Friedrich Becker - Pinot Gris 2023

To tell the story of Weingut Friedrich Becker in Pfalz, one must become familiar with Aesop’s fable, “The Fox and the Grapes,” which involves a fox trying to eat grapes from a vine far from within his grasp. However, rather than admitting defeat, the fox states that the grapes are sour, so he never really wanted them. This very fox adorns Becker labels and has done so since the estate released its first commercially made wines back in 1973.

Before then, the Becker family did not sell wine commercially, and the estate was mixed agriculture. Friedrich Fritz Becker Senior was responsible for turning the estate’s focus solely on wine. When he bottled his first Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and showed it to his peers, he was met with criticism, mockery, and disbelief that Spätburgunder grapes can ripen in the region of Pfalz. But Fritz Senior remembered the Aesop’s fable, and stubbornly continued his pursuit. Fast-forward almost 40 years later, and Fritz Becker Junior enjoys building on his visionary father’s legacy. Today, many estates grow Spätburgunder, but the Beckers are the forefront.

Producer: Friedrich Becker

Country: Germany

Region: Pfalz

Varietal: Pinot Gris

Appellation: Pfalz

Vintage: 2023

Size: 750ml