Why it matters
The producer
Weingut Andres is a family estate led by Michael and Thomas Andres, brothers who took responsibility for the winery in 2015. Their 32 hectares run along the Mittelhaardt, a stretch of Pfalz where vineyard ground shifts from lean sandstone to calcareous marl. That spread matters in the bottle: Riesling has a clear place in the white wines, while Spätburgunder gives the brothers room to show how soil and named origins affect red-wine shape.
When Michael and Thomas Andres took over from their parents in 2015, they described the handover as an opportunity to follow their own path. The resulting estate is organised around broad Mittelhaardt holdings rather than a single soil or grape. Organic farming, biodynamic principles and low vineyard intervention sit beside a range that gives Riesling, Chardonnay and Spätburgunder distinct roles. The consequence is a portfolio built for comparison: white grapes on one side, and Pinot Noir bottlings that move from marl to named sites on the other.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The estate works in the Mittelhaardt, the northern part of Pfalz around Deidesheim and neighbouring wine villages. Its climate is described by the winery as balanced enough for slow, even ripening, retaining freshness and acidity as grapes mature. In practical terms, that lets Riesling keep a dry, citrus-led line rather than merely accumulating ripe fruit, while Spätburgunder can ripen its tannin without needing to become heavy.
Andres’ parcels cross two notably different grounds: lean Buntsandstein and richer calcareous marl. Sandstone is the leaner end of that contrast; marl carries calcium-rich clay and limestone material. The estate makes this difference legible with Spätburgunder: Vom Kalkmergel takes its name from calcareous marl, while Haardt and Königsbach Ölberg put named vineyard origins on the label. Soil is therefore not decorative background here; it is part of choosing which Pinot Noir to open.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The vineyard work begins with organic farming, registered under control body DE-ÖKÖ-039, and is supplemented by biodynamic principles. The winery avoids synthetic chemical treatments and says it intervenes as little as possible in the vines. With slow, even ripening as the local aim, the intended result is fruit that can retain acidity rather than relying on late-picked weight.
In the cellar, the documented details sharpen by bottling. The 2024 Königsbach Ölberg Spätburgunder ferments with natural yeasts and ages in an even split of new and used barriques. New oak can bring spice and a firmer frame; used barrels let fruit, tannin and site speak with less overt oak flavour. The 2024 Vom Kalkmergel uses used barriques, an approach that keeps barrel influence quieter around its calcareous-marl source.
Wines to know
The range in view
Riesling is the estate’s principal white grape, represented by Andres Riesling. Haardter Chardonnay provides a second white-wine route, bringing a broader-bodied Burgundy variety alongside Riesling’s acidity and citrus potential. Neither bottle needs to perform the same task: the contrast begins with grape, then continues through texture and fruit profile.
Spätburgunder is the more explicit site sequence. Vom Kalkmergel is varietal Pinot Noir from calcareous-marl sites. Haardt Spätburgunder draws on vineyard-specific sources, while Königsbach Ölberg is a single-vineyard wine. The three names offer different degrees of origin on the label: soil in the first, a group of vineyard sources in the second, and one named vineyard in the third. Barrique ageing adds body, tannin and oak detail to that red-wine frame without making the bottles interchangeable.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose the 2024 Königsbach Ölberg Spätburgunder. It is a single-vineyard Pfalz Pinot Noir, fermented with natural yeasts and aged half in new and half in used barriques. That makes it the most complete view of Andres’ red-wine work: a named site supplies the origin, while the barrel regime contributes oak, spice, body and tannin. Serve it with roast duck, mushrooms or pork so its fruit and savoury grip have something to work against.