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Helmut Dolde

Silvaner Weißer 2017

Sale price: $26.95 Regular price:$29.95
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Tasting notes

This Silvaner comes from Jurassic calcareous marl at over 500 meters elevation and shows it: the acidity is crisp and precise, with apple peel, white peach, and a stony, saline finish that keeps it lean and long. There are very few Silvaners made at this altitude anywhere in Germany, which makes the mineral clarity here genuinely unusual.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Taste profile
Green AppleWhite PeachPearFlint
  • Style: Dry, light-bodied white; crisp and linear; apple, pear, saline mineral; 12.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Silvaner; sustainable (uncertified); Weißer Jura calcareous marl (marne blanche); 500+ meters elevation, Linsenhofen, Württemberg
  • Winemaking: Indigenous yeast; 24-hour cold soak; stainless steel fermentation 3-4 weeks; unfined; small SO2 addition at bottling
  • Serving: Serve at 46-50°F; no decanting needed; drink now through 2025
  • Pairing: Freshwater fish, steamed mussels, soft cheese, poached asparagus, herb-forward dishes
  • Similar To: For fans of Chablis and Alsatian Sylvaner who want a high-altitude German expression with taut acidity

Helmut Dolde's Silvaner Weißer Jura comes from some of the highest vineyards in Germany, grown above the village of Linsenhofen in the Schwäbische Alb (Swabian Jura), Württemberg. The vines sit at elevations pushing past 500 meters (1,600 feet) above sea level, on Weißer Jura soils: calcareous marl formed by corals and marine organisms deposited during the Jurassic period, the same geological layer found in Burgundy's marne blanche.

Dolde is a former chemistry and biology teacher who began making wine as a hobby in 1981 and has never held organic certification by choice. He avoids copper sulfate treatments and focuses on leaving the soil in better condition than he found it, working with indigenous yeasts and low-intervention cellar methods. The Silvaner undergoes a 24-hour cold soak, then ferments in stainless steel for 3 to 4 weeks. The wine is unfined and bottled with a small addition of sulfur dioxide.

The 2017 is a dry white (trocken), classified as Qualitätswein, at 12.5% ABV. Silvaner is the traditional variety of this mountain sub-region and in Dolde's hands it expresses the high-altitude cool: taut acidity, mineral salinity, and bright orchard fruit including apple, pear, and white peach, with herbal and citrus undercurrents. This is not a fat or opulent style — it is precise, linear, and refreshing.

The wine is produced under the Württemberg appellation. The winery is located at Beurener Strasse 16, 72636 Frickenhausen-Linsenhofen, less than 30 miles southeast of Stuttgart, near the medieval Hohenneuffen Castle.

Works well with freshwater fish, steamed mussels, or a simple plate of soft cheese and rye bread. The high acidity and mineral backbone also make it a natural match for dishes seasoned with fresh herbs, or anything with a squeeze of lemon — grilled trout, poached white asparagus, or a classic Swabian Maultaschen broth.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, White Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Silvaner
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2017
Alcohol:, 12.5%
Country:, Germany
Region:, Württemberg
Appellation:, Württemberg QbA
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


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If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

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Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Helmut Dolde

Helmut and Hedwig Dolde are based in Frickenhausen-Linsenhofen, a village less than 30 miles southeast of Stuttgart in Württemberg, Germany. Dolde's family has lived in Linsenhofen for generations. He and Hedwig returned to the village in 1981 after a period away, and Helmut began making wine as a hobby on a small family parcel of Silvaner, initially experimenting in a 50-liter glass demijohn. He spent decades teaching chemistry and biology at the secondary school level while gradually expanding and refining the winery.

Dolde's roughly 2.5 hectares of vineyards include some of the highest-elevation sites in Germany, with vines exceeding 500 meters (1,600 feet) above sea level. He works with three soil types across three distinct zones: Weißer Jura calcareous marl and small volcanic plots around Linsenhofen and Neuffen, and Brauner Jura brown marl near Metzingen. Dolde is not certified organic and explicitly avoids certification, because he objects to the use of copper sulfate permitted under organic standards. As a former scientist, he focuses instead on using the least harmful and most biodegradable treatments available, with the stated aim of leaving the soil in better condition than he found it.

In the cellar, Dolde works with indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention. The Silvaner Weißer Jura undergoes a 24-hour cold soak before pressing and stainless steel fermentation lasting 3 to 4 weeks. The wine is unfined and bottled with a small addition of sulfur dioxide. Dolde also produces Riesling, Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), a pét-nat called Da Steppt der Bär, ciders from apple and black pear, and wild fruit distillates. The winery is located at Beurener Strasse 16, 72636 Frickenhausen-Linsenhofen.

Wine region

Württemberg, Germany

Württemberg is a wine region spanning roughly 11,400 hectares in the state of Baden-Württemberg, east of Baden and the Rhine, centered on the Neckar River valley and its tributaries north and east of Stuttgart. The Black Forest to the west and the Swabian Jura (Schwäbische Alb) to the east provide a protective buffer, creating mild microclimates in the river valleys with warm summers and relatively mild winters. Most of the region's vineyards concentrate between Stuttgart and Heilbronn. Württemberg is Germany's leading red wine region, with over 65% of plantings in red varieties, primarily Trollinger, Lemberger, and Spätburgunder. Riesling is the dominant white variety, though Silvaner has historic roots in the cooler, higher-elevation subzones.

The eastern edge of Württemberg, where it meets the Schwäbische Alb, is distinctly different from the warmer Neckar valley floor. Around the village of Linsenhofen, near Neuffen, the terrain climbs steeply and the climate becomes significantly cooler. Here, Jurassic soils persist that have eroded from most other German vineyard areas. Geologists distinguish two key layers: Brauner Jura, a clay-rich brown marl from the middle Jurassic period, and Weißer Jura (marne blanche), a more calcareous marl formed by coral and marine sediment from the upper Jurassic period. These high-altitude sites, pushing above 500 meters, are classified within the broader Württemberg QbA appellation. Silvaner — historically the traditional grape of this sub-region — thrives in the Weißer Jura's cool conditions, producing wines with pronounced acidity, chalk minerality, and restrained fruit.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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