Wittman 100 Hills Pinot Blanc 2015

'Tis an admirable, and difficult thing, we think, to make a poised, distinctive and balanced Pinot Blanc, but that is what Philipp Wittmann, of Westhofen in southwest Germany, has done. It is a grape that is notably lacking in acidity and needs its gentle nutty and orchard fruit flavours patiently coaxed out. But then Mr Wittmann does have 350 years of family history making wines in Westhofen's fertile hills on his side. Still, pretty impressive all the same.

Since 1663, the Wittmanns have been wine farmers in the town of Westhofen, in the southern part of the Rheinhessen appellation. Nowadays, Philipp Wittmann, Eva Clüsserath-Wittmann and Philipp´s parents Günter and Elisabeth Wittmann divide the task of running this 25 hectare estate between them.

The vines have been certified organic since 1990 and biodynamically since 2004. Philipp Wittmann aim to pick grapes that are ripe but not overripe, aromatically intense, healthy grapes that are not at all affected by botrytis. In the vineyards he uses no herbicides, no fungicides and no chemical fertilizers. With the biodynamic approach, Wittmann aims for natural balance in his vineyards, a slower ripening process and physiologically ripe grapes with lower sugar levels but intense mineral flavours.

To fertilize the soil and enrich the humus content, every second row is covered with seeded herbs and vegetation, while the other row is ploughed over the summer. The planting density is 6000 vines/ha and the leaf canopy is kept quite short and open. Wittmann prefers halving bunches to green-harvesting. In warm and early vintages, he enters the harvest season with a higher crop, to be reduced through the first selective pickings. Harvesting is done by hand. After settling, the must ferments spontaneously and fermentation is finished mostly before Christmas. He keeps the wines on their lees until bottling in April. The wine ferments 50% in stainless-steel tanks and 50% in oak barrels, from 1200-5400 litres.

This is an amazing, creamy-fresh Pinot Blanc with an animating acidity and a fine minerality. Elegant with an invigorating freshness of ripe fruit and nuts, it is a classic and distinctive Pinot Blanc.