2012 Spatburgunder Bienenberg

The combination of up to 60+ year-old German vines, small berries and 55% whole clusters give the 2012 Spätburgunder GG Bienenberg its characteristic firm tannin structure. This is a very elegant, deep and spicy, almost exotic and floral flavored Pinot with a noble fruit on the nose. Full-bodied, super fresh, intense and juicy, with a silky texture and a lovely precision, this is an expressive yet delicate Pinot with wild red berries in the long and complex aftertaste. Beautifully balanced, a this is a great German Pinot Noir that combines German Kraft with Burgundian finesse.

Smoky, chocolatey – outspoken and particular with a type of varnish note that I like, perhaps from some volatile acidity. Surely peculiar and screwball – and why not? It reminds me of some distinctive Burgundy grand crus – especially Clos des Lambrays. (RH)

Medium depth raspberry hue with pink-purple rim. Call it Muschelkalk, coquina or shell limestone, and other vineyards have this terroir too, but not many contain as much iron as the Wildenstein plot. I would not claim that it leaves grit between your teeth, but certainly exhibits a medicinal minerality very different from the slate of the Ahr or the red withered sandstone of Fürst’s Hundsrück. It combines smoky, salty, fruity, juicy and savoury components in a perfection that defies description. We do need to mention the use of oak; it has been mastered at the estate decades ago and is delivered in subtle doses which do not disturb the equilibrium of the wine. A must for those Pinot Noir lovers who can afford it. (MS)