A Shining Moment for German Pinot Noir, and Central Coast’s Eye-Opening Reds: Weekly Tasting Report

336 TASTING NOTES
Thursday, Jan 16, 2025

A view of some of the star wines at the Frenzel tasting of German pinot noirs, or spatburgunders.

Senior Editor Stuart Pigott recently attended two fascinating tastings of German pinot noirs, with the larger of these a blind tasting of top wines from the 2020 and 2022 vintages in Wiesbaden. The tasting was organized by Ralf Frenzel, who publishes the German language wine magazine Fine and is the director of the Krone winery in the Rheingau, a small cult producer of these wines.

Some German critics have made huge claims for the nation's pinots, or spatburgunders, from the 2022 vintage, and this tasting confirmed the consistently high quality of the leading producers. Stuart had tasted a number of these wines before and you can find the original notes for some of those wines below.

One very striking thing at the Frenzel tasting was how many of the 2022s needed considerable aeration before they showed their true class. This strongly suggests that they have strong aging potential, so we recommend patience if you want to be wowed, or to wow others.

Two 2022s that Stuart had not tasted before showed magnificently. The Friedrich Becker Spätburgunder Pfalz Heydenreich GG 2022 is really powerful, but the mineral acidity and very fine tannins make it feel lighter than it really is. The compact finish has great structure and flinty character. The is just the latest stunning wine for a producer Stuart has been following closely for some time.

Left: The Markus Molitor Pinot Noir Mosel Graacher Himmelreich *** 2022 proves the Mosel has come of age with pinot noir. | Right: With the 2022 vintage and wines like the Jean Stodden Spätburgunder Ahr Herrenberg GG 2022, the Ahr is back after the flood catastrophe of July 2021.

The Markus Molitor Pinot Noir Mosel Graacher Himmelreich *** 2022 also has the deep structure necessary for long aging plus great aromatic complexity, think forest berries, dried orange peel, but also smoke, graphite and bitter chocolate. A decade ago a pinot noir of this quality from the Mosel would have been inconceivable.

The Mosel isn’t the only place in Germany where pinot noir is planted on slate soils. Two offerings from the Ahr region that showed extremely well also came from the same geological base, and they needed much less aeration than the wines from deeper and heavier soils before opening up. In fact, the Jean Stodden Spätburgunder Ahr Herrenberg GG 2022 displayed a wonderful finesse and precision from the first moment. No less stunning was the cornucopia of red fruit aromas plus herbal and chocolate notes of the super-elegant and super-silky Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder Ahr Kräuterberg GG 2022.

The narrow, steep-sided Ahr Valley suffered a catastrophic flood in July 2021 that killed 134 people and swept away 10 percent of the region’s vineyards in a single night, so 2022 is a great comeback vintage for the region.

The most amazing wine of the tasting, however, was the awesome Bernhard Huber Spätburgunder Baden Wildenstein GG 2022, which was the first German red ever to receive a perfect 100 rating from us when we first tasted it last August. This is a dream of pinot noir heaven, but it doesn’t imitate Burgundy. The same can be said of the Fürst Spätburgunder Franken Hundsrück GG 2022, with its amazing combination of concentration, precision and finesse.

Paul Furst in The Cord restaurant in Berlin, where the Furst Pinot Noir Vertical Tasting took place

Paul Furst is one of the most important pinot noir pioneers in Germany and the second exciting pinot noir tasting Stuart attended was a vertical of his wines in Berlin. It began with one extraordinary old wine from another producer that proved this corner of the Franken region – the western tip that’s a short drive east of Frankfurt – has a long tradition of red wine production.

The Familie Ramloch Burgunder Franken Eichenbühler Klausrain 1915 was pale in color, but had a silky elegance and was dangerously energetic for a 109-year-old pinot. It had the kind of haunting nose of forest floor that we associate with 50-year-old-plus red Burgundies. Sadly, this vineyard site and wine producer no longer exist. Furst said he was “amazed” to find such a wine, but added that it was only really old wine from Franken he was able to track down for the tasting.

The Fürst Spätburgunder Franken Bürgstadter Centgrafenberg Spätlese Trocken 1990 was not quite as astonishing, but it’s velvety tannins are very rare for German reds of this period. Stuart remembers first tasting this wine back in 1993 when he also saw it as being revolutionary. In retrospect, this was the vintage with which the German pinot pioneers demonstrated the potential for producing exciting red wines from this fickle grape in their regions.

The younger wines Paul Furst showed were all still full of life, and the stunning Fürst Spätburgunder Franken Centgrafenberg R 2005 documented another turning point in the development of German pinot noirs. Stuart remembers this as the vintage when the tannins in the wines from the leading producers became significantly finer. The combination of concentration and filigree was also something new.

The Fürst Spätburgunder Franken Centgrafenberg GG 2007 was the first vintage in which GG (Grosses Gewachs) replaced R (Reserve) on the label and the first vintage made by Paul Furst’s son Sebastian, who previously worked at several top Burgundian domaines. This super-elegant pinot noir has terrific structure and mineral freshness. The inspiration of Burgundy has only become stronger since then, but also the aversion to copying any other wines.

Although the standard of German red wines has improved enormously during the 40-plus years that James and Stuart have been following developments in Germany, there’s a gulf between the very best producers and the rest. Scroll down through the notes to see for yourself.

The Familie Ramloch Burgunder Franken Eichenbühler Klausrain 1915 is dangerously energetic for a 109-year-old pinot.
Vincent Vineyards makes elegant red wines in Santa Barbara County, California, especially their petit verdot and syrah.

EYE-OPENING REDS FROM CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST

A handful of high-scoring gems from California’s Central Coast grabbed the attention of Executive Editor Jim Gordon in his past week’s tastings. One winery in Santa Barbara County, Vincent Vineyards, offered eye-opening red wines in an elegant style, while Hoyt in Paso Robles presented bigger, more lush reds that were nearly as impressive.

Vincent Vineyards is an entirely estate-grown property in the Los Olivos district of Santa Barbara, and they bottle about 2,500 cases total from 15 acres of vines. This inland spot is warmer than the county’s coastal vineyards and can ripen Bordeaux grape varieties as well as some Rhone varieties, but it’s more moderate than the hottest parts of Paso Robles or Napa Valley.

Jim loved the balance, tension and slight restraint in the Vincent 2022 reds, giving his highest scores of the week to two of the most famously tannic French varieties: petit verdot and syrah. Winemaker Zach Perron was new to the property that year but somehow managed the grapes and wines beautifully through a challenging harvest season.

The Vincent Vineyards Petit Verdot Los Olivos District Family Reserve Estate 2022 is finely tuned, powerful but graceful with enough cranberry-like acidity and tannin to really energize the palate. The winery’s Syrah Los Olivos Family Reserve Estate 2022 is also amazing: poised, concentrated and laced with silky tannins.

Vincent’s cabernet franc and malbec are also bright and well-balanced, as were the well-rated cabernet sauvignons and merlots that Jim tasted last autumn. The winery does almost all of its business direct-to-consumer, so these may be tough to find.

Hoyt is the standout Paso Robles winery in this report. Three late-released wines scored 93 and above. The Hoyt Tempranillo Paso Robles Willow Creek District 2018 is richly tannic, supple and inviting, while the Hoyt Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles Willow Creek District 2018 is full-bodied and minty, showing a touch of complexity from bottle age that will only improve with more time. A 2019 red blend is all dark chocolate and creamy cappuccino, with no rough edges.

The label of the Mariner 2021 from Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Vineyard references the avid sailing interest of its founder, David Stare.

Two Bordeaux-style California reds from way up north in Sonoma County also deserve attention. These are made in commercial quantities with wide distribution, too. The Dry Creek Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley The Mariner 2021 is a grand, structured blend worth cellaring that comes from a concentrated, ageworthy year. And Dry Creek’s dependable Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley 2021 is not far behind the Mariner in quality and ageability.

Movia winemaker Lan Movia shows an old bottle of Goriška Brda Veliko Red.
The elegant and taut Simčič Brda Numerals Unico M 2020.

A TOUCH OF ITALY IN BRDA

The Slovenian wine region of Brda is often thought of as cool and continental, with chilly temperatures blowing in from the east and the Adriatic Sea just 15 kilometers away. But what really defines the wine here is something called ponka – a schist-like formation of compressed clay layers that appear rocky but crumble easily, allowing the roots of grape vines to find deep footing. This soil lends resilience to vines in both drought-stricken and cooler years, and in the bottle, ponka’s signature is evident in the vibrant salinity expressed in both whites and reds.

The region is rightly celebrated for its superb chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, sauvignon vert and ribolla, with the latter variety – whether macerated or not – tending to showcase the region’s personality most vividly. Its red wines are also coming on strong.

What dominates among Brda producers is their embrace of mature viticulture, as influenced by Marco Simonit, the renowned pruning guru and consultant who hails from the Collio province in northeastern Italy (straddling Slovenia and Brda) and maintains a wine academy and vineyards in the area. The work done by Simonit in his vineyards clearly factors into the wines made in Brda. One Brda winery that works directly with Simonit, Movia, made the Movia Goriška Brda Veliko White 2021, a blend of ribolla, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot grigio that offers freshness and zest with mint, stony minerality and layered notes of mirabelle plums, pears, and peaches.

Another standout white in Brda is the one of the finest Sauvignon Vert examples: the Opoka Ronc Zegla Cru 2021 from Marjan Simcic, which is bursting with aromas of mint, peach skin, fern, thyme and winter melon. Medium-bodied but vibrant, it finishes almost salty.

Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli (left) tastes the latest offerings of Marjan Simcic (right) in Brda.

On the red side, some of the standout bottles from Brda include Simcic's Numerals Unico M 2020, a Bordeaux blend of cabernet franc (50 percent), cabernet sauvignon, and merlot, produced in limited quantities with super-precise cassis aromas, hints of pepper, spices and smoke, all wrapped in an elegant, taut body.

Movia’s Goriška Brda Veliko Red 2019 is another standout, with a deep cedar nose, balsamic notes and vibrant character. Also worth mentioning are the finely structured Movia Pinot Noir Goriška Brda Modri 2021, the aromatic macerated Ferdinand Ribolla Gialla Goriška Brda Rebula Brutus 2020 – featuring almonds, candied fruit, melon and potpourri, as well as being almost tannic yet balanced.

What Brda needs now is for its producers to fully embrace the depth of their wines and recognize the high quality and strong identity the region has achieved, especially in its white blends. For wine lovers, these bottles should be celebrated as champions of versatility, thanks to their remarkable freshness and, above all, their saline-driven character.

– Stuart Pigott, Jim Gordon and Aldo Fiordelli contributed reporting.

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated during the past week by James Suckling and the other 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.

Note: You can sort the wines below by country, vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.

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