2018 Jaspis Pinot Noir

The 2018 Jaspis Spätburgunder 10⁴ is only the fourth edition of this rare and very expensive Pinot Noir that comes from 30- to 40-year-old Spätburgunder vines planted in a density of 10,000 vines per hectare. This is a selection of the very best barrels, and the wine opens with a pure, highly finessed, elegant, fresh and spicy-peppery as well as floral bouquet of red cherries, berries and limestone. Sweet and dense on the palate, this is a full-bodied, very ripe and textured Spätburgunder with an intense and aromatic finish that is still tight due to crunchy tannins and will benefit from further bottle aging. 13.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork stopper. Tasted in November 2022.

The 2018 Jaspis Pinot Noir "Zipsin" is a fascinating Pinot with a dark ruby color and an intense yet spicy and even coolish bouquet, with smoked and tart dark cherry and berry aromas intermixed with notes of cedar wood, tobacco and pure cacao. Full-bodied, intense and concentrated on the fleshy, dense and powerful yet also pure, fresh and refined palate with ripe, elegant tannins and great balance, this is a long, intense and spicy Pinot of great class and style. The wine was aged in new and old 225-liter barrels for 22 months and bottled with less than one gram of residual sugar and 13.5% alcohol. Tasted from lot L 30 20 in November 2020.

Grapes hand-picked, no fining, no filtration. Aged for 22 months in 10% new and 90% used barriques. Medium to deep plum colour with ruby rim. The depth of colour shows that extended maceration on the skins has taken place. The intense fragrance exhibits an attractive perfumed quality of fruit marinated in brandy and spices. Hints of violet and marzipan reflect ripeness and add complexity. This is an infant and you would expect it to almost burst with tannins, which it does … but they cannot prevent sweet plum and blackberry fruit from exhibiting their juicy potential. Cedar and clove throw their spicy hat into the ring, bitter chocolate and tobacco also make their mark. (MS)