My Trip to Germany redux: Pt XX- Franconia with Paul and Sebastian Furst (recent trip notes included too!)

So I am back from Germany and the notes will start but I stil have many notes to post on last years trip so here is what I am going to do. I am going to continue in the order of last years trip but IF I visited a grower last year and this year I will combine both years notes and experiences into one blog post but THEY will be clearly separated within that particular post.

So now I start with the visit to the Paul Furst estate in Burgstadt, Franconia from August of 2006.


After a long detour in Wurtzberg to see the Residenz we arrived at Paul Furst's estate at around 10:00 PM after a quick bite at the hotel. There was pounding rain on the drive from Wurtzberg to Burgstadt and we were rewarded with an incredibly vivid triple rainbow that made Burgstadt look like something out of a fairy tale. Don't get many rainbows 'round midtown Manhattan so this was a treat to see in full color. Photos included. I had never tasted many Furst wines and If I had at this point I do not remember but after this tasting they will ever become etched in my memory as the beginning of my obsession with this winery. The wines really have a wonderful terroir stamp on them but have some major finesse and polish without losing that Franconian spine of acidity and crunchy minerality. Reds and whites are equally as good here which is a rare thing in Germany. The main vineyard here is the Burgstadter Centgrafenberg which surrounds the Furst house and overlooks Burgstadt. Paul was at a function this particular evening but Sebastian Furst was very welcoming and knowledgeable about the wines. Oh yeah there is a room where they have a wall of Bocksbuetels.


2005 Muller Thurgau "pur mineral" - Hands down this is the best Muller-Thurgau I had tasted up to this point. An astounding wine that should make people rethink the bad reputation that Muller-Thurgau has garnished over the years. A very ripe expanisve nose with high-toned florals, sweet greens and gobs 'o' minerality. The palate is creamy and hauntingly elegant with wonderful ripe fruit. A lovely Muller-Thurgau.

2005 Silvaner "pur mineral" - Another nose of high-toned minerality and some fleshy apricot fruit but in no means hints at a "fat" wine. This is Franconia we are talking about here. The palate is very dry and mineral with a chalky taste to it but also balanced with a nice juiciness. I could drink this by the gallon. Excellent basic Silvaner.


2005 Weissburgunder "pur mineral" - Nose of mineral as the name of the wine suggests along with some dried coconut and apple skin. Definetly showing some of that '05 fattness but is all in balance. A nice juicy and flowing wine on the palate with great delineation and precision. The more and more Pinot Blanc I taste I believe that Southern Germany is the best place in the world for it.

2005 Riesling Centgrafenberg Kabinett - An intensely mineral nose with hints of ripe fruit. The concentration just oozes from the nose. Palate is juicy and long with a stony finish. The acidity lets you know it is here late but is not shy in announcing its presence. Lovely wine.


2005 Riesling Centgrafenberg Spatlese - Obvisouly ripe nose than the Kabinett with a super-intense rocky palate and long complex mineraly finish. The texture is velvety but the acid catches up to you on the finish. Lovely crunchy minerality.

2005 Riesling Centgrafenberg "R" - This wine even has better acidity than the previous Spatlese. You HAVE to love acidity to get your palate around this wine. I do. So I was fine. The wine was incredible dense and cut a huge swath across your palate with enormous concentration. In an embryonic state right now but wonderful potential here. These wines seems to have a bit more polish than Wirsching in Iphofen.


2005 "Buntsandsteinterrassen" Riesling & Silvaner Trocken "Alter Sanz" - There's a name for ya! A nose of minerals, tree bark and some good woodland forest stone fruits. Acidity is nice and in check and the palate is simple and straightforward. Nice but not a world-beater.

2004 Spatburgunder Tradition - Nice fresh wine. The nose has spice, clove, berry fruit and is very deep. Really grabs the inner nose. The concentration is wonderful and there is a refreshing slurpable quality to this wine. Excellent.


2004 Spatburgunder Klingenberger - This is a great vineyard and wonderful wine. One of the greatest vineyards in Franken and this is the first vintage of this from Furst I believe. The nose has high-toned florals, apple/cherry compote and some dusty earthy minerals. Lovely entrancing nose. The palate ha wonderful purity, good concentration and great elegance. The tannins are dusty and ripe along a silky frame. This is high-clas Pinto Noir with the spine for medium term aging. Lovely.

2004 Spatburgunder Centgrafenberg - The only bottle of Furst red I have in my cellar. This stuff is a bitch to find stateside. Hopefully I will be changing that soon. This is wonderful wine with ana elegant, complex and deep Pinot nose with all the Franconian minerality you could want along with deep red berry fruit and exotic spice. Ripe and dense with lovely purity and layers of sweet fruit. A long finish that is distinctly mineral driven. Absolutely lovely wine. I am tempted every day to open this stuff.


2004 Spatburgunder Centrgrafenberg "R" - The first nose of the Pinot's with apparent oak spice. Still it was very well integrated with red berry fruit, incense, potpourri, jammy cherries, mineral and violets. This wine was very aromatic. Palate was intense and long with huge ripe tannins. Amazing structure and wonderful mineral backbone. Like a great Volnay from a classic vintage. Say 2001 or 1996. Expensive but worth every penny.

2004 Fruhburguner Centgrafenberg - Now everybody who knows anything about German red wine knows that Paul Furst makes first class Pinot Noir but the real specialty of this estate is Fruhburgunder (Pinot Madeline, Early Burgundy) which is an earlier ripening version of Pinot Noir. Lovely nose of blue fruits and minerals with a wonderful ripeness. The fruit is easily the sweetest of all ther red wines we tasted this evening. Palate had a wonderful crunch due to the crackling acidity. The finish is long and has accents of oak spice beautifully integrated with stony minerals. Lovely precision here.


1997 Spatburgunder Centgrafenberg "R" - Truly a treat here. 1997 seems a benchmark vintage for southern German Pinot Noir. The nose was amazing. Mature notes of woodsmoke, spice, dark red berries, incense and some game. The concentration was unreal with layers and layers of sweet ripe fruit accented by minerality and wet earth. Sous-bois anyone? Silkiness like a great Vosne Romanee. This is world-beating Pinot Noir. This would be the ultimate ringer in a Burgundy tasting.

The Furst estate was the first stop on my 2007 tour of Germany and Paul was there this time and we had a fantastic tasting plus a somewhat perilous drive through the vineyards. I felt safe . . .kind of. The 2006 whites here are stunning. More classic in style with higher acidity and less flesh. The '05 reds are incredible and seems like the best vintage for red since 1997. I am not that big a fan of 2003 German reds. It was very rainy and foggy but it was still very nice to see the Centgrafenberg up close.


2006 Silvaner "pur mineral" - Very earthy and mineral nose with hints of apple and lime. Clean wine with medium levels of acidity and dazzling purity. Lovely grip on the finish.

2006 Silvaner Centrgrafenberg - A step up in complexity and concentration. The soils here are red sandstone and clay. More opulent nose than the "pur mineral." A hint of smoke adds complexity to the dazzlingly mineral nose. There is wonderful fruit on the palate and crunchy acidity. Concentration is amazing for such a humble varietal but then again this is Franconia and Silvaner is world famous here. I can see why. Stunning.


2006 Weissburgunder "pur mineral - A clean nose of apple blossom and some lees. The palate is fat but the acidity grabs you towards the beginning of the finish. Pure as the sky is blue with wonderful apple and pear fruit.

2006 Riesling "pur mineral" - Nose of honey, lemon and some white flowers. The palate ha a sweet green (moss?) element but this seems a bit closed and turned in on itself today. Great acid spine though!


2006 Riesling Centgrafenberg - Nose of honey, peach skin and elegant minerals. There is a great core of mineral concentration here along with stone fruit skins that leads to an amazingly mineral finish. This has great extract and really stains the palate. Exciting wine.

2005 Riesling Centgrafenberg "R" - An amazingly complex nose and much more "Centrgrafenberg" than it was last year with notes of vineyard peach, minerals, wet earth, moss and nuts. The palate has forceful acids and wonderful inner mouth aromas. It is very deep and ripe with a long finish. Stunning wine and I need me some of this.


2006 Riesling Centrgrafenberg "R" - Nose is young and showing all young primary fruit. Mostly stone fruits. More elegant than the '05 with a touch less concentration but still has a wonderfully viscous texture and palate-staining extract on the finish. Lovely wine in need of four or five years in the cellar.

2005 Spatburgunder Tradition - Berry nose with incredible freshness. Moss, mineral, wet earth and some spice on the very aromatic nose. An uncomplicated juicy and fresh Pinot Noir. Lovely stuff and better than the 2004.

2005 Spatburgunder Klingenberger - Wonderfully floral nose with deep fruit, a saline element and notes of high-toned minerals. Palate follows through with the deep concentrated fruits that are reflected on the nose. The structure is wonderful and the finish does not quit.


2005 Spatburgunder Centgrafenberg - Lovely nose with sweet green elements, red berry fruit and some spice. Palate is dense and concentrated with enormous structure, Just epic stuff that is painfully young now but has great potential.

2005 Spatburgunder Centrgrafenberg "R" - Maybe the best Pinot I have had from Furst. Even better than the outrageous 1997 bottling of this wine. The nose is all ripe baby fat style fruit now but under is some oak spice, mineral and earth. Keeps opening up in the glass with each swirl. Fantastic dense palate but this is very young today and offers long aging potential. The tannins are sweet and very ripe and this wine will wow you on the finish. Truly explosive. Profound. I need me some of this too but it will be big bucks.

2005 Fruhburgunder Centgrafenberg "R" - An incredible nose here with cooling blueberry fruit and some exotic berry fruit. The palate had incredibly intense sweet fruit with a velvety texture and an incredibly long finish. This is first class stuff and I see why Paul serves it after the other wines as it truly is compelling and a great counterpoint to the Pinot's. The balance and purity here are breathtaking. The tannins are fine, sweet and very grainy.

2003 Spatburgunder Centrgrafenberg "R" - This had what I describe as a very 2003 nose. Slightly burnt and overripe and that did follow through on the palate. It was rich and velvety but ultimately I question the balance.


An amazing two visits to the Furst estate where some of the most compelling wines in all of Germany are being made. I hope to make this a yearly visit.