The Revolution Reaches Baden

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We've written a bit in passing about Enderle & Moll before, but today we wanted to take the time to emphasize how exciting we find their project in Baden. As the modern face of German wine continues to evolve (and the global climate warms), dry red wines from the southwestern parts of Germany are becoming more and more popular. There is a hefty domestic appetite for the stuff, and Germans seem willing to pay top dollar for over-extracted, concentrated, oaky wines from Baden, Wurttemberg and the Pfalz. We can't even imagine the amount of industrial spoof-machines that must be in some of these cellars to help churn out these wines, which often sell for over 100 Euro a bottle.

Sven Enderle and Florian Moll are the antidote to this. They're two young friends that have been working together since the mid 2000s. They're not interested in making showy, concentrated wines, and they're also not trying to just imitate Burgundy. The goal is to make fresh, singular Pinot Noir that clearly expresses its terroir, and they know that they best way to do this is to take care in the vineyard, and to stay out of the way in the cellar. Thus, they farm their extremely tiny parcels biodynamically (1.8ha back in 2009, now up to 2.1ha; notice the beautiful cover crop in the image to the left). Yields are quite low, and the old vine material they have to work with couldn't be better, averaging 25-55 years in age. They press with an old basket press, after which there's no pumping, minimal racking, and no filtration. The wine is gently rounded with 12-15 months in 228-liter barrel, but they're used barrels from famous producers in Burgundy that constantly want to have new oak and sell off their older stock. These guys are starting an anti-spoof revolution in Baden, and we hope others start to catch on soon, but since most Germans happily drink the mainstream style of Spätburgunder, we get to enjoy some of their extremely tiny production; only around 100 cases are made, and it's all sold either close to home or here in New York.

As the wines are so atypical for Spätburgunder, Sven and Florian don't even bother trying to get an AP number, so they classify the wines as basic table wine. This means the single vineyard sites can't legally be listed on the label so they instead name the wines after the differing soil types Buntsandstein (colored/brown sandstone) and Muschelkalk (limestone with a high proportion of ancient shells). The "Villages" Pinot Noir is a blend of grapes from both sites. A good friend of the shop recently tasted the 2009 Muschelkalk and was bold enough to say that it was better than anything comparably priced coming out of Burgundy today, especially on its second day open. While we wouldn't be quite so categorical, I can certainly sympathize with the sentiment, especially as young-vine Bourgogne Rouges from better producers start to creep up above $50 a bottle.

The wines have round, approachable, fruit, but they are focused, lightly spiced and balanced by great acidity. The generous 2009 vintage was kind to Baden, but it's still consistently much cooler here than Beaune. While some of the '09 Burgundies were a bit hot and disjointed, even clunky to my tastes, these wines find the perfect balance of rich fruit, silken texture, crunchy minerals and fresh, bright acidity. We wish we had more to offer, but with an operation as small as Enderle & Moll, tiny quantities are going to be inevitable. –jfr

 

 

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Enderle & Moll 2009 Baden Pinot Noir Villages

Miniscule production Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) from Germany's relatively warm region of Baden. Lying just to the east of Alsace, Baden may be warm for Germany, but it's still decidedly a rather cool climate. While global climate change is generally upending accepted notions of what grapes grow well where, the red wine industry in Germany has been perhaps the greatest beneficiary of this rather dubious development. Pinot Noir wines that were once thin and green now can be properly ripe, well balanced and delicately finessed.

Enderle & Moll is a two-man operation and they farm just 2-hectares, employing biodynamic methods and a hands-off approach in the cellar. The "Villages" is a step up from their base-level Pinot Noir which we last offered in the 2008 vintage, and comes from better sites and older vines. They raise the wine in used barrels from Burgundy and the oak is tastefully integrated. They use a rather old basket press, bottle without filtering and the result is a singular approach to Pinot Noir, especially within Germany. In the glass the wine looks ever so slightly cloudy, and the aromas are earthy, savory, smoky and dark fruited. On the palate the wine is nuanced, with cherry and cranberry notes and just a touch of vanilla. Fans of Burgundy who are getting turned off by the scarcity, high prices and high ripeness of top wines from the area ought to look into this an alternative. -jfr

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Enderle & Moll 2009 Baden Pinot Noir Muschelkalk

'Muschelkalk' has the dual distinction of coming from Pinot Noir vines that not only grow on limestone, arguably the grape's favorite soil, but were also planted in 1953-1954. At almost 60 years of age, they're among the oldest vines in the region and they produce a lighter wine than Buntsandstein; more red-fruited, with tangile, vibrant minerality. The parcel is less than half a hectare of extremely low-yielding vines; so little of this wine is made that we're astounded we have some to sell. This is serious wine to age but also drinks great now. Give it some air. -jfr

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Enderle & Moll 2009 Baden Pinot Noir Buntsandstein

'Buntsandstein' (colored, red or brown sandstone, depending on the translation) is named after the vineyard's soil-type and consists of grapes from the Münchweier Kirchhalden. The vines range in age from 25 to 45 years. The wine has a deep, rich pinot character, with very little influence from its élevage. There's great freshness and a wet stone hint, just the right amount acidity on the palate, and a pretty,  black cherry fruit note. It's silky, with great depth and has much more in common with Burgundy than either light-bodied, Alsatian pinot, or showy, oaky United States renditions. -jfr

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