Hi i’m konstantin baum master of wine And i’ve received many requests for German pinot noir tasting so i put Together a great german pinot noir Tasting this is my selection of some of The best spade bugunder germany has to Offer so we’re going to have ourselves a Little pinot party today see you spitter That was weird Let’s go [Music] Speedburgunder german for pinot noir has A long history in germany but for Centuries it was more of a niche product By the way we say speed burgunder and Speed rhymes with and means late Referring to the fact that it is a late Ripening grape variety its existence was First documented in the 14th century in The southwest of germany in baden but in The 1960s for example there were still Less than 2 000 hectares of pinot noir Planted all over germany only in the 1980s and 1990s more producers focused On quality as the temperatures were Rising more information on pinot noir Wine making becoming available and more People being prepared to pay more for Good pinot noir it started to gain Ground while some entry-level pinots are Still pretty simple and some premium Pinots are still over extracted and over Oak the overall trend is towards more Elegant and more balanced wines spikuna
Today is the most widely planted red Grape variety in germany by far with 11 660 hectares of vineyards planted and it Has increased significantly over the Years also the prices for premium Schmidt were going to have increased Quite a bit they are still cheap Compared to burgundy but they are more And more selling above the 100 euro mark What many people forget is that germany Is the third biggest producer of pinot Noir in the world behind france and the Us but ahead of countries like new Zealand and chile for example but now Let’s get into my selection last summer I attended a tasting of the vdp the Ferban deutscher predicatz language that Represents most of the best estates in Germany and i tasted my way through Hundreds of their gross vex or grand cru Wines i made a video about the best Rieslings from that tasting but i also Selected my favorite pinot noirs instead Of just focusing on the most recent Vintages i included some mature wines to Show you how german pinot noir ages i Will go through the wines from the north To the south through germany’s main Pinot noir growing regions and i will Talk about the vineyards the vintages And wine styles so Let’s open them i’m starting off in the R region with the 2019 maya nickel Quarterback speed burgunder this retails
For 90 us dollars and it’s a wine that i Know fairly well so i’m quite looking Forward to tasting it again this by the Way is one of the most crazy tastings That i’ve done so far on this channel And i’m getting really thirsty banana Took over the winery in 1982 without any Formal training as a wine maker and Turned it into one of the best producers In the region the quarterback is a steep Slope and the soils consist of grava Sandy loam and slate the name probably Comes from roman times where not only Vines but also herbs quarter in german Were cultivated on this side 2019 was a Very hot year in the iron there were Lots of vineyards that suffered from Sunburn the vintage report reads that it Is the year that will be remembered as The year of extreme events and i don’t Think that’s the case because 2021 takes That price that was the year of the Extreme floods in the region also the Maya nickel winery was damaged due to The floods and lots of wineries were Destroyed so if you want to support the Region i think the best way to do that Is to buy more our wine great r wines Combine this exotic intense fruit flavor With great balance and great freshness For me this wine does exactly that it Smells of black cherries blackberries It’s quite intense flavor wise there are Also spice notes coming from the oak
Influence of the wine but on the palette It’s quite structured there’s lots of Freshness lots of vibrancy this is still A very young wine and the freshness and Vibrancy of it will carry it for much Longer time for me this is a beautiful Wine robert parker rated it 95 points And i would rate this 94 points it’s Just Delicious the next one is the only pinot Noir in the tasting that comes in the Schlegel bottle and it’s the 2018 august Kessler asthma zoisa hernberg that Retails for 170 Dollars august kessler really focuses on Pinot noir and riesling from the Azterland and grossland he took over the Winery when he was 19 and now owns more Than 32 hectares in the rheingau the Aspen swissair herrenbeck is probably The most important historic site for Pinot noir in germany as it was first Mentioned in the 12th century The rhinego is more focused on white Wine riesling but this area is really Dominated by pinot noir the side is a Very steep slope and the soils are made Up of quartzite and phylite and the Steepness of the slope really exposes The vines to a lot of sunshine this wine Is from 80 year old vines and it’s aged In new oak and second used oak the 2018 Vintage was one of the hottest and Driest ever in the rheingau there was
Almost no rainfall during summer and the Harvest started four weeks earlier than Normal the wines were quite concentrated And rich but also beautifully balanced If they were picked at the right time This one shows so much fruit it’s quite Ripe and intense the oak is really well Integrated in the fruit so it’s mainly Cherry flavors coming through and not so Much the chocolaty oak flavors on the Pellet it’s really round and rich it’s Rounder and richer than the wine from The r from my nickel so it’s really soft And velvety the softness doesn’t come From sugar this is bone dry but also From the alcohol this has 14 of alcohol Which is becoming more and more common In german pinot noirs and this gives it This velvety texture this is delicious a Very generous pinot noir this was rated 94 points by robert parker and i would Also give it 94 points it’s just Beautiful next up is from one of Germany’s few cult wineries the 2019 Keller westhof nammstein spielberg Felix from the ryan hessen region if you Can find this bottle anywhere you pay Around 800 us dollars for it this one is A special selection dedicated to the son Of the owners it comes from 74 year old Vines from the la borne parcel at 230 Meters altitude they have very low Yields producing only 500 liters from This tiny parcel the soil is blue clay
On limestone and they do virtually no De-leafing at all in the vineyard in Order to shade the grapes as much as Possible to allow them to ripen very Slowly they harvest by hand and de-stem By hand only removing the core stem Leaving those little pieces attached to The berries intact and then they punch Down by foot and as you can see they do A lot a lot of work with lots of Attention to detail and that’s probably Why the wines are so great and so highly Desirable if my math is correct then This is one of 666 bottles so i better not mess this Up Okay this is a very special one it’s Super delicate color wise it’s lighter Than the previous wines but the aromatic Complexity the intensity is enormous There’s so much going on in the glass There’s quite a lot of fresh fruit Flavor so you have strawberries and Raspberries but there’s also this black Tea and spice note that also comes from The stems i believe on the palette this Is at the same time juicy but also fresh And structured to me this represents a Step up from the previous wines that Were already great but this for me is Just much more than that it’s special i Rate this 98 points it’s an absolutely Amazing pinot the next one is the Butterfield spaniard kitchen stuck from
Ryan hessen buttenfeld spaniard was Founded by ho that’s what people call Him in 1991 they are certified organic And they also use biodynamic methods he Is married to caroline from cooling Gillot another great winery in the Region the kitchen vignette was first Mentioned in the 13th century and it was Used by the church the subsoil is Limestone the vines are pretty old and The exposition is south to south west But veg bania don’t add any chemicals to The wine apart from sulfites they Ferment spontaneously and they age the Wines in two-year-old french berries the Wine is also quite light in color it’s Not as dark as some of the previous Wines it’s still very young and hasn’t Quite come together it smells of Blackberries there’s a little bit of Raspberry flavor coming through as well There’s quite a lot of pepperiness Spiciness the oak is still quite present There on the palette it’s fresh and Vibrant it’s quite long and not Overpowering the alcohol is actually Fairly low at 12.5 percent this is still A very young wine and at this point i Would rate this 92 points it’s beautiful But it hasn’t quite come together yet The next one is the 2012 fridge becca Hayden rice pinot noir from the false And no i haven’t grown by a few meters This is half a bottle they started
Bottling their own wines in the 1970s Before that they were selling the grapes To a cooperative and they have really Established themselves as one of the top Producers when it comes to burgundian Grape varieties the heinrich vineyard is A monopole vineyard of the winery and This is quite special because it’s Actually in france in the others region But they’re picking the grapes taking Them over the border and bringing them Home to the winery where they’re allowed To make german wine out of those french Grapes this is just a quirk in the wine Lore the vineyards used to belong to Germany and after the second world war They became part of france and Then the winemakers from that area were Allowed to still make german wine out of Those vineyards that historically were Part of germany got it the soil here is Clay and limestone which is pretty Typical for pinot noir they de-stem the Grapes and they ferment them in open Fooders and wooden foods and macerate Them for three weeks and then the wine Is aged in french berries and german Bariks for 18 months they also do Something that is pretty typical for top Pinot noir they don’t filter Filtration can remove the cloudiness of A wine but it also removes some of the Flavor so many producers say well never Mind if it’s a little bit cloudy i want
All of the flavor in the glass 2012 in The falls was a colder year so you can Feel that the texture the tannins are Just a little bit more chewy than they Would be in the warmer season but this Is now drinking beautifully i mean it’s 10 years old it’s opening up more and More this shows at the same time the Concentration and richness of the falls But also a little bit of a tannic nerf Coming from a cooler vintage i think This is a delicious wine i would rate This 94 points Good stuff the next one is also from the Farts and it’s the 2014 knipsa kirsch Garden that retails for 200 us dollars This is a winery really founded by Pioneers georg heinrich knipsa was the First in his village to bottle his own Wine instead of selling it in bulk in 1949 and verna and vodka knipsa were Amongst the first to really focus on red Wine in germany and they were the first To win the german red wine prize in the 1980s this vineyard was first mentioned In 1654 and it’s less lone soil on Limestone again even though this one is Eight years old it doesn’t show any Signs of slowing down it’s still very Much there the color is still quite red There’s a slight brick red tone coming Through as well but it doesn’t look old And it doesn’t smell and taste old at All in the nose there’s aroma of
Cherries strawberries and raspberries Coming through coupled with chocolate And a little bit of spice notes there’s Again a little peppery note there It’s quite yeah quite beautiful there’s A lot going on in this big glass on the Palate it still has concentration and Richness and the tenons are still Present but they are quite mellow now But what is really great here is the Freshness the acidity so this really Carries the wine a long way Robertparker.com rated this 93 points i Would rate this 95 points it’s beautiful It’s a really Elegant complete wine and i do really Like this okay i think this is the first Tasting where i actually have to get a Second splatoon in Let’s continue the next one is the Oldest one in the tasting the 2005 first Saint grafenberg from franklin that Retails for 110 us dollars the first Family have been in the wine business For centuries but paul and monica first Took over the winery in 1979 and Established a very strong focus on the Gundian style wines today sebastian First is in charge of the winery and They are really really great when it Comes to pinot noir other great Varieties as well but pinot noir is Definitely their speciality the 10 Kaffenberg is one of the most famous
Vineyards in fountain it’s a steep slope On red sandstone soil at the winery they Work quite traditionally they have open Top wooden fermenters they use quite a Lot of whole bunch in their wines which Adds quite a lot of spiciness and Freshness to the wine and then they aged The wine in 228 liter barriques for 18 Months 2005 was a sunny year with a Fairly early harvest i have to focus now A little bit because i don’t want to Break this cork Old corks can break and yeah i want to Avoid that That was easy that means good quality Cork In this wine we can see that the color Has changed quite a bit after 17 years It’s going more towards the brown which Is absolutely typical for wine at this Age in the nose you still have some Fruit flavor beautiful cherry flavors Coming through but there’s also quite a Lot of tertiary aromas coming through Aromas from the aging process so there’s A little bit of wood there’s a little Bit of forest floor flavor there’s a Little bit of mushroomy character as Well But there’s also still quite a lot of Fruit so this these weird flavors really Give the wine additional complexity Which is quite nice on the palette it Still has quite a bit of grip so there’s
Still presence of tannins the freshness Is absolutely there so it’s light and Delicate It’s Beautiful it dances over my tongue it’s Always amazing to taste aged wines and This wine definitely shows how well Speed buguna from germany can age I would rate this 94 points it’s super Complex super interesting it’s not the Most profound and concentrated one but It’s just beautiful and very elegant for The grand finale we’re moving to baden And i thought it would be nice to taste These two wines next to each other here We have the 2019 bernard huber Zomerhalde pinot noir and here we have The 2018 zalvai iceberg pinot noir two Wines from the same region pretty close To each other but different styles and Yeah let’s taste them vineyards have Been cultivated in malta ding for 700 Years but bernard hooper was an Outstanding pioneer when it came to Quality wine making today yuyan is Making the wines his son and they are Yeah well one of the most famous Wineries in germany when it comes to Pinot noir and chardonnay the summerhead Is a site with the southwest exposition And the vines grow on less and shell Limestone soils so here we go wine Number One design by winery has a long
Tradition as well conrad zalva really Turned around the stylistic expression Of the wines and they are now much Leaner much fresher and he has really Inspired a generation of young wine Makers to follow his example the iceberg Vineyard is a steep site in one of the Hottest parts of germany and the vines Here grow on volcanic soils both wines Are made in a fairly hands-off way they Try to harvest early they don’t really Manipulate the wine much don’t move it a Lot they try to keep it in contact with The leaves for quite a long time and They mature the wines in small barriques In the salvo wine they also use kaiser Stool oak so oak from the area where the Grapes grow here we have only french oak As far as i know so this is not really a Battle it’s more of a duet i’m trying to Taste these wines next to each other to Compare and contrast them a little bit The uber wine comes across quite a bit Younger it’s the 2019 vintage so it Didn’t have much time in the bottle it Smells of cherries the oak flavors are Still quite pronounced there’s quite a Lot of spiciness going on there on the Palate it’s lean grippy and fresh it’s Still quite tight so it needs a little Bit more time to really open up the Salve is more present right now it is a Bit darker in flavor it smells a little Bit of blackberries the oak is pretty
Well integrated now on the palette it’s Also grippy structured and fresh with a Long finish Both wines quite impressive really Interesting because they are from the Hottest part of germany but they don’t Come across hot this is due to the fact That they try to harvest earlier and Make sure that they don’t get super high Alcohol levels as i have to rate the Wines i think they are in pretty much The same league i do think that the Zalva is a little bit better i think the Hoover for me is 93 points and i would Rate the salva in 95 points it’s just a Little bit more complete Really exciting wine really great stuff By the way these wines are actually not Super expensive the zalva is 50 us Dollars and the uber as far as i know is 60 us dollars so they are still fairly Affordable wow wow wow this was quite a Tasting i hope you learned as much about German pinot noir from this tasting as i Did i think what it really showed is That there’s great diversity of style Different stylistic expressions from Different regions but a lot of high Quality wine as well these wines are Pretty amazing pretty outstanding i Would certainly struggle deciding which Wine i’m going to drink over dinner Tonight but Life is tough my question of the day is
Which one is your favorite speed Bugunder from germany comment down below Let me know please like this video if You liked it subscribe to my channel if You haven’t done so already but whatever You do stay thirsty [Music]