Winemaker Notes
Garnet red in the glass with a ruby red rim. The spectrum of aromas ranges from floral and spicy notes such as bourbon vanilla, pine needles, violets, coffee, thyme, juniper, laurel, iodized salt, raw and smoked meat to fine fruit accents with cassis, red currant, sour and black cherry, plum and blackberry. Racy and complex on the palate. Wild, spicy, berry, stimulating juicy acidity, velvety, ripe tannins, tightly woven structure. Full-bodied taste with lots of freshness and great length.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged in used 300- and 500-liter-barrels for 18 months, the unfiltered 2019 Lemberger Lämmler GG opens with pure and refined yet intense and concentrated dark fruit intertwined with notes of fine, young olive oil and some toasty and herbal/garrigue (licorice) notes. Lush and velvety on the plate, this is a medium to full-bodied, intense and concentrated Lemberger with ripe yet palatable tannins and fine bitters on the finish. The wine is concentrated and textured but (still?) doesn't sing. Good finish. 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork.
Red wine from Germany, really? Yes, really. The country’s world class German Rieslings may be its vinous claim to fame, but 40% of wine production is red. The star is Pinot Noir, known as spätburgunder, which is the third most-planted grape in Germany. In the regions of Baden and Ahr, in fact, this varietal is actually number one. German Pinot Noir offers precisely delineated characteristics of juicy red fruit, spice and earthy minerality that stay light but vivid. Look for versions from Weingut Dautel, August Kesseler and Claus Schneider.
Another important German red wine is Blauer Portugieser, used for crisp, light-bodied wines. Dornfelder is also appreciated; it typically expresses a fun, grapey fruitiness that resembles Beaujolais. Smaller but still commercially significant plantings include Trollinger and Pinot Meunier. Even international varieties like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot appear in some of the warmer regions.