Sven Enderle and Florian Moll joined forces in 2007 and started producing Pinot Noir on less than 2 hectares of land in the region of Baden. The small estate (roughly 5 hectares today) has some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in the country, dating as far back as the 1950’s.
While many of the plots are sandstone based, the land south of Münchweier, on the slopes of the Black Forest, is actually lined with shell-limestone, which is found in some of the world’s best vineyard sites. As well, these vineyards are incredibly steep, which allows for better drainage and also forces the vines to dig deep.
Most importantly, Enderle & Moll’s winemaking philosophy was based on their collective opposition to the commercial winemaking practices then common in Baden. Enderle & Moll adopted a very low-tech approach which involved extensive and dedicated manual vineyard work; this was in direct contrast to the powerful, established producers of the region who seemed more focused on riper, oakier and higher alcohol wines.
For all the spectacular acclaim given to Enderle & Moll (even the influential figure in the wine world, Jancis Robinson, has called their following ‘cult- like’), it has not altered their original approach to winemaking in any respect. Faithful to their modest beginnings, this dynamic team is still farming organically and bio-dynamically, using an old basket press and aging the wines in well-used Dujac barrels from Burgundy.