Ernst comes from a wine making family but when he took over from his father in 1988 the vineyards and winemaking had been neglected for many years. However, this gave him the raw materials to work with as most of the vines he inherited were about 100 years of age.
The winery was also old fashioned so Ernst had no choice but to follow a traditional, non-interventionist approach with minimal handling and an unusually long period of fermentation. At the time, this was different to many estates which had planted higher yielding varieties with a very modern, technical approach to winemaking leading to a lack of character. Ernst's recipe has since been followed by many others. The estate now runs to 50 hectares which Ernst runs with his younger brother Thomas, and there is also the Dr L range using bought in fruit. His wines express very purely the sites from which they come, as well as the character of the man himself. Stunning Rieslings.
Germany
