The Estate
The Alte Grafschaft estate, steeped in a fascinating history, has endured through the ages. For more than four centuries, our walls have borne witness to the highs and lows of the wine world. Founded by a renowned wine merchant from Wertheim, the estate grew under the patronage of the Wertheim nobility until it finally reached its current size. In 2010, the estate returned to the hands of a dedicated wine trading family from Wertheim and has been run in co-operation with a family of winemakers from Champagne since 2023.
based
Based in Kreuzwertheim and with plots in Baden and Franconia, Alte Grafschaft covers an area of 14 hectares and is divided into five vineyards: Satzenberg, Kaffelstein, Ebenrain, Sonnenberg and First.
Exclusively dedicated to dry wines, the estate relies on the richness of its terroirs to explore the full potential of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Silvaner, and Pinot Noir grape varieties.
the families
The Spielmann family has been running their wine trading company since 1932, which was founded in Wertheim and remain based there today. Over the generations, the core business has shifted away from buying wine in barrels and bottling towards a trading business focusing on French Wines. This also how two families Spielmann and Legras, met. The two families have been working together for almost 30 years now and the relationship has grown far beyond the business, when the opportunity finally arose for Jérôme Legras to take a stake in the Alte Grafschaft Estate in 2023, he didn’t hesitate.
“I felt in love with Alte Grafschaft at first sight when Norbert Spielmann and Christoph Dinkel bought it over ten years ago. They made me realise the need to maintain viticulture on these heroic plots. Norbert and I, with the help of Julius Spielmann, want to prepare this great vineyard for the next generations”
– Jérôme Legras
The winemaker
I want to produce wines that preserve the uniqueness of each vintage, the character our our vineyards and the microclimate of our cellar. For me, wine is a kind of liquid memory that preserves the work of the entire winery team and the special characteristics of each vintage.
A Winemaking Passion
Even as a small child, I wanted to become a winemaker. The greatest fascination for me is to see how the wines evolve over time. The wine never age, they continue to develop and change their personality and flavour in the bottle and later in the glass. Even after my training as a winemaker and my four-year degree in international wine business, the magic of wines remains the same for me.
My Winemaking style
If I had to describe my influence on my winemaking style, I would say that I patiently wait for the right moment to move the wine and trust the aging process. If there is one thing I have learnt about winemaking on recent years, it is that you do not know anything about the complex processes that go on inside the wine. It is like predicting the weather for the next year. For me, the key factors are a perfect healthy grape and a very strict and careful selection during the harvest. The rest is trust in the terroir and the microclimate of our cellar.
Our Wines
Ortsweine
Wertheim
Silvaner (Coming soon)
Kreuzwertheim
Wertheim
Alter Satz
Wertheim
Riesling
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Vintage: 2022
Appellation: Tauberfranken, Wertheim (Baden)
Vineyard: Sonnenberg
Grape Variety: Riesling
Soil: Shell Limestone, Pink Sandstone
Alcohol: 11,5%Vol.
Sugar: 2,7 g/L
Acidity: 7,1 g/L equiv. Tartaric Acid
Bottled: 04/2024
Elevage: 19 months in stainless steel, 12 months on the lees, spontaneous fermantation.
EAN: 4260207941391
Wertheim
Pinot Blanc
Wertheim
Pinot Noir
-
Vintage: 2021
Appellation: Tauberfranken, Wertheim (Baden)
Vineyard: EBR (Ebenrain)
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Soil: Shell Limestone
Alcohol: 13,0%Vol.
Sugar: 0,0 g/L
Acidity: 5,0 g/L equiv. Tartaric Acid
Bottled: 04/2024
Elevage: 24 months in french oak Barrique, spontaneous fermentation, unfiltered
EAN: 4260207941384
Kreuzwertheim
Pinot Noir
-
Vintage: 2021
Appellation: Franken, Kreuzwertheim
Vineyard: KFS (Kaffelstein deklassiert)
Grape Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Terroir: Pink Sandstone
Alcohol: 13,5%Vol.
Residual sugar: 0,2 g/l
Acidity: 5,7 g/l equiv. Tartaric Acid
Bottled: 05/2024
Elevage: 24 Month Barrique (french Oak), Spontaneous fermentation
EAN: 4260207941414
AP-Nr: 2187-002-24
Nutrition: e-label.altegrafschaft.de/#2187-002-24
Satzenberg
Riesling
Satzenberg
Pinot Blanc
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Vintage: 2020
Appellation: Tauberfranken, Wertheim (Baden)
Vineyard: Satzenberg
Grape Variety: Pinot Blanc
Soil: Pink Sandstone
Alcohol: 13,5%Vol.
Sugar: 2,3 g/L
Acidity: 5,0 g/L equiv. Tartaric Acid
Bottled: 02/2023
Elevage: 12 months in french oak Tonneaux on the lees, spontaneous fermentation
EAN: 4260207941353James Suckling 93/100
Gault&Millau 3,5/5
Kaffelstein
Riesling
-
Vintage: 2020
Appellation: Franken, Kreuzwertheim
Vineyard: Kaffelstein
Grape Variety: Riesling
Soil: Pink Sandstone
Alcohol: 13,0%Vol.
Sugar: 0,6 g/L
Acidity: 7,5 g/L equiv. Tartaric Acid
Bottled: 02/2023
Elevage: 29 months in stainless steel, 15 month on the lees, spontaneous fermentation
EAN: 4260207941346James Suckling 98/100
Gault&Millau 4,5/5
Kaffelstein
Silvaner
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Vintage: 2021
Appellation: Franken, Kreuzwertheim
Vineyard: Kaffelstein
Grape Variety: Silvaner (Yellow)
Soil: Pink Sandstone
Alcohol: 13,0%Vol.
Sugar: 1,0 g/L
Acidity: 5,3 g/L equiv. Tartaric Acid
Bottled: 02/2023
Elevage: 17 months in total, 12 month on the lees, 40% french oak Barrique and 60% Stainless Steel, spontaneous fermentation
EAN: 4260207941346James Suckling 93/100
Gault&Millau 3/5
Kaffelstein
Pinot Noir
Ebenrain
Pinot Noir
-
Vintage: 2020
Appellation: Tauberfranken, Wertheim (Baden)
Vineyard: Ebenrain
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Soil: Shell Limestone
Alcohol: 14,0%Vol.
Sugar: 0,1 g/L
Acidity: 5,6 g/L equiv. Tartaric Acid
Bottled: 02/2023
Elevage: 24 months in french oak Barrique, 60% new oak, spontaneous fermentation, unfiltered
EAN: 4260207941360James Suckling 94/100
Gault&Millau 4,5/5
ContaCt
Nicolas Jacob
Export Manager
nicolas@altegrafschaft.de
Julius Spielmann
Winemaker/Managing Director
js@altegrafschaft.de
Gallery
These images are available for commercial use in connection with any promotion or presentation of our wines or our winery











































