Germany's first “climate vintner”

Our discovery in the Kraichgau: David Klenert

22 June 2020
Werner Elflein

David Klenert is Germany's first “climate vintner”. His winery in Kraichtal-Münzesheim, founded in 2015, is not only certified organic, the young winemaker even goes one step further. His approach to improve the quality of the soil and thus helping to reduce global CO₂ consumption initially led him to a farmer friend. From him he adopted ideas from regenerative agriculture, with the aim of gradually increasing the natural humus content of his vineyard soils from the current 1.5 to up to four percent. Depending on the soil type, this corresponds to a binding of additional 70 to 130 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare. To achieve his ambitious goal, Klenert sends soil samples to an independent laboratory for testing.

Together with his wife Eva, David Klenert farms around 14 hectares of vineyards in the Kraichgau, the northern foothills of the Baden wine-growing region, which connects the Ortenau with the Badische Bergstraße. Here, between Bruchsal and Wiesloch, the Pinot varieties dominate, with which Klenert has already reached a tremendous sense of style.

Whether Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris – we always found a delicate creaminess that forms an almost perfect liaison with fine, ripe fruit aromas in the glass. Klenert supports the naturalness of his white wines only in selected parts with new wood, which he uses in doses and not for the sake of a superficial effect. We were particularly impressed by the Chardonnay “Black Label”, which will be released for the first time in 2019, with ripe and partly tropical fruit aromas embedded in subtle toasted notes.

In the red wines, the predominantly dark berry and expansive fruit is contrasted with distinctive but at the same time supple tannins. In particular, the “Cuvée Rot” from Pinot Noir and Lemberger has a decidedly hedonistic effect. With the highly concentrated, lush and polarising “Pango” (which means black in the language of the New Zealand Maori), Klenert explores the borderline between full and over ripeness.

The wines at a glance

Klenert

Rathausstraße 4
76703 Kraichtal
Germany
Phone: +49 7250 3319755
Fax: +49 7250 3319950
Internet: www.klenert-wein.de
E‑mail: david@klenert-wein.de

Portrait and all wines

WinewhitedryWeißer Riesling

2019 Riesling Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 7 20 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

14🯅

Tasted on 9 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Lemon yellow tending towards straw yellow. Sweet and sour citrus aromas that run from the nose to the finish. Shows a slight bitterness on the palate and is already very accessible. Well balanced and with length.

WinewhitedryAuxerrois

2019 Auxerrois Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 1 20 • 13 % vol alcohol

16🯅

Tasted on 20 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Greenish yellow. Earthy and spicy scent of yellow citrus fruits and green apple. Opens in the mouth at first with an apparently slender body, but soon develops a delicate creaminess on the tongue. Ripe, quite vital acidity, still clearly carbonic acid from the fermentation. Pink grapefruit on the finish. Very good length and persistence.

WinewhitedryWeißer Burgunder

2019 Weißburgunder Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 5 20 • 13 % vol alcohol

15🯅

Tasted on 16 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Bright yellow. Textbook Pinot Blanc bouquet, delicately buttery, with a nutty touch and fine, rather quiet fruit notes. Well-balanced, ripe and soft acidity on the palate. Piquant herbal spice, good length.

WinewhitedryChardonnay

2019 Chardonnay Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 4 20 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

16🯅

Tasted on 20 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Greenish white gold. Bouquet of planty notes and mint with aromas of lime. Delicately creamy on the palate, with vital, piquant acidity. Excellent length. Proof that Chardonnay doesn't need oak to please.

WinewhitedryRuländer

2019 Grauburgunder Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 2 20 • 13 % vol alcohol

15.5🯅

Tasted on 16 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Lemon yellow tending towards straw yellow. Aromas typical of the grape variety with a fragrance of ripe yellow apple. Serious Pinot Gris, which does not rely on the widespread tutti-frutti style, but has a spicy and earthy structure. Animating play, ripe acidity, good length.

WinewhitedryRuländer

2019 Grauburgunder “Black Label” Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 9 20 • 13 % vol alcohol

16🯅

Tasted on 15 June 2020 by Werner Elflein

Light copper gold. Expressive and refreshing fragrance of green apple and hazelnut, underlined by subtle roasted aromas. Rather weak wood influence and great freshness also on the palate. At the same time creamy and with a harmonious, soft acidity. A phenolic note on the finish that supports the structure of the wine, reminiscent of nectarine skin. Very good length.

WinewhitedryChardonnay

2019 Chardonnay “Black Label” Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 10 20 • 14 % vol alcohol

17.5🯅

Tasted on 13 June 2020 by Werner Elflein

Greenish light yellow with straw yellow accents. Complex scent of pineapple, yellow tropical fruit, wild strawberry, green herbs and roasted coffee bean. Ethereal component. In the second nose hints of latte. Soft and creamy mouthfeel. Refreshing, ripe and integrated acidity. Excellent balance and length.

WinewhitedryScheurebe

2019 “Klenert S” Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 3 20 • 13 % vol alcohol

15.5🯅

Tasted on 5 June 2020 by Werner Elflein

Lemon yellow. Floral scent of pink grapefruit. On the tongue it is balanced with the typical spiciness and freshness of the grape variety. The aroma is neither loud nor too quiet, a little carbon dioxide provides additional stimulation. Good reverberation. Exemplary dry Scheurebe.

Winerosédry to off-dryBlauer LimbergerBlauer Spätburgunder

2019 Rosé Qualitätswein

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 6 20 • 13 % vol alcohol

13.5🯅

Tasted on 30 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Rosé with delicate blue tones. Sweetish fragrance marked by lush strawberry aromas. The aroma continues expressively on the tongue, but unfortunately the clearly palatable sweetness here is satiating and not very constructive in terms of depth and a clear focus of the fruit. Good length.

Semi-sparkling winerosédry to off-dry

2019 “Secco” Rosé Perlwein

Germany

Lot number 220 • 12 % vol alcohol

13🯅

Tasted on 22 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

All strawberry. From the colour, a bright strawberry red, and the fragrance – here a little raspberry overlays the clear strawberry aroma – to the primary taste impression on the tongue, almost everything reminds one of the sweet fruit, underscored by a fine perlage, balanced and of good length.

Sparkling winerosébrutBlauer Spätburgunder

2018 Pinot Rosé Sekt

Germany

Lot number 319 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

14.5🯅

Tasted on 6 June 2020 by Werner Elflein

Strong rosé. Not too dominant aroma of ripe strawberry. Very fine, quickly rising perlage. Moderate carbonic acid. Fruit-driven, harmonious sparkling wine with rather feminine character traits. Good length.

WinereddryBlauer Limberger

2018 Lemberger Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 23 19 • 14 % vol alcohol

16🯅

Tasted on 18 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Deep dark opaque cherry red with purple edge. Still a little bit lax in the nose. Sweeping scent of elderberry and dark berries. In the mouth with a strong body, good concentration, velvety soft but still distinctive tannins and fine spice. Very good length, expressive finish. Lemberger full of character, reminiscent more of an Austrian Blaufränkisch than a Württemberger.

WinereddryBlauer Spätburgunder

2018 Spätburgunder Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 24 19 • 13 % vol alcohol

16🯅

Tasted on 21 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Cherry red with medium transparency. Concentrated scent of dark berries, especially blackberry, blueberry and cassis. Ripe, distinctive, velvety to coarse-grained tannins. Spicy fruit, fine acidity, very good length. A Pinot Noir with potential, but which needs a few more years.

WinereddryBlauer LimbergerBlauer SpätburgunderDornfelder

2018 “Cuvée Rot” Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 22 19 • 13.5 % vol alcohol

15🯅

Tasted on 14 May 2020 by Werner Elflein

Deep dark, opaque red. The youthful, still discreetly lactic nose reveals dark berry fruits, cassis and a hint of milk chocolate. Ripe and velvety soft tannins on the tongue, harmonious and with very good length. A successful, hedonistic red wine cuvée.

WinereddryBlauer SpätburgunderCabernet Sauvignon

2018 “Pango” “Black Label” Qualitätswein trocken

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4164 26 19 • 13.5 % vol alcohol

16🯅

Tasted on 14 June 2020 by Werner Elflein

Cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Dark, slightly transparent cherry red. Highly concentrated, heavy aroma of dark berries and tar with pronounced roasted aromas. In the background, very subtle, brightening notes of yellow dried fruit and mirabelle plums. With air more and more sweet cherry stands out. On the palate again strong roasted aromas, chocolaty tannins, lots of spice and with excellent length. Highly extracted red wine that explores the boundaries between high maturity and over-ripeness.

Symbols

🯅	The rating of the wine is based on a single taster. The taster is named in the context of the rating. The tasting was either open or blind. In case of a blind tasting, it is explicitly labelled as such.
🯅🯅	The rating of the wine is based on two tasters. The tasters are named in the context of the rating. The tasting was carried out according to the four-eyes principle, in which both tasters agree on a joint rating.
🯅🯅🯅	The rating is based on a tasting by our jury and indicates the Mean value calculated by us from the individual ratings of the tasters. Our mean value is based on the median.
⚖	The wine was evaluated in a blind tasting. We have strict rules for blind tastings. The tasters do not receive any information that would allow them to identify the wines. The tasters are only given access to further information that goes beyond the subject matter if it is absolutely necessary for understanding the wines.
🕓	We only had limited time to taste the wine - typically during an open tasting event, such as a wine fair. It was therefore not possible to observe the development of the wine in the glass over a longer period of time. The informative value of our rating may therefore be limited under certain circumstances.
⛬	The wine was tasted as a barrel sample or before an official test number (Amtliche Prüfungsnummer or Staatliche Prüfnummer) was issued. We only accept samples of unfilled wines in exceptional cases, and then only if we can assume sufficient stability in the bottle for a period of at least three months.
▲	During our tasting, the wine showed conspicuous sensory characteristics. This does not necessarily have to be a wine fault. We categorise the quality and quantity of the abnormality and include it in the rating. Wine faults such as cork taint or an atypical ageing generally lead to a complete rejection.
	Tastings that refer to the same bottle of a wine are visually summarised by a dotted line.

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Germany's first “climate vintner”

Our discovery in the Kraichgau: David Klenert

The wines at a glance

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