Most wine lovers know that the German wine schools have been pumping out great makers or
Pinot Noir was always the weak link. The Germans have the terroir but, outside of a few examples, have lacked the knowledge to make consistently great Pinot Noir. It’s not that easy. Making great pinot noir requires an understanding of how to use wood. And that is tricky.
Fortunately, the Germans have started to figure it out and the knowledge is spreading among the next generation of winemakers. These wines are still unknown here in the states (and in some cases even in Europe) and can be incredible values when compared with Burgundies.
Below is my own personal list of favorites in no particular order.
- Ziereisen - Hans Peter is a force to be reckoned with and is considered by his peers to be a top or the top Pinot producer in Germany. Located in Baden at the convergence of Germany/Switzerland and France his wines are achingly beautiful, luscious and savory with aromatics that really need to be smelled to be believed. There is delicacy here that reminds one of Burgundy but they also have the nimble quality and transparency of Riesling which is something I look for in Pinot Noir. Jaspis Alte Reben is their top wine and while pricey at $70 it is remarkable wine and one of the top Pinot Noirs in Germany.
- Fürst - Sebastien Fürst is a friend and I have tasted more Fuerst Pinot than any other Pinot in Germany. In an area of Germany that his father put on the map for Pinot Noir (Franken), he is the undisputed master and easily one of the nicest people I've ever encountered in the wine business. His wines are built to age but they are all remarkable in their own way. Schlossberg and Hunsruck are my personal favorites. Hunsruck is arguably the greatest site in Franken for Pinot Noir. From what I've tasted I can't disagree.
- Enderle & Moll - Sven and Florian make some of the most expressive and ethereal Pinot Noirs I've ever tasted. Period. That includes Burgundy. From the hills of Munchweier they have some of the most attentive vineyard work I've ever seen. Sven knows this vineyards like most people know their kids. These Pinot Noirs are the poster child for the transparent Riesling style. They are so nimble yet so flavorful it is unlike anything you've ever had. Every wine lover has to try these. These are some of the best Pinot Noirs in the world. Any Pinot is terrific but the Muschelkalk and Bundstanstein single vineyards are special as they are rare.
- Möbitz - Henrick Möbitz is a brilliant biochemist and his day job is trying to find a cure for cancer. He also happens to make micro production Pinot Noir that is amongst the best in Germany. His vines are a 20 minute drive from his house in Freiberg. It's a nice life. He attends his vines and cellar work like the scientist he is. His wines, as you could expect, have an exactitude and precision that reflect Henrick's passion and hard work. The Kanzell is lean and sinewy but with terrific fruit. More Volnay. The Koepfle is complex, floral, spicy and beguiling. Like a Vosne-Romanee.
- Thörle - Thorle is an up and comer in a patch of the Rheinhessen right near the Rheingau, with Rheingau terroir. Two brothers took over from their parents and in a decade or less have the estate on the cusp of national recognition (in Germany) for being a top producer of both Riesling and Pinot Noir. The top end Pinots are from Saulheim, Probstey and Holle. The wines are on the lighter side with incredible acidic balance. This is an estate to watch. They are already very good but given the young ages of the brothers, they could get even better.
- Josef Walter - My good friend Sebastien Furst is generally considered, along with Ziereisen, one of the top 2 producers of red wine in Germany. Do you know who he works right next to every day in the epic Centgrafenberg and Hundstruck vineyards? Christoff Walter, that’s who. Christoff spends most of time in the vineyards and very little marketing and so his wines from the same vineyards are about a third the price of Sebastien’s., While I am not going to compare them quality-wise, they are very, very good. Also, Christoff only sells his wines when they are ready to drink. His current releases of his top pinots are from 2007- 2011. The wines are incredibly well balanced and highly reflective of their terroir, which is among the best in Germany for pinot noir in the post climate change era. There is a good range of styles here from the lighter, Fruhburgunders (early ripening pinot) to the mammock Hundsruck.
- Steinmetz - Stefan is a good friend and I think makes some of the best Pinot in the Mosel. From sites like the Kestener Herrenbreg, Stefan is getting the most from these sites and makes beautiful Pinot from slate soils in steep vineyards. Aromatic and wonderfully structured but also nimble and minerally, these will open a few eyes. Exceptional wines and some of the top Pinot Noir in the Mosel.
- Rings - I work with the Freinsheimer Spatburgunder and it is one of the most delicious, ridiculous value drinking pure and fresh Pinot Noirs from anywhere. Boy is it a mouthful of red and black fruits and fresh minerals. They also make very impressive higher end Pinot Noirs that need significant age to show well in my opinion. This and Rebholz are in the most need of age and I think it just must be a Pfalz thing.
- Christmann - Christmann Idig Riesling GG is an absolutely stunning bottle of wine and comes from a famed Riesling vineyard in the Pfalz. But the Pinot may be even more special. Sinewy, lean and well fruited but with an exceptional Pfalz minerality. It is long and dense and gets in every nook and cranny of the palate. Any Pinot lover needs this. It is incredibly distinctive.
- Rebholz - I am only recommending these with proper age as they are impenetrable beasts of Pinot Noir when they are young, but once they are properly aged, which can take up to 20 years, they can be sublime. His higher end GG's have reminded me of Richebourg in the past. He is in the Birkweil/Siebeldingen area of the Pfalz.
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