A Pinot Noir Pinnacle in Germany, Friuli’s Call to Elegance and Napa’s Fresh 2023

After covering Burgundy with James and Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery in June, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott feels that the successful pinot noir (spatburgunder) wines of the 2023 vintage in Germany are very similar to the 2023 vintage red wines of Burgundy, but with a touch more acidity. That’s a good thing in ripe vintages like this.

The problem for German pinot producers was that because they always pick later than the warmer Burgundy, they got caught by some harvest rain. Botrytized grapes had to be excluded and clearly selective harvesting wasn’t always as radical as it needed to be. This means the 2023 German pinot noirs are more variable in quality than the 2023 reds in Burgundy or 2022 German pinots.

However, you wouldn’t think that if you tasted the 2023 pinots from the Furst winery in Franken. Five of the seven wines winemaker Sebastian Furst – the son of Germany's pinot noir pioneer, Paul Furst – submitted were rated 95 points or higher, with two at the very pinnacle of the pinot vintage in Germany.

The Fürst Spätburgunder Franken Schlossberg GG 2023 stuns with its interplay of restrained richness, superfine tannins and incredible vitality, the finish giving a very exciting blast of black cherry and blood orange.

In contrast, the Fürst Spätburgunder Franken Hundsrück GG 2023 is dark, dense and compact with enormous earthy depth. The finish is very cool, powerful and tightly wound. While the Schlossberg GG is already extremely delicious, more patience is recommended here.

It hardly surprised Stuart that the Bernhard Huber winery impressed again in 2023, because they’ve been making some of the greatest pinots in Germany for at least 20 years. Right at the top is the Bernhard Huber Spätburgunder Baden Schlossberg GG 2023, in which floral, savory and mineral elements are majestically intertwined. It has amazing concentration and finesse, with violets caressing your palate at the finish.

The other standouts from the Baden region are radically contrasting wines. The Dr. Heger Spätburgunder Baden Schlossberg GG 2023 has a fantastic fragrance and elegance, but also a very long structured finish. By the way, this wine comes from the Schlossberg site of Achkarren, which has volcanic soil, and the Bernhard Huber wine above comes from another Schlossberg – that of Hecklingen, where the soil is limestone.

Completely different to both these wines, or anything else Stuart has experienced in this region, is the Achim Jähnisch Pinot Noir Baden 2022, the gingerbread spice aromas of which are off the scale. No less unique is the enveloping creaminess and the biscuity texture of the super-fine tannins. This tiny, one-man winery has broken the mold!

The small Ahr region just south of Cologne and Bonn was knocked back badly by the flood catastrophe of July 15, 2021, which killed 134 people and destroyed nearly all the vineyards in the valley floor (10 percent of the entire region).

With the 2023 vintage, the Ahr is finally fully back on track, this time almost exclusively with wines from steep, terraced vineyards.

The most brilliant wine Stuart tasted was the Adeneuer Spätburgunder Ahr Gärkammer GG 2023, which is a masterpiece of pinot noir delicacy with fantastic filigree elegance and slatey freshness at the extremely long velvety finish.

Scroll down for the quartet of contrasting stunning single-vineyard wines from the Meyer-Näkel winery, which is run by sisters Meike and Dorthe Nakel, and the almost as impressive quartet from the Jean Stodden winery.

A Swiss Surprise

We don’t cover Switzerland systematically, because so many of the most interesting wines are barely exported. The Jean-René Germanier winery in the Valais region in the Rhone Valley is an important exception to that rule.

The Jean-René Germanier Syrah Valais Rives Réserve de Cayas 2022 is the most impressive Swiss wine we have tasted so far this year. It is a dead ringer for a high-end Cote Rotie from the French section of the Rhone Valley, with ripe blackberry, baking spice and black pepper aromas plus fabulous textural finesse.

Friuli's Call to Elegance

The vineyards of Isonzo in Friuli Venezia Giulia already had an autumnal look – completely bare, stripped of clusters and leaves – when we walked through them on Sept. 17. The start of that week was difficult for the region, which was struck by a severe storm and violent hail. But producers were ready for the weather.

“Fortunately, thanks to the weather forecast, we expected a storm, though not of that intensity, and managed to finish the harvest over the weekend,” said Gianfranco Gallo, the owner of Vie di Romans.

The last grapes to enter the cellar were merlot, an early ripener that is being rediscovered in Italy’s eastern hillsides. These supple merlots, more leafy than ripe in their aromas, lightly extracted, with silky tannins and a cool-climate acidity that grants surprising longevity, are wines to watch, especially among the region’s most consistent producers.

Still, Friuli is white wine country. Here, istrian malvasia, Gallo explained, is revealed in cooler vintages. It’s evident in 2023, which is slender, incisive, and bursting with energy compared with other expressions of this aromatic family.

Then comes 2024, a truly great vintage. A spring frost reduced yields, and today the wines show unusual concentration. Combined with the region’s trademark mineral freshness, they deliver a strikingly powerful experience. That frost recalls Friuli’s position at the threshold between continental and Mediterranean climates, between plains and hills – a geography you can read from the Abbey of Rosazzo.

The sea’s influence is evident, with cool northeastern breezes and the first crests of ponka – the flaky marl that underpins the vineyards here. Add to that old vines, like the 1981-planted parcel of Terre Alte, and it becomes clear how even in hot years such as 2022 the region retains an elegant calling.

It is from these hills that two workhorse varieties of northeastern Italy – ribolla and pinot grigio – take on an extraordinary character, marked by concentration, refinement and mineral depth.

Among the standouts in Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli’s tastings was the Livio Felluga Rosazzo Abbazia di Rosazzo 2021, a restrained wine full of minerality, stony and focused and full of dried flowers, elderflowers, citrus zest and white chocolate. It’s an outstanding wine of filigreed elegance.

Merlot, of course, is also worthy of serious consideration. The Vie di Romans Merlot Friuli Isonzo Voos dai Ciamps 2021 is an ambitious wine with a spicy nose of coffee powder and graphite, licorice, dark fruits and dark chocolate with leathery and meaty depth. It’s full-bodied and creamy and will age beautifully, but it’s still delicious to drink right now.

The unique Vie di Romans Friuli Isonzo Climat Glesie 2020, meanwhile, is an intense wine capable of beautifully matching the ripe style of the vintage with freshness. On the other hand, the Livio Felluga Friulano Friuli Colli Orientali Terre Alte 2022 is a very mineral wine despite its aromatic complexity and fruit richness. Mirabelle plums and apricots shine through alongside gun flint, tuberose and fresh dough.

Special mention goes to the Livio Felluga Picolit Colli Orientali del Friuli 2019, whch is made with the very first touch of botrytis and shows amazing apricot juice, peach cane, orange marmelade and a bittersweet nose.

Napa's Fresh 2023

It was a big week of tasting in Napa for Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery, who reviewed 188 wines, mainly from the 2023 vintage, which is known for its cooler and fresher style. Fifteeen of the wines rated 95 points or above, with two producers standing out: Di Costanzo and Alta Nova, both younger projects making wine in the more drinkable style that resonates today.

The highest-scoring wine of the week is the Alta Nova Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Diamond Mountain District AG Vineyard 2023, which is in near-perfect balance with no hard edges. It shows dark fruit with floral lift and a mineral edge, while the densely packed palate offers a silky mouthfeel and a persistent finish.

This is a thoughtful, well-made wine that really summarizes the vintage, the AVA and the talent behind it  – Desmond Echavarrie, who brings a fine touch. The more regionally focused Alta Nova Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2023 bottling is also impressive and offers a more approachable introduction to this new label.

Erin and Massimo Di Costanzo continue to produce wines from both Sonoma and Napa that balance structure and freshness with a soft touch. This was especially evident in the Di Costanzo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Coombsville Caldwell Vineyard 2023, which shows aromas of red and black currants, cedar, olive brine and tobacco. The tightly wound, medium-bodied palate has fine-tuned tannins and a fruit-driven, mineral finish. This is a wine with no excess fat, just balance, and the vineyard’s class clearly shines through.

The Di Costanzo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley DI CO 2023, a more regional expression of their label, also impressed, with layers of dark fruit, graphite, black olives, red currants and cedar, plus a saline touch. It finishes cerebral and fresh, a nod to old-school Napa at just 12.8 percent alcohol.

Other producers at the top of the ratings this week also showed poise, freshness and class, representing the new wave of cabernet that Napa needs at a time of generational and market change. See the full list below to explore both classical and emerging producers.

– Stuart Pigott, Aldo Fiordelli and Ryan Montgomery contributed reporting.

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated during the past week by the tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. Some will be included in upcoming tasting reports.

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