Geil Rheinhessen Spatburgunder Trocken 2018
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Grown on loess and limestone, one-third small oak and the rest in Stück. A winsome and stylish Pinot Noir, smoke and blueberries; firm and rather Cru-Beaujolais in profile; tight and cool. Elegant notes of forest berries. Savory spice and soft tannins unfold on the deep, silken palate.
Johannes Geil-Bierschenk, who farms 30 hectares of Riesling and many forgotten varieties in the village of Bechtheim, is an emblem of the new generation in the Rheinhessen committed to lower yields and higher quality. His ancestors were some of the very first to cultivate and bottle wine here; indeed, plantings in Bechtheim were recognized as superior in the region in the early tax maps of 1780. Geil possesses a diversity of grape material while most vineyards in this region are dominated by high yielding müller-thurgau; Johannes’ plantings include riesling, scheurebe, silvaner, kerner, huxelrebe, muskateller, st. laurent, pinot noir, pinot blanc, and rieslaner. Top sites of the estate include Bechtheimer Geyersberg, sheltered terraces of chalky marl with 35 year-old Riesling vines, and the Bechtheimer Rosengarten, a site heavier in clay soils. In the vineyard Johannes utilizes aggressive pruning and green harvesting to reign in his yields, in some cases to as low as 50 hectoliters per hectare. Once the fruit is picked, Johannes believes in immediate pressing to maintain the liveliness of the juice, and favors ambient yeast fermentations, both utilized to preserve what Johannes believes is the most important aspect of a wine – its aroma. Minimal skin contact, cold fermentations in steel and oak, gravity clarification, racking immediately after fermentation, and fine lees contact all contribute to Johannes’ clean and expressive wines. As he says, "Every year we are trying to make one less mistake… or maybe two." Johannes Geil was the Gault Milleau’s 2004 Discovery of the Year Award recipient.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”