Weingut Heitlinger sits only 13km away from its sister property, Burg Ravensburg. However, the varied microclimates, colored marl soils, and limestone-rich slopes of the Kraichgau create wines that could be worlds away. Winemaker Patrick Jacklin, guided by his mentor, Claus Burmeister, has built a program around a simple foundation: EU organic and biodynamic farming in the vineyards and a cellar philosophy that sees the winemaking team as companions to the wine rather than its authors. With more than 80 percent of its holdings devoted to Pinot varieties, Heitlinger is a Burgundian enclave in Baden. The wines span the full range from everyday Gutswein to single-vineyard Erste Gewäch and Grosse Gewäch (comprising 60% of their holdings), with Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc as the anchors, and even a very small amount of Pinot Meunier. Precise and terroir-driven, the wines create the mineral tension of cool-climate Pinots in a warmer German register.

Back in the 12th century, monks of the Cistercian order discovered the outstanding  winegrowing conditions of the Kraichgau’s limestone-rich hills. Pinot vines in all shades as well as extended members of the family such as Chardonnay and Auxerrois flourish here thanks to an environment as advantageous as that of their native French homeland. With more than 80 % of its holdings devoted to Pinot, Heitlinger is proud to preserve and extend this fascinating legacy.