2015 Morstein Spatburgunder Felix GG
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Tasting notes
Barrel sample. An auction wine so will not be sold commerically. 60-year-old vines. To be bottled August 2018. 12 hl/ha. 50% whole bunch, 50% hand destemmed. All 2nd-use barrels. Lightish crimson but a darker hue than the Frauenberg. This is one step further along the path of the Bürgel and Frauenberg 2016s (notes under embargo until end of August 2018). Riper, darker fruit, more closed but you can see the depth and concentration even on the nose. And still so fragrant with dark-red fruit and a floral quality. There’s a peppery character here, a mineral savoury character too, something rocky. Complex already, the fruit waiting to unfurl. Compact, dry and yet succulent. This is concentrated but not in the least heavy. A long life ahead. Starts to open in the glass but it needs the whole evening to be more expressive. On the long finish, there is a fruit sweetness all in balance with the freshness. You can’t really see the stems here except in the extra freshness in a warm year. Firm tannins build on the finish but are superbly judged. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
From old Sylvaner vines that were grafted with Pinot Noir in 2009, the 2015 Morstein Spätburgunder GG "Felix" is warmer on the nose than the Frauenberg but also more generous. The bouquet offers a pure, fine, aromatic, generous and charming bouquet with mushroom and forest aromas. On the palate, this is a full-bodied, round, very intense, powerful and persistent German Spätburgunder with fine juicy tannins, gorgeous intensity and persistent power. Although I prefer the finesse, freshness and purity of the Frauenberg in 2015 (at least in this moment), the Morstein is a fascinating Pinot Noir as well and it was produced with the highest percentage of whole bunches. It is very intense, juicy and powerful and shows remarkable finesse and aging potential. The fruit, however, is pretty ripe and concentrated. The rich and powerful Morstein giant goes onto the market only in 2018 or 2019.
As with the corresponding Frauenberg bottling, meat stock aromas vie for aromatic attention with those of a fruity nature. Cardamom-tinged ripe roasted tomato and beet mingle on a finely tannic palate with juicy, tartly tangy black raspberry. The finish is impressively gripping and laced with a welcome dose of mineral salts, though there is a slight sense of drying and a reinforcement of tannins that I was tempted to attribute to the combined effects of oak exposure and very recent bottling. But Keller assured me that even before that, this was by far the firmest and most closed of his three Pinots. It’s going to need time to reveal its full mettle. (For an account of the unusual vines behind this wine, consult my review of the corresponding 2013.)
About the producer
Based in the Rheinhessen, Keller is one of the finest Riesling producers in the world, and has set the benchmark for German Pinot Noir.