Stepp Mineralstein Chardonnay 2025

Gerd Stepp grew up in Bad Dürkheim in the Mittelhaardt of the Pfalz. As a child he watched and helped his parents tend their vines and make wine. He would help them prune the vines, harvest the grapes by hand and – his favourite task – drive the tractor. Today, Gerd farms the family’s vineyards and runs the little winery, also buying some grapes from like-minded growers in the region. Having returned to Bad Dürkheim after making wines around the globe, his technical winemaking skills combined with commercial experience allow him to produce a range of wines which are both great value and especially good and true expressions of these grape varieties.

The grapes for the MINERALSTEIN Chardonnay come from vineyard sites on loamy soils with high limestone content. Limestones reduce the vineyard’s vigour and give it more balance in growth and a lower yield. They also give the wine more structure and a delicate Burgundian-like texture. 

60% of the juice was fermentated in French oak barrels and 40% in stainless steel tank. After the fermentation, which took about 6 weeks, the wine was kept ‘sur lie’ for a further 8 months but without batonnage.

An elegantly complex and structured Chardonnay with spicy notes, well-integrated oak and a refreshing persistence.