2018 Mohlin Spatburgunder

From diverse German Spätburgunder clones cultivated on the shallow limestone soils of the southeast-facing Ehrenstetter Ölberg, the 2018 Spätburgunder Möhlin offers a deep, pure, intense, concentrated bouquet of fresh and fleshy/spicy cherry and wild berry (blue berries, cranberries, raspberries) intertwined with floral, orange zest and tar aromas. On the palate, this is a silky-textured, pure, fresh and finessed, tight and also juicy yet initially astringent Pinot that needs hours of aeration to gain charm and accessibility—and it also requires a lot of tolerance. Patience, however, makes this an impressive and fascinating but still somewhat austere Pinot whose true class I detected only six hours after I had opened the bottle and tasted the first glass. Compared with the Bellen, this Pinot is tighter and more muscular as well as less generous and fruity, with challenging yet fine and refreshing tannins. Fascinating yet still a bit austere. Surely a great wine with meat. It was fermented with 80% whole clusters and aged in French barrels for 18 months. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted from lot L/186 in July 2020.