned by the Naegele-Bonnet family since 1796.  The vineyards cover 15 hectares of land and the harvest is supplemented with grapes from neighboring wine growers.  The wine makers on the estate are particularly focused on producing certain grapes such as Riesling, Weißburgunder, Spatburgunder, Dornfelder, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, Rieslaner, Silvaner, and Müller-Thurgau.  These grapes are grown in two areas – the Roman Wall and the Castle Slopes.  At the Roman Wall, the soil is heavy and runs extremely deep which allows for excellent irrigation.  In this area, the red grapes thrive thanks to all the light and the lime content in the soil.  In the location of the Castle Slope, the top Rieslings are grown in the weathered sandstone soils.

 

Winemaking With Utmost Care

 

On the southeastern slopes, there is plenty of sunshine, allowing the grapes to mature on the vine until late October.  The main objective of the wine makers at Weingut Georg Naegele-Bonnet is to retain the high quality of the grapes once they arrive at the cellar.  In order to achieve this, the grapes are handled very carefully at every stage of the production process.  This creates wines that are full of flavor, full-bodied, unique in character and that mature well over time.

 

Terroir of Weingut Georg Naegele/Eva Bonnet wines

 

The low-lying, densely forested Haardt Mountains have a great deal of influence over the Pfalz wine-growing region.  The mountains here rise as high as 675 meters (2,210ft), and cast a rain shadow over the region.  They are largely responsible for its relatively warm and dry climate.  These factors make the wines (particularly Riesling) from the Pfalz's area noticeably more concentrated and fuller - bodied than those found in cooler, wetter regions.  All of Pfalz's top vineyards are located in a long thin strip at the base of the hills.

 

Historical Facts Related To The German Flag On Riesling Label

 

The front of the label illustrates the Hambach Castle (German: Hambacher Schloss).  It is a castle near the urban district Hambach of Neustadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.  The label is considered a symbol of the German democracy movement because of the Hambacher Fest which occurred here in 1832.  The year 1832 also marks a time period when the German flag was first seen at the Hambach Castle.  During this time the flag could be seen (top to bottom) in gold-red-black (inverse color order of the present German flag).  During this time the people were demonstrating for human and religious rights as well as freedom of speech.  In 1797 the castle was declared to be French government property.  Then in 1816 after the congress of Vienna became the property of the Kingdom of Vienna.  A short time later citizens of Neustadt gave the estate to the Bavarian king Maximillian II, hence acquiring the name Maxburg.

 

Winning Blue Print

 

We are working very hard in the vineyards, We try to get ripe and healthy grapes.  We start with the entire wine making process.  You push the wine making process to the limits.  We work slowly, carefully and meticulous without adding any oxygen.  Focusing on the wine quality to conserve the aromas and flavors.”  Eva’s focus is on the winery while illustrating innovation and generational knowledge.  She is a true master of her craft.  “We know our soil, its conditions and natural potential.  We know it very good by heart both inside and out.  It is important to get the information on the generations of the soil.  The soil influences the taste and the style.  It’s is not that you can make wine.  It is that you improve it.  You work together with nature.”

 

The Family History of Georg Naegele-Bonnet

 

The history of the winery began in 1796.  Descendants of Eva Bonnet’s the family came from parts of Hessen, located in the Northern part of Frankfurt Germany.  This move was primarily due to the social economic conditions.  The wine estate was purchased 226 years ago by George Naegele.  The year was 1805.  At that time Georg Naegle began his wine journey as a barrel maker in the town known today as Hambach, Germany.  At that time he began a very small family business.  During the 1920’s and 1930’s Georg Naegele, who was Eva Bonnet’s great grandfather began increasing his vineyard acquisitions.  His focus was not only on wine but general farming practices as well.  One could describe Georg Naegele as a person with strong character, a true pioneer that carried his family’s legacy.  Georg was also an art collector, a great hunter and often attended auctions to buy more vineyards.  His primary focus was to keep on working to expand the family winery.

 

Eva Bonnet’s Continued Legacy

 

Today this legacy is now carried on by Eva Bonnet.  Early on she began working at a well-known winery in Napa Valley.  Her studies concentrated on winemaking and all aspects of the wine industry.

 

There are no high quantities produced on any of Eva’s wines.  This is the key to her success.  “We do not try to stress our wines,” she explains.  “We work with natural mixtures of different types of soil organisms.  Flowers influence the soil.  You can activate micro-organisms in the earth to activate the wines.  In former times there was no grass.  You could see the earth.”

 

Eva is working with earth soil mixtures.  It has become a natural habit.  The length of the plant roots are important.  “These plants go deep into the soil.  The soil is a very big aspect.  After harvest you work the soil with grass.  So the grass is a natural fertilizer.”