Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Zehnthof Luckert, in Sulzfeld, Franken, with Philipp Luckert - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Zehnthof Luckert, in Sulzfeld, Franken, with Philipp Luckert

Weingut Zehnthof Luckert is right in the center of the pittoresque village of Sulzfeld, which is completely surrounded by a city wall. The walk to the winery through the village was already most interesting.

Pictures: Sulzfeld, Franken

In 1970 Theo Luckert purchased the cellars that once belonged to the prince-bishop’s holdings and founded the Weingut Zehnthof. Today his sons Wolfgang and Ulrich manage the estate, with Wolfgang's son Philipp. They own a very special vineyard, the Creutz, with Silvaner vines planted sometime around 1870. There are about 600 vines that only produce 350 bottles a year. Since 2009 the winery has been certified organic. Zehnthof wines in general are produced without a great deal of technology and fermented in large old neutral oak casks. All wines go through malolactic fermentation and are bottled unfiltered.

Philipp Luckert was our host. He showed us around in the fascinating old cellars and sat down with us in the ultra-modern tasting room for a tasting.

Weingut Zehnthof Luckert wines are available in the USA through Vom Boden.

Pictures: Arriving at Zehnthof Luckert in Sulzfeld, Franken

Zehnthof Luckert/ Vom Boden

Are these the oldest vines in Germany?

The Luckerts work what has to be one of the oldest producing vineyards in all of Germany, a Silvaner vineyard called Creutz that was planted sometime in the 1870s.

Think about this: Someone was planting these vines at about the same time Alexander Graham Bell was working on a prototype of the telephone. Thomas Edison was working on the light bulb.

Picture: Welcome - Philipp Luckert

Old vines are soul, that’s our position at least.

Creutz is only about 600 vines (obviously ungrafted) producing around 350 bottles a year. It is a small part of Luckert’s holdings which are, in total, only 17 hectares. This is a family affair, run by brothers Ulrich and Wolfgang Luckert and son Philipp. But the very existence of this vineyard at Luckert captures something of the spirit here, something of the soul.

“Old school” doesn’t quite capture it. The philosophy is more a thoughtful, calming patience; a lot about the estate and the wines remind me of Nikolaihof.

The Luckert boys have been farming organic for a long time (they have been certified since 2009). Every single wine is made exactly the same way: a slow, cool, natural fermentation and elevage in neutral wood. The cellar is a labyrinth filled with barrels, from petite 200 liter numbers up to an intimidating 5,000 liter giant. All the wines go through malolactic; they are bottled unfined. That’s it.

Picture: Weingut Zehnthof Luckert

All this might make one think the wines are gooey, cumbersome, low-acid affairs, which couldn’t be further from the truth. They can be textural, yet there is always a lightness to them, like a blanket made out of multiple layers of satin. The wines can have cut, a surprising tension. They call the style “fränkisch trocken,” which I’ll go ahead and translate to really damn dry. The flavors are deep and detailed, yet fresh and cerebral – which is to say they are not necessarily about fruit. Mineral, dried herbs, savory notes.

Someone smarter than I once said that Silvaner is like Chardonnay without fruit. Luckert’s Silvaners are like Chablis from another mother.

The oceans of early-harvested, commercially fermented, sterile-filtered Silvaner have largely destroyed the reputation of this grape, which is a damn shame, because Silvaner can be profound. I’ve seen glimpses of god in even the village-level Silvaner of Luckert.

While the Silvaners are king here, the Luckert boys make a smokin’ Sauvignon Blanc (says someone who for the most part detests Sauvignon Blanc) and a Gelber Muskateller that is mineral and linear.

Pictures: Cellar Tour at Weingut Zehnthof Luckert with Philipp Luckert

Weingut Zehnthof Luckert/ VDP

The estate in Sulzfeld derives its name from the prince bishops’ former tithe cellars that the Luckerts purchased in the 1970s. Year after year, in the estate founded by their father, Theo Luckert, Wolfgang and Ulrich Luckert start anew to produce top wines in harmony with nature. Their wines are meant to be individualists, each with an unmistakable, nonexchangeable character marked by both soil and producer. Zehnthof wines are produced without a great deal of cellar technology. They’re fine wines, rich in minerals; made from the best grapes; and slowly develop in large wooden casks – true to the motto of the house: top wine quality for our customers out of love for our profession!

Owner Wolgang und Ulrich Luckert
Winemaker Ulrich Luckert
Outside Manager Wolfang und Ulrich Luckert
VDP member since 1955
Bottle production 90 000
Grape varieties 50% Silvaner, 15% Riesling, 15% Weissburgunder sowie u.a. Müller-Thurgau, Spät- & Frühburgunder, Muskateller & Sauvignon Blanc

Vineyards

MAUSTAL, Sulzfeld | VDP.GROSSE LAGE®
Sonnenberg, Sulzfeld | VDP.ERSTE LAGE®
Berg I, Sulzfeld | VDP.ERSTE LAGE®

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Zehnthof Luckert, in Sulzfeld, Franken, with Philipp Luckert

The Wines we Tasted


2017 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Sulzfelder Gelber Muskateller Trocken


2017 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Sulzfelder Silvaner Trocken
2017 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Sulzfelder Roter Silvaner Trocken
2017 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Sulzfelder Blauer Silvaner Trocken
2017 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Sulzfelder Silvaner Alte Reben Trocken


2017 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Sonnenberg Silvaner Gelbkalk Trocken

2016 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert MAUSTAL Silvaner GG Trocken


2017 Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Sonnenberg Chardonnay Brunnquell Trocken


Lunch in Sulzfeld

Following the visit of Weingut Zehnthof Luckert we had lunch in Sulzfeld.

Pictures: Lunch in Sulzfeld, Franken

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