2/13/26 - 

I am very lucky to live in a wine world full of Pinot Noir. As time goes on and I continue to try more and more Spätburgunder from Germany, I continue to get excited over the fantastic representations. This week I tasted through the newly released wines from Weingut Rudolf Fürst and was so impressed by the elegance, finese and clarity of these wines. If you haven't previously tried Spätburgunder, now's the time to start!  
 
Today we bring our attention to the region of Franken. The Fürst family can date their time there as winemakers back to 1638. In more modern history, Paul and Monika Fürst took over in 1979 and built the estate's buildings on the outskirts of the Bürgstadt village in the heart of the Centgrafenberg vineyard. After so many generations of the land being divided up by inheritance laws, just 1.5 hecatares remained. Over time Paul and Monika re-cultivated the steep parcels and gradually expanded to the 21 hectares the family holds today, of which 60% are planted to Spätburgunder. 
 
Paul made friends in Burgundy and Oregon, connecting with other winemakers growing Pinot Noir to learn as much as possible about the grape variety in hopes of making great Spätburgunder at home. His son Sebastien followed suit, studying viticulture and oenolgogy at Geisenheim and then spent time in Burgundy, Alsace, Spain, South Africa, and with other winemakers in Germany. In 2007 he joined his father and increased the enviornmental awareness of the estate. They are now working with regenerative viticulture, planting trees around the vineyard and hope to continue to do more in the future with the mindset to grow the best grapes, as well as to restore the land for future generations. Meticulous care of the vines is their main focus so that they can be as hands off as possible when it comes to winemaking. Additionally, they implement high density plantings which increases vine competition and creates lower yield and higher-quality grapes and therefore better wines. Paul states, “Wine is a product of nature – our foundation. We simply do what is best for the wine. And if the grapes are good, the wine will also be good. On the day of the harvest we know exactly what treasure we hold in our hands.”  

In the cellar, the grapes are foot treaded prior to fermentation, allowing gentle extraction and for less pump overs to be needed later on. Everything is fermented in open wooden vats with indigenous yeast. Depending on the vintage and bottling there can be upwards of 70% whole cluster used. The wines then age for 13-18 months in mainly used 228L barrels. 
 
The wines can be differenciated in a very Burgundian way. There's the Tradition, which comes from younger vines across different vineyard sites, similar to the regional Bourgogne Rouge. Next is Bürgstadter, the equivalent to village level. The next step up is Bürgstadter Berg 1G, a specific vineyard site that is designated as Erste Lage or premier cru. And lastly is the Centgrafenberg Großes Gewächs, commonly shortened to GG and can be equated to a Grand Cru vineyard site. 
 
Across the board these are Spätburgunders of finese and elegance that continue to get more complex and perfumed as you move through the lineup. From everyday to special occasion, there is something here for everyone! 
 
-Hanna Krilov Cohen

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