Spatburgunder Is Better Than Ever!

10/23/2007 -

If there ever was a wine category that beguiles people it is German Pinot Noir aka Spatburgunder. There are many misconceptions about Spatburgunder in the United States as the demand in Germany has always been more than supply could meet. No misconceptions in Germany mind you, just over here in the new world. The first thing you need to do when approaching Spatburgunder is realize that this is NOT Burgundy and this is NOT California Pinot Noir. If you open a bottle of German Spatburgunder trying to compare it to these genres of Pinot Noir then odds are you will not like the bottle as your expectations will not be met. But if you go into it with no expectations and an open mind then you will be pleasantly surprised and possibly even profoundly moved. German Pinot has been misunderstood in the USA principally because of misguided statements like this . . . ""... the German Pinot noir (is) a grotesque and ghastly wine that tastes akin to a defective, sweet, faded, diluted red Burgundy from an incompetent producer. Need I say more?" Guess who said that? I will give you clue - the most influential wine critic in the world.

The main areas for Spatburgunder are the southern growing regions of the Pfalz, Baden, Wurrtemberg and Franken. Rheingau is also big for Spatburgunder but is stylistically very different than the aforementioned regions. If California Pinot Noir is all about ebullient fruit and Burgundy is about a combination of earth, mineral and fruit then German Spatburgunder is about minerality first and foremost (like the Rieslings) and then about a mixture of earth and fruit. In hotter vintages like 2005, 2003, 1997 & 1990 the wines can be thrilling and very ageworthy. In leaner vintages like 2004, 2002 and 2001 the wines are fantastic too but focus more on minerality and earth and are more transparent of their terroir. In riper vintages the terroir comes out with some mild (5-7 year) bottle age.

In my short time tasting the best Spatburgunder from the top producers, 2005 is by far the best vintage across the board. Just as 2005 is great in Burgundy it is just as incredible in Germany for Pinot Noir.

I have traveled to Germany the past two summers and fell in love with these wines as I have tasted a wonderful range from the low end to the highest of the highest. Part of my job as a wine merchant is to open people's eyes to new wines and I am taking the dive into the sea of Spatburgunder as these are great wines and they need an audience here in the United States. So to promote these wines I will be offering lower than normal margins so people will have more incentive to experience them.

I have some in stock and the rest are on pre-arrival.

2004 Furst Lowenstein Hallgartener Schonhell Spatburgunder Spatlese Trocken (Rheingau) - This is the first Spatburgunder that has graced the shelves of CSW. What a lovely wine it is. Beautifully detailed minerality with good aggressive red fruits. (In Stock)

2004 Huber Spatburgunder Junge Reben (Baden) - Huber is another super-star Spatburgunder producer that has just started being imported into the US. His wines are all about finesse perfume and elegance. They remind me of Chambolle but have their roots firmly in the Baden terroir. Lovely stuff. (In Stock)

2005 Dr. Heger Achkarraccher Schlossberg Spatburgunder Spatlese Trocken (Baden) - Dr. Heger is one the shining stars on the Baden Spatburgunder scene and 2005 is easily the best vintage I have ever tasted here. His reputation in Germany is unparalleled and most of his wine gets drunk locally. Spatburgunder from the Achkarraccher Schlossberg has a lovely soil character, forward fruit and a wonderful lacey texture. Heger's wines are all about purity of fruit, great structure, elegance and depth. These wines are also very ageable. (Pre-Arrival January)

2005 Dr. Heger Ihringer Winklerberg Spatburgunder Spatlese Trocken - (Baden) This is considered the best vineyard in the Kaiserstuhl which is where Ihringern is. This is a unique area in Germany in that the soils are mostly volcanic and Ihringen actually has the highest average temperature in all of Germany which makes it perfect for the ripening of Pinot Noir. This wine might be the best Pinot Noir that Joachim Heger has ever made. Very structured but also very elegant and needs many years to show its pedigree. I was blown away by this wine and will definitely be cellaring some. Not to miss if you love world-class, soil-driven Pinot Noir. (Pre-Arrival January)

2005 Rudolf Furst Spatburgunder Tradition - (Franken) Rudolf Furst is in the small hamlet of Burgstadt and he is considered the elite of Spatburgunder producers in Franken if not all of Germany. His wines are in a Burgundian style with some new oak and he also makes three quality levels. This is considered his "village" level wine and has lovely fresh fruit, some exotic spice and an ethereal texture. The aromas are lively with fruit confit and lots of wet earth. Truly impressive. (Pre-Arrival November)

2005 Rudolf Furst Spatburgunder Burgstadter Centgrafenberg - (Franken) This is Furst's "1er Cru" offering and it is gorgeous. The Burgstadter Centgrafenberg is a wonderful south-facing vineyard with mostly colored sandstone and loam. This is one of the great vineyards of Franken and winemaker Paul Furst is easily the qualitative leader here. In this area of Franken Pinot was rustic and of a lower quality level until Paul came along and started vinifying Pinot Noir in a Burgundian style. His 1990 of this wine remains a legend and put German Pinot Noir on the map. The 2005 may be his best vintage yet. Paul seems to think so. Elegant wine with loads of crushed berry fruit, some hints of toast, spice and earth. The palate is rich and concentrated with a velvety texture and extremely ripe tannins buffered by cleansing acidity. This could stand some time in the cellar to gain more complexity. Ravishing wine. (Pre-Arrival January)

2005 Rudolf Furst Spatburgunder Burgstadter Centgrafenberg "R" (Franken) - This is Fursts Grand Cru and considered the best Spatburgunder made in Germany every year. This is a wine that needs a minimum of 5-10 years in the cellar to become more civilized as it is made in a true vin de garde style. When I was visiting the estate this summer he poured the 1997 and 2003 of this wine and they are absolutely astounding wines. This is a complex, rich and velvety wine that does call out to Burgundy (think Gevrey 1er Cru) but is unmistakably Germanic. Lovely and probably the best 2005 Spatburgunder I have tasted. (Pre-Arrival January)