Weingut Stefan Meyer is one of 13 wine estates in Rhodt, a small village about 40 kilometers north of the French border. Stefan’s family originally came from Hessen, and he has been making wine in the family cellar since 2009. The cellar itself dates back to 1954, when his father began shifting the focus from aromatic varieties to Pinot grape .
Today, Stefan farms 17 hectares of vineyards organically (since 2021) and is expanding by another 13 hectares from 2023. His goal is to dedicate more land to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay while preserving older parcels of Riesling.
One of his specialties is Frühburgunder—known in France as Pinot Noir Précoce—an early-ripening cousin of Pinot Noir once widely grown on both sides of the Rhine. It shares Pinot Noir’s elegance and aromatics, but here it receives extended aging in seasoned barrels to soften the tannins.
The grapes come from vineyards in Rhodt and neighboring areas, rooted in loess-clay soils. Fermentation involves 14–18 days of maceration, followed by 12–14 months of aging in small oak barrels.
The result is a juicy, expressive wine with notes of cassis, hints of herbal spiciness (think lovage), and a gentle touch of wood on the palate.
