Meyer-Nakel Ahr Pinot Noir 2019
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThis basic pinot noir red is brimming with red-fruit aromas, but also notes of red roses and violets. The bright and juicy, medium-bodied palate has some discreet tannins that counterpoint the fruit nicely. Excellent balance. Drink now.
Werner Näkel was chosen wine maker of the year in 2004 in the Gault-Millau. He is a visionary that revolutionized Pinot Noir production the Ahr region. In 2011, Fallstaff, the leading wine publication in Austria, chose Werner Näkel for its highest award: his life’s work in wine! In 2008 Decanter Magazine bestowed on Meyer-Näkel the International trophy for Pinot Noir. Quoting Decanter, “It’s a fantastic achievement for Germany to win this trophy. Imagine it – they have beaten Burgundy, New Zealand and Oregon, all the acknowledged Pinot regions of the world.”
Meyer-Näkel produces 10,000 cases annually and is a member of the VDP and the German Barrique Forum. He also produces wines in South Africa and in the Douro Valley of Portugal.
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.”