Germany: 2016 Grosse Gewächse, Top Dry Whites and 2015 Reds

Transcription

1 Germany: 2016 Grosse Gewächse, Top Dry Whites and 2015 Reds 2016 is superb year for dry whites. A hot summer and a cool, dry autumn resulted in wines that are ripe and very elegant, with lovely zing and excellent balance. They are forward and attractive, an excellent counterfoil to the powerful 2016s, and they have excellent potential for ageing was a great year for red wines. They are rich, ripe and full-bodied, much like their counterparts in the rest of Europe, and will age very well. Both red and white wines continue to offer excellent value. Prices are in bond London. Unless otherwise marked, wines are packed: 6-Bottle Cases (750ml) 12-Bottle Cases (375ml) 3-Bottle Cases (1500ml) Wines are offered by the case only. The prices of this offer are valid until 10 th October 2017

2 Contents *Bernhart Schweigen-Rechtenbach (Pfalz).2 *Dengler-Seyler Maikammer (Pfalz).3 Hermann Dönnhoff Oberhausen (Nahe).4 Fritz Haag Brauneberg (Mosel).5 Julian Haart Piesport (Mosel).6 Reinhold Haart Piesport (Mosel).7 Jülg Schweigen-Rechtenbach (Pfalz).8 Keller Flörsheim-Dalsheim (Rheinhessen).9-10 *Knewitz Appenheim (Rheinhessen).10 Holger Koch Bickensohl/Kaiserstuhl (Baden).11 *Kühling-Gillot Bodenheim (Rheinhessen).12 Peter Lauer Ayl (Saar).13 Schloss Lieser Lieser (Mosel).14 *Rudolf May Retzstadt (Franken).15 Georg Mosbacher Forst (Pfalz).16 *Raumland Flörsheim-Dalsheim (Rheinhessen).17 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenau (Nahe).18 von Schubert Mertesdorf (Ruwer).19 Shelter Kenzingen/Kaiserstuhl (Baden).20 Robert Weil Kiedrich (Rheingau).21 Weiser-Künstler Traben-Trarbach (Mosel).21 *Wittmann Westhofen (Rheinhessen).22 Ziereisen Efringen-Kirchen (Baden).23 * New in

3 Bernhart Schweigen-Rechtenbach (Pfalz) Like his colleague Johannes Jülg, Gerd Bernhart s best vineyards are across the border in Alsace over eleven hectares of his total seventeen. As a result, he cannot declare some of his best wines as GG, since that designation can only be applied to vineyards in Germany. He specialises in Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, and also makes a fine Chardonnay. Pinot Noir S [33 16] 2014 Silky bright red-cherry fruit leads here, but there is a balancing tannin and a ripe acidity in this deceptively dense package, culminating in a long rich finish. Drink Pinot Noir R [32 15] 2013 From vines in the Wormberg, planted in Rich and concentrated, with wood that is only just beginning to integrate, but dominated by ripe pure red fruits and a complex smoky finish. Will reward cellaring. Drink

4 Dengler-Seyler Maikammer (Pfalz) Matthias Seyler had a background in business, but he married the girl next door, who happened to own a wine estate, so he retrained and now they run it together. Maikammer is one of the principal winegrowing villages in the Southern Pfalz, with a history of viticulture going back to Roman times. The estate comprises fifteen hectares, and a wide variety of soils allows many different varietals to be grown there successfully. Its main site is the Heiligenberg; both wines below come from individually named plots within it. Im Obern Weinspar [20 17] 2016 From fifty-year-old vines in limestone-gravel soil. It is warm, rich and ripe, with clear, sweet yellow fruit and excellent density and elegance; it finishes on a pure mineral note. Very appealing. Drink Am Heiligen Berg [18 17] 2016 From heavier soils with more clay in the limestone-gravel mix. This is opulent, smooth and powerful, but a considerable whack of acidity keeps it beautifully balanced. The finish is elegant and long, with a hint of mineral depth, which will become more apparent with age. Drink

5 Hermann Dönnhoff Oberhausen (Nahe) A very successful range of dry wines was produced by the estate this year. The grapes were very healthy, and little botrytis had to be cut out before the main harvest. Dellchen GG [25 17] 2016 Helmut Dönnhoff describes this as his Amoureuses, and you can see what he means: there is finesse to the lively yellow fruit, a lovely clear minerality, some spice and a vibrant energy that lifts the wine to delicate, ethereal heights. Quite lovely. Drink Hermannshöhle GG [26 17] 2016 And now to his Musigny: the same vibrant yellow fruit, but with much more power and depth, there is quite simply more wine. It does not sacrifice any elegance for power, however, and remains juicy, fine and very smooth, sustained by a smoky dark minerality that emerges strongly on the finish. Drink Drink Magnums

6 Fritz Haag Brauneberg (Mosel) As Oliver Haag matures, he increasingly succeeds in drawing out the elegance from his vineyards in the Brauneberg. His dry wines are very polished, and it is hard to remember them being more appealing than they are this year. They continue to be excellent value. Juffer GG [24 17] 2016 A juicy waxy creamy citrus nose is followed by deliciously fruity, fine and vibrant flavours in the mouth. This is delightfully forward and lovely. Drink Drink Halves 90 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr GG [08 17] 2016 Made from grapes in the heart of the vineyard, clustered around the sundial, where the microclimate is warmer and the vines much older. There is more of everything here: depth and intensity, ripe peach fruit tinged with vibrant lime acidity, and pure pithy minerality. There is an easy elegance, a lightness of touch and a vanishing finesse that makes this especially appealing. Drink

7 Julian Haart Piesport (Mosel) Julian Haart now farms four hectares of vines, mostly in Piesport, but with just over a hectare in neighbouring Wintrich. He learned his craft with stints at Egon Müller, Emrich-Schönleber and finally Klaus-Peter Keller, with whom he remains very close. Like all great winemakers, he is thoughtful and considered, and each year adapts his approach to bring out the best of what his vineyards yield. Once again, he has produced a pure set of wines that burst with energy, and it is well worth considering his whole range, not just the two below. He has also made a few hundred litres of dry Schubertslay, which will be released next year. Piesporter Goldtröpchen [07 17] 2016 From 110-year-old vines adjacent to the Schubertslay vineyard. The blue slate gives an appealing creamy quality to the ripe yellow fruit, and there is lovely roundness and length. It is, however, very tight, and will need time to reveal its true glory. Drink Wintricher Ohligsberg [08 17] 2016 Not tasted. Made in tiny quantity

8 Reinhold Haart Piesport (Mosel) With his father looking after the vineyards, Johannes Haart can devote all his attention to meticulous work in the cellar. Between them, they produce wines that are completely true to their terroirs. These are rich, long-lived wines with plenty of fruit and structure. Goldtröpchen GG [20 17] 2016 Weathered slate and deep soils give a rich ripe wine with sweet tropical fruit and a hint of cassis, an elegant mineral structure and a long smooth finish. Drink Ohligsberg GG [40 17] 2016 Lean floral fruit on the nose is joined on the palate by juicy citrus and yellow peach notes, and a vibrant salty minerality on a long finish. This will be accessible earlier that the Goldtröpchen, but will still benefit from some years in bottle. Drink

9 Jülg Schweigen-Rechtenbach (Pfalz) Weingut Jülg is a stone s throw from the French border, and some of its best vineyards are actually in Alsace. A further French connection is the young winemaker Johanness Jülg s spell under Thierry Brouin at Domaine des Lambrays, which taught him to focus on complexity and elegance, rather than on obvious primary fruit. He also spent a couple of years working at Weingut Keller in Rheinhessen. Since taking over the estate from his father in 2012, he has radically changed its style, making superb Pinot Noir, and has embarked on an ambitious replanting program. Spätburgunder [33 17] 2015 Densely coloured and aromatic, there are lovely cherry and darker fruit flavours that linger on a fine smooth finish. A lot of wine for the price. Drink Spätburgunder R [30 17] 2015 From 25-year-old vines in Wormberg vineyard, across the border in France. A fleshy wine this year, with intense dark fruit and fine gentle tannins, balanced by a gentle vein of ripe acidity. Drink Pinot Noir [32 17] 2015 We are back up to 100% new wood after a reduction last year, but the dark dense fruit easily absorbs it. This is fresh, seductive and fine, with silky tannins and a very long smooth mineral-driven finish. It will reward cellaring. Drink

10 Keller Flörsheim-Dalsheim (Rheinhessen) Another great year for Klaus-Peter Keller. The bad news is that there is less wine than ever: it feels almost like Burgundy. The wines are quite delicious: poised, vibrant and very accessible. Unfortunately we were not able to taste the reds. A Pettenthal GG will be offered at auction in mid-september. Kirchspiel GG 2016 Vibrant perfumed and chalky, this is intense and fine, with a long juicy finish. Drink Drink Magnums Each 76 Hubacker GG 2016 A vineyard owned by the Keller family since Very fine indeed, this shows darker richer rounder fruit, and a long powerful finish. Drink Drink Magnums Each 82 Abts. E. GG 2016 Small thick-skinned berries give juicy red fruit with fresh herbal notes and a smoky spicy note. The fine minerality is very present, and there is ripe juicy acidity and a pure seamless finish. Drink Shipment Spring/Summer 2018 POA Drink Magnums Each POA Grand Cru Case: The Kellerkiste 2016 Very special: a twelve-bottle GG case containing two bottles each of G-Max, Morstein GG, Abts. E GG, Kirchspiel GG, Hubacker GG and Hipping Grosse Lage (the last has a little residual sugar and is thus not declared as GG). Limited quantities. Wooden case. Shipment Spring/Summer bottle case POA 9

11 Keller (contd.) Spätburgunder S 2015 Not tasted. 120 Bürgel Spätburgunder GG [] 2015 Not tasted. 210 Frauenberg Spätburgunder GG [] 2015 Not tasted. 300 Knewitz Appenheim (Rheinhessen) Rheinhessen is a land of rolling hills, so the long, very even slope facing due south seems out of the ordinary. Which it is: forty million years ago it was a coral reef in a prehistoric sea. It is almost pure limestone, and this makes the Knewitz wines particularly rich and taut. Tobias Knewitz took over the estate from his father in 2009, and together with his brother produces superbly crafted Rieslings, and excellent Chardonnays. They release their top wines gradually. For now, only the Goldberg is available, to be followed next year by Steinacker and Hundertgulden. Goldberg [14 17] 2016 From a warmer site, with a slightly higher clay content. There is pure yellow fruit, notes of fresh herbs and a lovely intensity running through to a persistent finish. Drink

12 Holger Koch Bickensohl/Kaiserstuhl (Baden) Baden, and in particular the pretty range of hills known as the Kaiserstuhl ( emperor s chair ), is the traditional seat of German Pinot Noir production. Holger Koch s small 8-hectare estate lies at its heart. He took over from his parents in 1999, and immediately replanted with small-berried French clones from Alsace and Burgundy. He makes Pinot Blanc, Gris and Noir, and has a particular passion for the latter. All his wines are finely structured and aromatic, and they age extremely well. Like his colleagues at Shelter, he harvested early in 2015 to preserve freshness. Pinot Noir Herrenstück [13 16] 2015 Fresh vibrant raspberry fruit with fine tannins and a smooth long finish that displays a hint of smoky minerality. Drink Pinot Noir* [14 16] 2015 Rich and spicy, with cherry and raspberry fruit, this has good energy, an appealing density and a smooth long finish. Drink Pinot Noir*** [18 16] 2015 From the estate s best site, the Halbuck, a terraced vineyard with poor loess soils on volcanic rock, where grapes ripen more slowly than in its other vineyards. There is 50% of new oak here, easily handled by the dense ripe fruit. 10% whole-bunch fermentation gives a little lift to the lively, meltingly fine strawberry flavours, and there are fine silky tannins and a vibrant minerality running through to a very long finish. Drink Drink Magnums 162 Pinot Noir Reserve [LOS1] 2015 The top selection from the Halbuck vineyard. 300 bottles made. 30% whole-bunch fermentation and 100% new wood give a vibrant dense wine with a big tannic structure, lively red fruits and great density. The finish is smooth and long. Drink

13 Kühling-Gillot Bodenheim (Rheinhessen) If Prüm made wines in Rheinhessen, this is what they would be like: beautifully pure, restrained, and with the promise of a long life. They are made by Oliver Spanier, who has his own estate in southern Rheinhessen, but makes the wines of both since his marriage to Carolin Gillot. Hipping GG [36 17] 2016 A typically reductive Prüm nose from uncompromising spontaneous fermentation but underneath, the wine is a stunner. The vineyard is one of the most famous in Nierstein, and it lends characteristic weight, but this has an energy that keeps all its elements taut and clear. There is an abundance of zingy pure stonefruit, minerals and a breathtaking elegance on the long finish. Drink

14 Peter Lauer Ayl (Saar) In a few short years Florian Lauer has propelled his estate to the top rank of German wine producers. Both his dry and sweet wines are pure, balanced and true to their origins. Saarfeilser Fass 13 GG [13 17] 2016 The most forward of Lauer GGs: warm rich and very ripe soft yellow fruit balanced by a firm backbone of brisk acidity leading to a smooth sweet-sour finish. Drink Schonfels Fass 11 GG [11 17] 2016 A very smooth, elegant and accessible wine of great purity and finesse. The fruit is ripe and there is a delicate mineral vein with bright citrus acidity. A long complex finish combines clear notes of peach, slightly bitter and salty minerals and a lovely piquant acidity. Drink Kupp Fass 18 GG [18 17] 2016 More for the long haul: there is a steely note evident here that shuts down the fruit, which will only resolve with a little time. The potential is great: this is a dense, complex wine of great elegance, with bright juicy fruit, brooding smoky minerality and a juicy, pithy, salty finish. Drink

15 Schloss Lieser Lieser (Mosel) Not content with making five GGs last year, Thomas Haag made seven in It takes forty minutes to drive from Piesport to Lieser, double that time on a tractor: on that stretch he has 160 different vineyard plots to manage. It takes exceptional organisation to manage all these some clichés about Germans must have a grain of truth and he has managed to produce a superlative array of wines that perfectly reflect their terroirs. Quantities available are so small that in some cases the wines are available only in a mixed case. Schloss Lieser GG Case bottles each of: Himmelreich, Niederberg Helden, Juffer- Sonnenuhr, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Goldtröpchen and Doktor. A unique opportunity to sample some of the Mosel s finest terroirs as channelled by one of its best winemakers. 350 Himmelreich GG [22 17] 2016 Delicious, floral and vibrant, with spice and pithy citrus flavours, finishing on a long juicy note. Drink Juffer GG [21 17] 2016 Perfumed and floral, this is warm, but lean and racy on the palate, with a fresh, elegant minerality that runs through the juicy finish. Drink Helden GG [23 17] 2016 Lots of stony aromas mingle with cool pear and grapefruit in this powerful, dense wine that is at no point heavy, but has a beautifully lean, bright middle and a long juicy elegant finish. Drink

16 Rudolf May Retzstadt (Franken) Rudolf May founded his estate in 1998 with two hectares, and through hard work and emphasis on quality has grown it to fourteen. His focus has always been on Silvaner, and his poor, fossil-rich soils allow him to make very fine, pure, mineral-driven wines. He is one of few growers to demonstrate that this often overlooked varietal can produce distinctive wines that have ageing potential, with the result that he produces the finest Silvaners in Germany. He believes in minimal intervention, hence his recent conversion to organic viticulture. Himmselspfad Silvaner GG [16 17] 2016 From the warmest part of the Langenberg vineyard, which is composed primarily of fossil-rich fine limestone. The soil is poor, and keeps yields low, and the vines are the estate s oldest, at fiftyfive. There is rich pithy citrus fruit, lots of power and a long elegant finish. Drink Rothlauf Silvaner GG [18 17] 2016 From the best parcel of a cooler vineyard in neighbouring Thüngersheim, the Johannisberg, which features the same fossilrich limestone, but here mixed with multicoloured sandstone. Aged in equal parts in steel, concrete egg and wood, this is elegant, perfumed and fine, with a delicate mineral structure and real length. Quite a revelation. Drink

17 Georg Mosbacher Forst (Pfalz) Sabine Mosbacher and Jurgen Duringer are among the top producers in the Pfalz, making a range of understated, supple wines. Their vineyard holding comprise some of the best in the region, including a tiny parcel of the fabled Jesuitengarten. Their secret is to do less, so all their energies are devoted to the vineyards, with winemaking almost an afterthought. The wines are pure, elegant and perfectly harmonious across the range, and they age beautifully, coming into their own after five years or so, and easily lasting twenty-five was not an easy year. Frost and poor flowering reduced yields by 30%, and the weather swung between cold and wet in the early part of the season and hot and dry at the end. It was very hard work, but the grapes were harvested in perfect condition. The wines are not as powerful as in 2015, with lower alcohol and a lot more accessible charm. Ungeheuer GG [43 17] 2016 Very refined, smooth and exceptionally long, this exudes a cool elegant charm and will develop beautifully. Drink Jesuitengarten GG [44 17] 2016 A powerful wine with lots of aromatic fruit, pure mineral flavours and amazing finesse. Drink

18 Raumland Flörsheim-Dalsheim (Rheinhessen) Volker Raumland makes Germany s best sparklers. Although his family has a wine estate in the Pfalz, he studied business, only then following this up with a degree at the wine school in Geisenheim. Whilst there, he realised that many of his fellow students wanted to make proper sparkling wine at their estates, but lacked know-how. So he developed the idea of a mobile sparkling wine production company, which was very successful, but soon moved to making wines from his own vineyards. Since 1990, he has lived in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, farming ten hectares which include vineyards from his family estate in the Pfalz. He has carefully selected appropriate terroirs and farms them organically: Harvesting is done by hand, and the musts handled with enormous care. Over the years he has amassed a considerable quantity of base wines for his blends, and often matures wines for many years before release. His top wines are garlanded with international prizes, and his wines lower down the range are of extraordinary quality. Rose Prestige Brut 100% Pinot Noir gives lively floral fruit, gentle bubbles, an elegant middle and a smooth long finish. Drink Pinot Blanc de Noir Brut Mostly from the 2010 base wine with zero dosage, this is zingy, rounded and elegant, showing citrus and red fruits with some weight in mid-palate and a smooth finish. Drink Pinot Noir Brut 2004 Not tasted. 300 Blanc et Noir Brut Nature 2005 Not tasted. 300 Chardonnay Brut 2007 Vibrant, creamy and round, this displays the limestone chalkiness of a fine Chardonnay, with ripe fruit, good weight and a persistent finish. Drink Montrose Brut Nature 2007 Zero dosage for the uncompromising. Not tasted

19 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenau (Nahe) Tim Fröhlich is unquestionably producing the finest dry wines in the Nahe, if not in Germany was not easy, but in the end he managed a superb array. The vines suffered the hardest frost since 1953, and were subjected to cold, wet weather from the March to July. However, they blossomed through a lovely summer, and the grapes were harvested under perfect conditions. For the team, the poor weather and resulting disease pressure meant double the usual amount of work at the beginning, but a very relaxed harvest spread over eight weeks. Some of the GGs were picked later than usual, and are finer as a result. Tim Fröhlich reports that this is his finest vintage to date. The wines are balanced, pure and a little drier than usual, similar to the 2015s, but with less power and more finesse. Felsenberg GG [19 17] 2016 Harvested a little earlier than usual, as rain in August caused strong vegetative growth that pushed the ripeness forward. There is both power and elegance here, with yellow stone fruit, ripe grapefruit and smoky flinty minerals. Drink Halenberg GG [22 17] 2016 Blue slate with quartz gives dark cool mineral tones, with yellow stone-fruit and a blueberry note. This is powerful, elegant and smooth, with a long very dry smoky finish. Drink Stromberg GG [23 17] 2016 The estate has doubled its holdings here to six hectares, so notwithstanding extreme demand, there is a little more available. Rocky volcanic soils give a rich elegant linear wine with a touch of austerity, alongside herbal fruit and a powerful, smoky stony minerality. It is quite delicious. Drink Felseneck GG [24 17] 2016 Tight, powerful and very elegant, this starts on a steely slate note, followed by spice and more slate. Only then does it broaden a little and allow some yellow fruit to emerge and drive to a fine, smoky finish. This is a superbly crafted pure wine that will give pleasure for thirty years and more. Drink Drink Magnums

20 C. von Schubert Mertesdorf (Ruwer) A very lovely vintage at this famous estate. The approachable style of 2016 particularly suits the fine, delicate minerality and elegant fruit of two of the finest terroirs in the region, the Abstberg and the Herrenberg. The Pinot, too, continues to make great strides. Winemaker Stefan Kraml is learning how best to bring out the terroir of the Abstberg via a red grape, and as the wines age they are becoming more complex. Herrenberg GG [09 17] 2016 A delightfully cool, lean wine with inviting fresh herb and gooseberry flavours clearly delineated by vibrant citrus notes. The fine minerality gives the wine beautiful tension, and the finish is pure and long. Drink Abtsberg GG [08 17] 2016 A bigger wine than the Herrenberg, carrying a greater density of juicy ripe fruit with fresh peach notes. There is lovely clarity and elegance, and appealingly fine mineral flavours that linger on the extended finish. Drink Drink Magnums 138 Pinot Noir [22 17] 2015 There is considerable depth of fruit here: fine fresh red-berry tones are joined by smoky herbal notes, and there is a gently bitter mineral flourish on the juicy finish. Drink Drink Magnums

21 Shelter Kenzingen/Kaiserstuhl (Baden) Hans-Bert Espe and Silke Wolf are two Northerners who met while studying winemaking at Geisenheim and decided to found their own estate in They made their first wines in a bunker on an abandoned Canadian airfield (hence the name), and have since built themselves a winery based on the same design. They have vineyards with old vines in Kenzingen and Malterdingen, and produce some of the best wines of the region. The 2015s are ripe, powerful and long. Spätburgunder [02 17] 2015 Harvested early to preserve freshness after the hot summer. This is spicy, fresh and dense, with an abundance of strawberry fruit and a long finish. Drink Pinot Noir [03 17] 2015 Made from small-berried Dijon clones around forty years old. There is round rich ripe red fruit at the strawberry end of the spectrum, mineral flavours, and a big hit of fine tannin that promises a long life. Drink

22 Robert Weil Kiedrich (Rheingau) Extraordinarily consistent wines as ever from Rheingau s most famous estate. Gräfenberg GG [47 16] 2016 An exceptionally fine and gentle wine. There is pure generous pithy fruit, and softness in the middle which is then brought back into line by a salty mineral kick. Drink Weiser-Künstler Traben-Trarbach (Mosel) Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler make superb hand-crafted wines from their tiny four-hectare estate. They are not interested in a forward, fruity style: during fermentation they expose the must to oxygen to emphasise the minerality of the soils. Their wines are dense, fine and very individual. Gaispfad Gaispfad goat s path is an impossibly steep vineyard between Traben-Trarbach and Enkirch, featuring stony slate soil rich in iron oxide. The wine is dense, rich and mineral, with elegant stone fruit and a long, smooth finish. Drink

23 Wittmann Westhofen (Rheinhessen) We are thrilled to take on the wines of Philip Wittmann for the first time. His estate in Westhofen, the heart of southern Rheinhessen, is surrounded by some of the region s best vineyards. The Wittmans are not exactly newcomers to the area, having made wine here since This has given them a sense of responsibility for the soils in their vineyards: they were pioneers in adopting organic methods in 1990, and converted to biodynamism in Philip Wittmann reports that his wines now have more character and depth. The estate makes wine from a number of varieties, but predominantly Riesling. Most holdings are in Westhofen but, like their colleague Klaus-Peter Keller, they also have vineyards in Nierstein. Top of the pyramid, however, are the four Westhofen GG vineyards: Aulerde, Kirchspiel, Brunnenhäuschen and Morstein. We are pleased to be able to offer all four this year. Aulerde GG [16 17] 2016 The warmest site in the estate s portfolio gives a charming wine with perfumed fresh yellow peach flavours and an appealing lightness. h. Drink Kirchspiel GG [17 17] 2016 The wine from this east-facing vineyard has cool spicy notes and a very present salty minerality. It is clean and balanced, and has a long fine finish. Drink Brunnenhäuschen GG [18 17] 2016 A south-facing vineyard, but a west wind prevents the grapes from ripening too quickly, and it is harvested after the Kirchspiel. There is a smooth, creamy quality here, and real finesse depth, and length. Drink Morstein GG [19 17] 2016 The coolest vineyard in the line-up, with clay soil on a rocky base gives an intensely focussed rich silky wine that is fresh and elegant and there is a very fine persistent salty mineral finish. It will need time to show its best. Drink

24 Ziereisen Efringen-Kirchen (Baden) Hanspeter Ziereisen is quick-thinking and exhaustingly energetic, and his wines get better every year. After a love affair with new oak early this century, he has tempered its use so that it subtly supports, rather than dominating the wines. Based close to the Swiss and French borders just north of Basel, he makes a selection of Pinot Noirs (and a host of other varietals) that offer both purity and value. His vineyards are on a south-facing slope overlooking Basel, the vines grow at an altitude between 250 and 400 metres, and there is a constant breeze, allowing slower ripening. He does not chaptalize, and uses 10% new wood across the range. The musts are handled very gently, with no punching down and little extraction. The wines are breathtakingly pure and long-lived. Tschuppen Spätburgunder 2014 There is fresh bright vibrant cherry fruit, a hint of smoke and lots of energy. Drink Schulen Spätburgunder 2014 A beautifully pure wine: cool cherry is joined on the palate by spice and smoky notes, and there is a fresh, fruity finish. Drink Rhini Spätburgunder 2014 As we move up the scale there is a richness to the strawberry fruit, a greater density on the palate. The acidity is bright, and ripe firm tannins balance the abundant strawberry fruit; the finish has a touch of dark minerality. Drink Jaspis Pinot Noir 2014 There is a delightful crunchy quality to the dense, ripe red fruits tinged with blackcurrant; on the palate the tannins are silky and fine, and the finish deep, rich and long. Drink Jaspis Spätburgunder Alte Reben 2012 Up there with the best Pinot Noirs in Germany. Complex, spicy and warm, in this youthful stage the fruit is dominated by crushed strawberry with smoky notes. There is energy, balance and depth along with great finesse and a long smooth mineral-tinged finish. Drink

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