As I have previously posted about my upcoming trip to Germany I need to motivate and post the rest of my notes from last summer's great trip with der Kaiser himself, Rudi Wiest. This was a really interesting visit to an estate I had never heard of and at the point we were visiting these wines had never been imported to the Unites States. Becker is a supertsar estate in Ger,many and is in the top five for Spatburgunder but that is not all they craft. Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc are also top notch here. The estates vineyards actually are split between Pfalz and Alsace but they are allowed to have Pfalz labels. There is a point in the vineyard where you can have one foot in Alsace and one in the Pfalz. Cool in a super wine geeky sort of way. I stood there for a minute. It was very cool.
The location of the vineyards is in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. They have this old castle tower with a hornet's nest up top which is apparently illegal for them to remove due to some obscure German law. There is also a beautiful field of sunflowers right in the middle of their vineyards. Idyllic is definetly the right word to use in this setting. Their vineyards are truly in the middle of nowhere and you take a small one car wide road there and pass farmhouses like the one below. Oh and last and not least they had the best dogs of the trip. A big old St. Bernard and two Jack Russel Terriers who were with us running through the vineyards and anxiosly vying for our attention as we tasted.
2002 Cuvee Salome - This is a super sparkler made by the great Volker Raumland (my trip finished there . . .that post will come down the road). Almost mimicking Champagne this has a lovely nose of toast, yeast, cassis and some tropical fruits. Clean and pure aromas and a very fine mousse. Palate is light and elegant with fine concentration and crunch. Pretty rather than powerful. Kind of like the German Pommery.
2005 Pinot Blanc "Kalkgestein" - Minerally nose leads to a nice creamy palate with soft but still cleansing acidity. Not profound but a nice everyday sipper.
2005 Pinot Blanc "Reserve" - Airy nose with hints of lime blossom and a deep minerality. Palate has plenty of depth with great concentration and loads of ripe apple fruit. There is a deft use of oak here. Very framing. Excellent.
2005 Riesling "Laissez-Faire" - Creamy nose with minerals and a fattness. Palate is big and ripe and seems very polished. Acidity is there but currently hidden under the layers of fruit. As an aside I tasted this in early June at Rudipalooza and it was much better than at the estate. The acidity was much more prominent and it seemd much livelier. Actually it was one of my favorite Pfalz wines of that tasting.
2004 Pinot Noir "B" - Anybody who thinks German Pinot Noir is green and stemmy I challenge them to say that after tasting the Becker "B." Silky palate with beautifully framed oak and a mess 'o' fruit. Purity is wonderful and the texture is on point. Great wine.
2004 Spatburgunder - Earth, spice, pine needle and a touch green on the nose. There is some fruit and a nice rustic charm to the wine but not on of Becker's better efforts.
2004 Spatburgunder Kammerberg - From a Grand Cru vineyard this has a complex nose of spices, cloves, mint and ripe black fruits. Palate echoes the nose with all that wonderful spice and loads of finesse. Easily the best quality wine so far. Tannins are ripe and sweet and there is some oak that needs to integrate.
2004 Pinot Noir Sankt Paul - Now the fireworks started to happen. Beautiful nose of raspberries, bing cherries and exotic spices. Palate is layered, juicy and very complex with great delineation. The finish is unreal. Long and winding exhibiting wonderful nuance and length. Like a Corton or Nuits St. Georges. Has the dense structure of Corton and Nuits St. Georges while showing a nice rustic charm. This will age beautifully.
2003 Pinot Noir Reserve - This is their top wine and typically fetches $75 and up in Germany. Nose of serious oak with a fleshy rich palate that is in dire need of cellaring. It is all there but I would revisit in ten years. Great wine and easily Grand Cru Cote de Nuits in quality.
2005 Gewurztraminer Auslese - This was gorgeous. Sweet but with laserlike acidity and detailed Gewurz flavors. One of the most elegant Gewurztraminers I have ever had.
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