If you've read my recent blog post on climate change and wine you know that higher temperatures have allowed colder regions to make ripe and delicious Pinot noir where previously this was generally impossible. Wines from these regions are less well known and represent stunning values. This is like buying Grand Cru Burgundy twenty years ago. I think that Fuerst's Centgrafenbergs represent good value at twice this price. I'm not going to compare the producers because Sebastien is a friend but I will say that both winemakers are world class and leave it at that. Sebastien has introduced me to Paul Weltner and now Christoff Walter (Weltner drinkers have not been disappointed, to put it mildly).
I'm thrilled to offer the 2009 Josef Walter Pinot Noir Centgrafenberg Trocken for as little as $39.99 per bottle on a 3-pack. This is just a blockbuster wine from one of my favorite vineyards in Europe made famous by Sebastien Fuerst. Aged 2 years in barrique with 75 percent old barrels and 25 percent new Franconian oak (wonderfully integrated at this point). The nose is floral but a deep kind of floral. More autumnal. You can really get lost in this wine just based on the aromatics. The palate is juicy as all with dense, layered structured, fresh, juicy, dark cherry fruit. It's complex with great internal aromatics but at the same time just a stunningly delicious wine. The finish is long and lingers on the palate. This is a German clone of Pinot Noir and as such is not called Spatburgunder (as German Pinot's usually are). In any case this is an absolutely incredible wine.
The second wine is the 2007 Josef Walter Spatburgunder Centgrafenberg Trocken for as little as $24.99 per bottle on a 3-pack. Wow. This tastes like perfectly aged high quality Burgundian village wine. The nose is like the flower of a cherry if such a thing exists. Really beautiful and delicate. The fruit is a beautiful cherry with perfect acid balance. The internal aromatics are absolutely explosive and really stunning for a wine at this price. Just entering its drinking window. Oak is fully integrated. This was aged in 1,200 liter casks for 1 year and then 2 in steel. I can't remember the last time I saw a red wine of this quality and age being offered at this price. An absolute steal. Man, I love my model, especially when I can offer ready to drink aged wine for $24.99.
Christoff Walter is unassuming and modest I mean really modest. He speaks conversational English but keeps on apologizing for his poor English. He was visibly uncomfortable when I tried to photograph him. He doesn't really sell his wines like most producers. He almost seems not to want to sell them because they improve with age and the quality of the wine is all he seems to care about. He has only 3.5 hectares and he obsessively works every vine to maximize quality.
I say he's like Martin Muellen for several reasons. First, he is a relative unknown. Second, he is in a lesser known wine region. Third, his wines have great balancing acidity and insane freshness even though they are mostly medium bodied (and in one case on the rich side of European Pinot). Finally, his wines are built to age. For decades. The acid balance and structure are all there in spades. I also know that he will be discovered as Muellen was and prices will go up and stocks will vanish.
Walter is not a member of the VDP so these wines are not technically Grosses Gewachs even though they come from the same vineyard as GGs (you can only call your wine Grosses Gewachs if you join the VDP). All wines are bottled in stelvin. I've always been skeptical that wines would age properly in stelvin but I'm a believer now. Walter uses stelvin to avoid bottle variation - I've heard the same from other forward thinking German producers.
2009 Josef Walter Pinot Noir Centgrafenberg Trocken - $42.99
($119.97 3-pack)
2007 Josef Walter Spatburgunder Centgrafenberg Trocken - $27.99 ($74.97 3-pack)
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