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Carsten Saalwächter

Carsten Saalwächter made a lasting impression on us right from our very first visit—both with his open personality and his outstanding Burgundies! A sommelier friend of ours had highly recommended a visit to this talented young winemaker, so we took advantage of our next wine trip to make a detour to Rheinhessen. Or was it the Rheingau? Or was it Rheinhessen after all? His white wines and half of his red wines are grown around his hometown of Ingelheim in barren, limestone-rich vineyards that were spared from land consolidation and are therefore rich in old vines. Carsten Saalwächter was able to draw on this foundation thanks to the long history of his parents’ winery. He was also fortunate enough to acquire several plots in the Rheingau’s top-tier Höllenberg vineyard, where ancient French Pinot Noir vines also grow.

Weingut Saalwächter GbR
Binger Str. 18
55218 Ingelheim am Rhein
Phone +49 172 64 383 53

Burgundy varieties are Carsten Saalwächter’s great passion and dominate the lineup. Even the Silvaners are no exception—they’re almost unrecognizable as such, but their flavors convincingly encroach on Burgundy territory. The Pinot Noirs from the Rheinhessen side are slightly riper, denser, and more charming, while the Assmannshausen Pinot Noirs impress with their coolness, finesse, and a wiry structure—in our opinion, the best from the Rheingau we’ve ever tasted.

What’s particularly impressive is that Carsten has already developed such a distinct style that runs through his entire lineup—the 2018 vintage is only his second under his own direction. His wines are austere, characterized by firm structure, a compact tannin framework (even in the white wines), with a straightforward character and great depth. In the cellar, he works in a very minimalist and pragmatic way to achieve elegance; in the warm 2018 vintage, he used more grape skins for the Pinot Noirs and stirred the mash less, while in 2019 it was the other way around. The wines undergo spontaneous fermentation, then remain on the full lees in wooden barrels for 22 months and are bottled without fining or filtration. Carsten Saalwächter’s wines are robust and quite demanding; they all benefit from bottle aging and plenty of air—at which point they become a treat for Burgundy lovers, offering great enjoyment and a dangerously high drinking appeal.

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