Summary
Weingut Wasenhaus in Staufen im Breisgau is one of the most exciting young addresses in Germany. Christoph Wolber and Alexander Götze learned their craft in Burgundy and, since their first vintage in 2016, have been applying that way of thinking to old vineyard parcels in the Markgräflerland. On just around 3.5 hectares they produce Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay and Gutedel (Chasselas) that deliberately depart from the classic Baden style with their finesse, texture and freshness. Quantities are tiny, demand is huge: the wines are usually sold before they even reach the shelf.
History
Wasenhaus is the story of two friends who met in Burgundy. Christoph Wolber comes from Staufen but went to the wine school in Beaune for his training and subsequently worked at Leflaive; Alexander Götze spent his apprenticeship years at Domaine de Montille in Volnay, among others. The pair's further Burgundy stations include houses such as Pierre Morey, Domaine de la Vougeraie and Comte Armand. What united them: a fascination with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in their Burgundian form – and the conviction that Baden, with its old vines, limestone soils and warm climate, has similar potential.
Instead of staying in France, the two returned to the Markgräflerland. The starting point was the Wasenhaus, the farm of Wolber's family in Staufen, which gave the estate its name. They deliberately sought out old, single-variety parcels that other growers had abandoned because of the laborious manual work, and bottled their first vintage in 2016. Within a few years this grew into one of the most talked-about newcomers on the German wine scene, whose bottles can now be found in Michelin-starred restaurants and at wine merchants around the world.
Location & Terroir
Staufen lies south of Freiburg, where the Markgräflerland meets the Black Forest. The region is one of the warmest and sunniest in Germany, which benefits the Pinot varieties. The Wasenhaus parcels are spread across several villages around Staufen – among the known sites are the Ölberg in Ehrenstetten and the Kirchberg in Ehrenkirchen, both partly extremely steep slopes that can only be worked by hand.
Defining are limestone and weathered limestone soils, which give the wines tension and salinity. The vines are mostly old and were deliberately selected by the two winemakers for their genetic material; new plantings are made with selections from old vines. For the Spätburgunder Vulkan, grapes also come from partner growers on the Kaiserstuhl, where volcanic rock produces a more powerful, spicier type.
Style & Philosophy
Wolber and Götze describe their work as a kind of laissez-faire they learned in Burgundy: decide as much as possible in the vineyard, as little as possible in the cellar. The reds are fermented with a high share of whole clusters – around 50 to 80 percent depending on the vintage – in old wooden vats with open-top maceration and gentle extraction over roughly three weeks. Ageing takes place in used pièces and tonneaux that impart hardly any oak aromas. The whites are pressed gently and likewise aged for a long time on the fine lees in used wood.
Sulphur is used only in minimal amounts shortly before bottling – but this is not a dogmatic natural wine approach. The aim is wines with texture, fine acidity and earthy depth that show Burgundian silkiness without denying their Baden origin. Notably, Wasenhaus forgoes the German quality wine system and releases all wines as Landwein. Alcohol usually remains moderate; the wines feel light but never thin.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is small and structured by parcel. The most important wines include:
- Spätburgunder Bellen – parcel wine from old vines, one of the estate's most sought-after reds
- Spätburgunder Möhlin – from old vineyard parcels, dense yet delicate; also bottled as Weißburgunder Möhlin
- Kanzel – steep weathered limestone soils with old vines, tense and mineral
- Spätburgunder Vulkan – from Kaiserstuhl grapes, spicier and somewhat more powerful
- Spätburgunder Baden – the house's entry wine, showing the style in its most accessible form
- Weißburgunder, Chardonnay and Gutedel – taut, dry whites; the Gutedel an unusually serious take on the Markgräflerland's traditional variety
Annual production is around 25,000 bottles. The parcel wines are sold on strict allocation and are usually gone within a very short time.
Awards
Wasenhaus has made its name not through classic competitions but through the trade press and gastronomy. German wine magazines celebrated the estate early on as one of the most exciting newcomers in the country, and the Badische Zeitung reported that the wines from Staufen supply Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world. In the trade the parcel wines are regarded as collector's items: those who receive an allocation rarely give it up. For Baden, Wasenhaus is thus an important signal – proof that Spätburgunder from the Markgräflerland is being discussed on equal terms with great Burgundies.
