Winemaker Notes
A wonderfully polished, rich and sophisticated wine with serious dark energy and density, as well as notes of spice-box, griotte and red pepper roasted over an open flame.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A game-changing pinot noir for this region that almost literally takes your breath away. Stunning, floral aromas and a slew of tannins that are fine-grained and married to great concentration of forest berries and bright acidity that really focuses the finish. Clearly, winemaker Christian Dautel learned at lot while at Comte Lafon in Burgundy and this is also a special (high-altitude) site.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From sandstone soils, the 2018 Spätburgunder Oberstenfeld Forstberg GG offers a deep, spicy, coolish and fresh bouquet with fleshy Pinot and ripe cherry aromas. Silky, finessed and very elegant on the palate, this is a pure, vital, fresh and finessed but also juicy and lively Pinot with fine tannins, ripe acidity and a long, fruity as well as tart and spicy-saline finish. This is still young but a really excellent 2018 from a cooler site.
Rating: 92+
Germany is famous for spellbinding white wines, but a quiet revolution in red has been developing in recent decades. Pinot Noir leads the charge as the most widely planted red variety. Of the 13 German wine regions, five have notable plantings of Pinot Noir, which is locally called Spatburgunder.
Pinot Noir is the primary grape in the Ahr, a tiny region that is one of Germany’s northernmost. The rocky slopes store summer heat, which, together with light reflected off the Ahr Rive, aid in ripening. These German Pinot Noirs can be surprisingly rich and juicy. Baden is another warmer German region where Pinot Noir is number one in plantings. Many fine red examples come from here, as well as rosé versions, locally called Weissherbst. The Pfalz, protected by the Haardt Mountains, is sunny and dry enough to produce ripe Pinot Noir as well. The final two, Rheingau and Rheinhessen, benefit from Burgundian techniques like careful vineyard management and ageing in barrique.
While differences do exist from region to region, German Pinot Noirs typically show off a personality that is light, spicy and vivid. Flavors of cranberry, cherry, baking spice, along with a persistent stony minerality are common. These wines present a greater similarity to Alsatian and Burgundian Pinot Noir than to California examples.