When you look out across the vineyard rows in Leimen, you only begin to sense what has been unfolding here for generations. Winegrowing along the Badische Bergstraße goes back nearly two thousand years. After the phylloxera disaster in the late 19th century, it was Georg Seeger who was among the very first to replant Pinot Noir. His great-grandson Thomas has carried that line forward since the 1990s – uncompromising, meticulous, with an instinctive feel for small-barrel élevage. He was one of Germany’s pioneers in working with top Pinot genetics early on, and his reds have won him the German Red Wine Prize multiple times.
Max Kaindl, October 27, 2025
Reading time about 6 minutes
Between Tradition and New Beginnings: The Seegers on the Bergstraße
Terroir with character – and wines with patience
The vineyards around Leimen and Heidelberg are far more than just a pretty backdrop: loess over limestone and sandstone, slopes marking the shift from the Rhine plain to the Odenwald, and a climate that balances coolness with warmth. Out of this come Pinots that often appear closed, even austere, in their youth – wines that demand patience. Open them too early and you meet strictness; wait, and you uncover depth and refinement that few in Germany can rival. Perhaps this explains why Seeger’s wines don’t dominate the buzzier, younger wine scene – they’re not “instant pleasers.”
But something has shifted. The 2022s and 2023s – strikingly evident at the GG preview in Wiesbaden – are finer, with less overt oak, more approachable early on. They haven’t lost their core density, but they’re showing a new elegance, a better balance. It feels like a deliberate step forward.
In the glass: development with an announcement
In the glass, the point is clear. The Riesling RR 2018 whispers rather than shouts: creamy, balanced, almost unusually subtle for Seeger. The Pinot Noir Spermen GG R 2022 marks the new line – juicy, dark, clearly structured, with tannins present but not dominated by wood. Patience is still a must, but the door opens sooner. The Heidelberger Herrenberg R 2001 proves waiting is worth it: cool, precise, long, a Pinot still as fresh as day one after more than 20 years. And the Amphora 2005 – three years on skins, uncompromising, provocative, a polarizing wine that shows just how far ahead of his time Thomas Seeger was two decades ago.
The next generation: Anna Seeger
Twelfth generation, studying oenology in Geisenheim, already with her own line of four wines. At first, she seems shy, almost reserved. But once she starts talking about her wines, you feel the energy, the passion, and the clarity of her vision. She’s still very young, just at the beginning of her path, yet her first steps already hint at serious potential.
Her wines speak with a new voice. She doesn’t want to be a miniature version of her father – she wants to explore new ground. The Chardonnay 2024 is razor-sharp, fresh, juicy – full of energy. The Pinot Noir 2023 is elegant, with fine fruit, delicate tannins – less power, more finesse. The Goldmuskateller 2024: playful, aromatic, perfumed, yet dry in feel, simply fun to drink. And her 2024 field blend? Polarizing, with Sauvignon-like notes and exotic flair – a bit too much for my taste, but a bold statement that she’s not afraid to test boundaries.
My tasting notes
Weißer Riesling RR trocken, 2018
Quiet tones, big class. Gently creamy, bright fruit, surprisingly fresh – a whispering Riesling with long resonance and a fine groove.
Anna Chardonnay, 2024
Fresh, juicy, precise – a touch green, yet ripe enough to hook you. A straight-shooting Chardonnay with bite and drive.
Chardonnay R, 2023
Warm, spicy, marked by new oak – still closed, but full of structure and promise. Needs air, time, and patience. Not an everybody’s darling – and that’s a good thing.
Anna Goldmuskateller, 2024
A perfumed fruit bomb, yet dry in style. Juicy, light, refreshing – easy but never simple. Summer in a glass.
Anna Mischsatz Weißwein Cuvée, 2024
Sauvignon vibes, plenty of exotic fruit – but a bit too much for me. There’s length and spice, just not my style.
Anna Pinot Noir, 2023
Crystal-clear and elegant with fine grip. Still young, but promising – a Pinot with poise and class.
Spermen GG Spätburgunder R, 2022
Powerful, spicy, with firm tannins. Dark fruit, pure juice – full of energy, but needs time. Wild now, great soon.
Heidelberger Herrenberg R, 2001
Red precision at its finest. Fresh, juicy, cool, refined – a 2001 that dances instead of fading. Tobacco, length, class. Poetry in a glass.
Amphore, 2005
Full-on funk! Hard cheese on the nose, then fresh, dense, and juicy on the palate. Three years on the skins – pure wildness. Food? Absolutely – ideally a cheese board with real character.
Generations in dialog, not in rupture
The generational shift? Thomas Seeger is still firmly at the helm, but Anna has found her space. She’s charting her own course without betraying tradition. Her wines don’t break with the past; they add to it. They bring freshness, lightness, and a different perspective on the same soils. Father and daughter are managing something rare: making transition feel like dialogue, not rupture.
Two manuscripts, one story
Thomas Seeger stands for Pinot Noirs that are among the most profound, serious, and age-worthy in Germany. Anna adds a new tone – finer, bolder, sometimes cheekier. Together, they make a winery that unites tradition and future on the Badische Bergstraße in a way that feels authentic. Expect something merely “regional” here? Think again – and prepare to be surprised.
Pictures: © The Art of Riesling – Maximilian Kaindl
