Martin Waßmer

From Schlatt to the very top: A winery history begins in 1997

Viticulture in Schlatt is not a new invention — it has been documented in the municipality since 1298. The Waßmer family has belonged to this place between Freiburg and Basel for generations, growing asparagus and strawberries in addition to wine, and thus early on possessed deep knowledge of the soils of the Markgräflerland. They only dared to take the step to their own winery in 1997. Martin Waßmer himself had previously completed training as a chef and learned during an internship in Burgundy what makes great Pinot Noir wines. This impression became the compass for everything that followed. Their own viticultural tradition, the knowledge of the local sites, and the Burgundian school — from this triangle, a winery was formed that today counts among the most respected in the German Pinot scene. In 2016, a new press house began operations and created the technical foundation for the estate, which has since grown to about 35 hectares.

Steep slopes, limestone rock, and Burgundian consistency in the cellar

The Markgräflerland lies in the extreme southwest corner of Germany, where mild winds from the Basel Bay ensure an exceptionally warm viticultural climate. Martin Waßmer has concentrated his plots in sites that stand for maximum quality: the Dottinger Castellberg with limestone marl and partly bare limestone rock near the slope, the Schlatter Maltesergarten on deep loess loam with a high lime content — this is the local mountain right on the doorstep — as well as Ehrenstetter Ölberg, Staufener Schlossberg, Achkarrer Schlossberg, and the Roter Bur in the Breisgau Glottertal. Many of these steep slopes are enclosed in dry stone walls; the oldest vines are about 40 years old. In order to be able to farm these sites appropriately at all, plots were terraced in painstaking manual labor.

In the vineyard, Waßmer relies on high planting densities of 10,000 to 12,000 vines per hectare, on French clones, and consistent yield reduction — principles that were adopted directly from Burgundy. Harvesting is done exclusively by hand. In the cellar, the red wines ferment spontaneously in open containers; afterwards, the top sites mature for up to 18 months in barriques. All wines remain on the lees for an above-average amount of time. The goal is always the same: to bring the quality of the vineyard into the bottle without shortcuts.

Burgundy as a reference, Markgräflerland as home

What distinguishes Martin Waßmer's wines is the balancing act between two poles — and that it succeeds: the warmth and ripeness of the Markgräflerland on one side, the precision and mineral depth of Burgundian-inspired vinification on the other. The Feinschmecker magazine put it in a nutshell: "He brought Burgundy to Baden." The focus is on Pinot Noir, which occupies about 60 percent of the area, supplemented by Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay. In addition, there is Syrah at the Dottinger Castellberg as well as sparkling wine cuvées from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Whether estate wine or prestige site — the collection is aged and bottled according to the same standard. The most important German wine guides — Eichelmann, Gault&Millau, Vinum, and Falstaff — have accompanied the estate for years with top ratings. Those who take Martin Waßmer's wines into their glass do not get mass-produced goods from the warm south, but Pinot with backbone, minerality, and a genuine sense of place.