Summary
Weingut Eymann in Gönnheim on the Mittelhaardt is one of the pioneers of organic viticulture in the Pfalz. As early as 1982 Rainer Eymann converted the family estate, founded in 1961, to organic farming, and since 2006 it has been worked biodynamically under the rules of Demeter. Since 2015 his son Vincent Eymann has run vineyard and cellar – with a clear focus on Riesling, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and traditional-method sparkling wine. Hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation and long lees ageing replace oenological additives; the result is a style that led Falstaff to nominate him as Newcomer of the Year in 2021.
History
The estate was founded in 1961 as a classic family business in Gönnheim, a small wine village between Bad Dürkheim and Neustadt. The decisive turning point came in 1982, when Rainer Eymann took over and immediately converted to organic viticulture. At the time his neighbours smiled at the idea – today he is regarded as one of Germany's organic pioneers.
The next step followed around two decades later: the estate moved to biodynamic farming and has been a Demeter member since 2006. Compost preparations, respect for the natural balance of the vineyard and the renunciation of synthetic inputs have shaped the work ever since.
In 2015 Vincent Eymann took charge of vineyard and cellar. He slimmed down the range, put Riesling and Spätburgunder at the centre and gave the wines a recognisable signature. Success came quickly: on his first entry in the Falstaff wine guide 2021 he was nominated straight away as Newcomer of the Year.
Location & Terroir
The just under 18 hectares of vines are spread across three parishes of the Mittelhaardt: Gönnheim, Bad Dürkheim and Wachenheim. Gönnheim lies slightly east of the Haardt hills on the Rhine plain – the soils here are dominated by loess and limestone, which give the wines body and at the same time a cool, chalky tension. In Wachenheim and Bad Dürkheim there are parcels closer to the slopes, some with very old, partly ungrafted Riesling vines.
The climate of the Mittelhaardt is one of the warmest in Germany: the Palatinate Forest shields the vineyards from rain, and the sun ensures reliable ripening. In biodynamic farming the estate relies on living soils, cover crops and biodiversity – the vineyard is meant to function as an organism, not as a monoculture.
Style & Philosophy
The philosophy is quickly explained: hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation and long lees ageing provide natural stability, so that oenological additives can be dispensed with. The aim is to bring terroir, climate and vintage into the bottle unadulterated.
The white wines – above all the Riesling – are mostly aged in large oak, in Stückfass or Doppelstück casks. That gives them texture and calm without masking the fruit. The Spätburgunder matures, depending on the wine, for between nine and 18 months in French tonneaux and barriques – with the aim of elegant, finely structured reds rather than jammy power.
A third focus is sparkling wine: it is made exclusively by the traditional bottle-fermentation method and benefits from the freshness that the limestone soils lend the base wines.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is clearly tiered – from estate and village wines up to the single-vineyard and selection wines:
- Gönnheimer Sonnenberg – the estate's core site for Riesling and Spätburgunder on loess and limestone
- Gönnheimer Mandelgarten – Gönnheim's second top site
- Wachenheimer Schlossberg – Riesling closer to the edge of the Haardt
- Bad Dürkheimer Fuchsmantel – old vines in one of Dürkheim's best-known vineyards
- Toreye – the selection range: spontaneously fermented wines from chosen parcels, aged for a long time on the lees
The Gönnheim Riesling trocken village wine is regarded as a good introduction to the house style; the Toreye wines show where Vincent Eymann wants to take the estate.
Awards
The biggest success of recent years was the nomination as Newcomer of the Year in the Falstaff wine guide 2021 – on the estate's very first entry, with a winemaker under 30. Individual wines such as the Gönnheim Riesling trocken achieved around 90 Falstaff points in the same assessment. Beyond the points, the estate stands above all for something else: more than 40 years of consistently organic and two decades of biodynamic viticulture in the Pfalz.
