With a history in their village going back to the 1700s, Stefan Meyer’s family is as much a part of the terroir of Rhodt unter Reitburg as the clay and loam soils their vines are planted to. These vines, which lie along the border of the Palatinate forest, cover 16 ha distributed among 70 different small plots. Considering that Stefan’s grandfather Karl Hermann Meyer started the estate with 4 ha in 1954, it’s clear that growth here is done in a measured and thoughtful way, only adding the best plots available and never choosing quantity over quality.
Stefan, who took over the estate from his father Willi in 2011 after apprenticing at Bassermann Jordan, continues to innovate at the estate while maintaining what he calls the “powerful tradition” of his grandfather. This innovation includes harvesting and sorting all the fruit by hand, and eliminating the use of any chemicals in their vineyards. The estate is certified organic by Ecovin and biodynamic by Demeter. The results of this natural approach can be seen easily when walking in the vines bordering their “conventional” neighbors. Where the spaces between vines in Stefan’s vineyards are alive with natural grasses and cover crops, the next row over is desiccated and gray. And of course the proof is also in the bottle, and Stefan’s are some of the best wines (and best value wines) coming out of the Pfalz today.
