Winemaker Notes
Germany is the world’s third-largest producer of Pinot Noir, after France and the U.S. Villa Wolf captures the German-style perfectly with medium-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe black plums, raspberries, shortbread and a hint of spice. The emphasis is on juicy fruit, not oak.
Drinks like a Beaujolais with true Pinot Noir character, a perfect foil for poultry and pork dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a pretty, delicately framed Pinot that sends out wafts of rose, red plum and freshly dug beetroot. Ripe but restrained black cherry and raspberry lend a zesty, spry feel. It finishes on lingering shades of earth and fine persistent tannins. It is easy drinking but quite elegant.
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.”
This sunny and relatively dry region served for many years as a German tourist mecca and was associated with low cost, cheerful wines. But since the 1980s, it has gained a reputation as one of Germany’s more innovative regions, which has led to increased international demand.