We're having a moment with Baden-Württemberg: from a regional focus in our wine club to a sweeping offering of Wasenhaus. With every release, this southwestern pocket of Germany becomes a more intense focus for collectors and the industry’s best; with winemakers sharpened by stints in Burgundy and a terroir marked by solid limestone, it follows that culty names would emerge.

But one of the most striking things about the region is its culture – one with tradition and genuine craftsmanship at its center, and layered with a new wave of cultural exchange beyond its borders.

We're thrilled to see this highlighted by a business that lives outside of wine: Merz b. Schwanen.

You may recognize the tag from a certain t-shirt; their primary focus is in making intensely high quality, organic clothing with centenarian loopwheel machines at their facility in Württemberg. But they've partnered with nearby Weingut Roterfaden (already a favorite of ours, and a feature of this month's wine club!) to celebrate their shared home with a unique bottling. (More below!)

We're honored to be the exclusive US retailer for this special work. 

WHAT'S IN THE BOTTLE:

'The Blue Swan' is a blend of biodynamic Weissburgunder and Muskateller grown on the steep, solid blue limestone terraces of Mühlhausen and Roßwag. Foot crushed and fermented with skin-contact for five days in barrel, it's bottled unfiltered with minimal sulfur added.

It's a delicious, natural-leaning expression of Württemberg: limestone-driven, saline minerality balanced by a dewy, hydrating texture, wrapped around a core of spicy yellow fruit.

WHO MAKES IT:

Olympia Samara and Hannes Hofmann of Weingut Roterfaden, a Württemberg-based couple whose work focuses on old vines grown around 1K ft elevation. Perched above the tiny village of Roßwag, the local (and very unique) blue limestone quarry is quite literally in their backyard. With careful biodynamic farming and delicate winemaking, their wines lean towards silky, natural expressions of their unique terroir (📸 below).

2024 Weingut Roterfaden x Merz b Schwanen 'The Blue Swan' Landwein, Württemberg, Germany, $32