The man is a superstar, whose Pinots are up there with the very best." Tim Atkin, Master of Wine and award-winning wine journalist, broadcaster and commentator
"Ziereisen is a little bit like Bayern Munich. Another dimension of complexity and expression."
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate German Reviewer 11/6/15 (Facebook)
German Wine Collection of the Year, 2015 Gault Milleau
I had an absolutely brilliant visit with Edel and Hanspeter Zieriesen last week and could not wait to offer the wines. Man they are brilliant. So brilliant. These are the Pinots that other German winemakers speak about in hushed reverential tones. There's a reason why as Hanspeter really knows what he is doing. I don't use this term often but Hanspeter is a force of nature. He just had his wisdom teeth removed the day before my visit and still took me on a tour of the vineyards and the new massive cellar. Nothing stops this man's passion and energy. His favorite place to be is the vineyard and the intervention in the cellar is a bare minimum. If you do great work in the vineyard all you need to do is guide the wine in the cellar. He's barely ever in the cellar. My kind of guy. The wines are sick. Just sick. There is nothing like them in Germany. If Enderle and Moll is DRC then these are the Domaine Leroy of Germany. The fruit......the fruit......the fruit as Colonel Kurtz would say if he was not in Vietnam but in Baden. Where to begin?
I guess I'll begin with the new vintage of the best value Spatburgunder in all of Germany. Hands down. The 2014 Ziereisen Blauer Spatburgunder which can be had for as little as $21.99 on a 4-pack. A ridiculous entry level pinot noir, especially at this price point. The nose has gorgeous light plum aromatics and also has elements of a fresh bowl of dark sour cherries. Cranberry and some spice aromas also come through. Palate is lush and lacey with dynamic pure fruit and lifting acidity. Palate staining in the best way. Terrific freshness and purity. What a value. Love this. Not complex but just joyful. Spice cranberry and black currents develop after it has been open a few hours. Lovely mineral crushed rocks develop as well. Beautiful fruit, juicy, clean and fresh and an appealing balancing hint of bitterness in the finish after much aeration. There is really nice juicy almost sweet cherry fruit (the wine is totally dry) on the palate with good acidity. A very nice cherry finish. Aged 18 months in old 3,000 liter barrels. Startling value and you won't come across a value like this in Germany period. I've always wanted to find an under $25 German Pinot Noir I could sell and I'm thrilled that I did. I got more than I bargained for as this is such an incredible value. It's delicious enough to be Red Wine of Year material if there were enough. There's never enough. Never.
Next up is just another ridiculous value. The 2013 Ziereisen Blauer Spatburgunder "Schulen," for as little as $29.99 a bottle. Schulen is the old name of where the wines come from and is the middle category. The wines are categorized in ascending order of density and volume. The soils are pure limestone which makes the Pinot notably feminine versus the more masculine Rhini we offered last year. It dances on your palate like a vin
They are truly stunning technical examples of winemaking. Focused in a way that great Chablis or great Champagne is, which is very rare in red wine. They also happen to be delicious, complex wines that are more classically Burgundian than anything I've had in Germany from a flavor profile standpoint. The wines are among the most expensive German Pinot Noirs but Hanspeter was extremely generous with his pricing because he wants his best wines to be tasted by American Burgundy collectors. The only reason that these are not already famous throughout the US is that the Germans, Swiss and English bid up the prices and through three tier, the top wines would all be close to or over $100.
Hanspeter is also very, very open and friendly in almost an American-like way. He invited me to a large lunch but I had to get to my next appointment or write an email offer (these trips kill me!!!) so I had to pass. The oldest cellar at the winery was built in 1783. Hanspeter took over wine production at Ziereisen in 1991 (he was formerly a carpenter and built most of the furniture in the winery). ous ballerina and is elegant like a Chambolle. I am not kidding. This is super Chambolle like. I could not stop smelling it. This wine I feel can be drunk right now and improve for 8-12 years. Sick nose with cocoa, bitter chocolate, dark cherries, dark berries and dark cranberry. Huge fruit on the palate. It fills your mouth like one puts a spigot on the vine and you lie on the ground on your back and the essence of Pinot fruit fills your mouth. This is young vine Jaspis (his top wine), and is very similar except it does not quite have the the depth or length. It is so juicy and elegant yet so concentrated and ripe. There is a strong mineral sense as well as a really dense acid/tannin balance.
2014 Ziereisen Blauer Spatburgunder - $23.99 ($87.96 4-pack)
2013 Ziereisen Blauer Spatburgunder "Schulen" - $31.99 ($119.96 4-pack)
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