Leon Gold ‘Pink Gold’ Pétillant Rosé 2021
Location: Germany, Württemberg
Winemaker: Leon Gold
Grapes: Trollinger
Soil: Sandstone and marl
Winemaking: Over 1 week maceration followed by pressing into stainless steel, finishes fermentation in bottle (méthode ancestrale)
From the Importer Super Glou: ‘Pink Gold’ is a tart, zippy pet'nat of Trollinger, and the gold standard (pun intended) for mouth-wateringly fresh glou glou juice that will sustain you through the end of summer. Made in a pet’nat style, the wine is spontaneously fermented and carbonation occurs naturally in bottle. It bursts with notes of pink grapefruit, underripe strawberries, cherries, and wild rose, and the finish will surprise you with a big hit of minerality and a lingering Hubba Bubba dust. It’s always golden hour with this Pink Gold sour.
The dream of owning a vineyard arose in Leon's childhood through his fascination with his neighbors’ vines. He was led via the Bottwartal and the Remstal in the South Palatinate to a biodynamic winery whose mode of agriculture shaped him to a great extent, amplifying his desire to create his own wines. After training as a technician for Viticulture and Oenology at the State Teaching and Research Institute in Weinsberg, Leon came back to his "adopted home,” the Remstal. With the foundation of his own winery, a long-cherished childhood dream has come to fruition.
According to the motto "quality arises in the vineyard and not just in the cellar,” a healthy dose of idealism and perseverance is needed to produce a special quality of wine instead of "Goldgräberstimmung" (digging for gold). Knowing the importance of biological cycles and moon phases, Leon chooses to support the wild balance in the vineyard, forgoing synthetic agents and instead using specially prepared compost.
In taking a step back and letting nature run its course, Leon has found his own gold. His vines are healthy and abundant, standing on layers of gypsum keuper, red sandstone, Bunte marl and pebble sandstone. These layers of terroir translate to layers of texture in the glass : the embodiment of independent, living wines.