The Best Red from Arguably Germany's Best Maker of Red Wine

You all know the story of the genius winemaker in Baden who scored on a par with Burgundy's best
in a famous 2011 blind tasting.  I had planned to wait until May to offer the 2012 Ziereisen Jaspis Pinot Noir Alte Reben but the best wine goes on sale in Germany in March and I wanted to sell Hanspeter's top wine (only 600 or so bottles) before the Germans snapped it up (which they will).  Because this wine is emblematic of my theory that the Germans are making pinot noirs on a par with the great winemakers in Burgundy, I need you to try this.

The Famous 2011 Pinot Noir Blind Tasting
Tim Atkin conducted a famous blind tasting of 400 German Pinot Noirs in 2011 and selected 20 as the representatives of Germany for an international tasting (judges included Jancis Robinson and Stephan Reinhardt).Three of the 20 wines came from Zieresen, more than any other producer, resulting in the "Superstar" reference.  He also had two wines in the top 13 multi-country final (more than any other winery) and one of Atkins' top 3 scoring wines (outpacing Dujac's 07 1er Cru MSD among others)."
 
These wines 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.

The first wine is the Ziereisen Spatburgunder Jaspis Alte Reben 2012 ($69.99 each on a 3 pack). When I first sipped this wine, the aromatics were so powerful my head literally snapped back like I had been hit on the forehead with a sledgehammer. It is so deep aromtically due to the high levels of dry extract. The internal aromatics are really off the charts.   The nose is a wonderful combination of licorice and sweet fruit. But it also shifts so many times over the course of many hours. At certain points it has so much sous-bois it can be mistaken for top Burgundy blind. The palate is plummy with incredible licorice overtones. The tannins are as fine as you will get in a Pinot Noir.  The finish is so mineral despite the huge levels of fruit. A wine that really speaks of a place. Your mouth is literally overflowing with fruit and licorice aromatics. The structure is significant as is the density. Again this is is the best red wine Hanspeter makes and is on par with top Grand Cru Burgundy. It is so special. The finish stays with you for a minute.

This is Hanspeter's top wine and really illustrates the power and majesty that his wines can attain. Jaspis is what he calls his highest end wines - the wine is a blend of the best grapes from several vineyards.  I managed to obtain a very small allocation (he only sells 600 or so bottles).  This wine tastes like Grand Cru Burgundy all the way.  And great Grand Cru Burgundy at that.  If you want to really see how good German Pinot Noir can be, this is one of the bottles that should be at the top of your list.  Heck, if you're tired of paying several multiples of this for Grand Cru red Burgundy, you should buy it.  It is one of the most expensive red wines in Germany but thanks to a generous discount and direct from the winery pricing, this is a stunning value. It is very limited.

The second wine is the 2014 Ziereisen Rhini Blauer Spatburgunder which can be had for as little as $39.99 on a 4-pack. An absolutely fantastic bottle of wine.  The nose is has intense red berries and is big, evocative and ripe. Tons of ripe red cherries and just an explosive nose. You can smell this for hours.  It's that complex and good.  The palate is just fantastic. Very masculine and intense versus the more elegant ballerina like Tschuppsen. More plums with some licorice with the classic Ziereisen balancing acidity and freshness.  Terrific acidity and delineation. So clean and so fresh. Stunning. Long crescendo of a finish. Really persistent. Pumps fruit on the finish. All dark cherries on the fruit pumped finish. This is easily Premier Cru Burgundy Quality.  Like really good Premier Cru Burgundy in quality.  And because of the moderate use of new oak, you can drink it now and it will age for a decade or more.

2012 Ziereisen Spatburgunder Jaspis Alte Reben - $72.99 

($209.97 3-pack) (VERY LIMITED)

2014 Ziereisen Spatburgunder Rhini - $41.99 ($159.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)