We’re incredibly pleased to share a new arrival from Konni & Evi- rare gems from Saale-Unstrut, where Konrad Buddrus and Evi Wehner produce some of the most singular, ageworthy wines we are lucky enough to work with.
What marks a new arrival from the guys so exciting is not just the wines themselves, but the reminder they give us: these wines age beautifully, and whilst drinking well now, their development with time is a profound reward for patience. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been revisiting back-vintages and they are in an astonishing place- precise, layered, alive, and showing just how much detail and longevity is built into Konni & Evi’s way of working.
Over the past decade, Konrad and Evi have painstakingly collected tiny parcels of vines, many planted in the 1930s, while also replanting abandoned grand cru sites with carefully chosen old Silvaner selections. They now farm around 4 hectares across nearly 20 different parcels, spread over 35 kilometres. Everything is high-density planting (9,000–11,000 vines per hectare), often on brutally steep limestone slopes where work is done entirely by hand. Farming has been Demeter-certified since 2016.
In the cool cellar, all grapes are macerated for a few days before being slowly but firmly basket pressed for up to 30 hours (Konni likes to extract as much phenolic detail as possible, vital for complexity in this cold climate), then fermented and raised in oak barrels made by a local cooper from nearby Harz forest wood. Nearly all whites spend time under flor, and élevage is always long- at least a year, often more. Nothing is added beyond a microdose of sulphur at bottling (always declared on the back label). The resulting wines have great clarity and precision, carrying the structure required to age and evolve in bottle.
It’s this combination- steep limestone, low yields, time, and restraint- that explains why the 2019s and 2020s we still have are now drinking so well, and why these new arrivals will reward patience just as much as they deliver energy right now.
Precise and alive, here’s what we now have available, in Konni’s words:
AVAILABLE NOW
2021 – Silvaner Ziegental – Silvaner
Ziegental is one of our best vineyards. The vines in this plot were planted in 1933 on pure rocky limestone. Elevage was for 2 years in barrels and for one year under Flor. South-east facing and really dry.
2022 – Alte Terrassen – Chasselas, Silvaner
An old field blend planted in the 1930s, mostly Chasselas (rouge and blanc) and Silvaner. This is the terrace vineyard in the grand cru site Edelacker. South-west facing, with limestone and red clay in the lower parts and rocky limestone higher up. Always one of our warmest vineyards.
2023 – Silvaner Thetys – Silvaner
From five different grand cru sites: Hahnenberge, Osterberge, Ziegental, Schweigenberge, Ehrauberge. All vines 60–100 years old. A perfect snapshot of the region’s terroir.
2023 – Silvaner Trias – Silvaner
From young vines planted in recent years on old grand cru sites, with selections taken from our oldest pre-clone Silvaner. A touch of each cru also goes into this wine. Pure limestone, gypsum, and sandstone.
2022 – SOS Rosé – Portugieser, Pinot Noir
From old Portugieser vines (50–90 years) in Steigra and Freyburg, with a small addition of Pinot Noir. Macerated overnight, pressed directly to oak barrels, and aged one year.
A Note on Back-Vintages
If the new arrivals show what’s possible, it’s the older bottles that prove it in spades. We still have limited quantities from 2019–2021- Grand Cru Silvaners, Müller-Thurgau, Blauer Silvaner, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder- and they are drinking with a thrilling precision and depth right now. A rare chance to see just how beautifully these wines age.
