2021 Frauenberg Spatburgunder Grosses Gewachs

The 2021 Spätburgunder Nieder-Flörsheimer Frauenberg Grosses Gewächs is aromatic and speaks of ripe, crunchy red cherry with an overtone of conifer and most subtle toast. The palate is taut and slender but expands with vivid, cherry-crunchy juiciness on the mid-palate, where fine tannins swish with elasticity. The 2021 is heightened in its precision and juicy with a striking spine of freshness. That lovely whole-bunch conifer streak reappears and gives a peppery flourish to the elegant and long finish. This is a masterclass in German Pinot Noir with uncommon detail. About 50-60% of whole bunches were in the ferment. This wine was aged until March 2023 in 225-liter barrels, on average five years old, and bottled unfiltered. When the site was first planted to Burgundian cuttings of Pinot Noir in 1999, grandfather Keller questioned the choice, thinking it would not ripen in this ventilated site. (Bone-dry)

Bottled. Yield was 30–35% lower than in Bürgel – clones are French mass selection. 60% whole cluster. High dry extract because of the low yields. Harvested second half of September. Lightish crimson with smudgy rim.  A pure, darker restraint here compared with the Bürgel, less exotic but in fact quite floral as it opens in the glass – a dark floral note like peony. Lovely whole-bunch freshness. More concentration than in the Bürgel but no excess weight. Firmer tannins yet they are suave and so smooth you barely notice them until they build on the finish. A foundation of fruit that holds everything – the freshness, tannin structure and the more savoury umami aftertaste – in place. A complex wine that starts out fragrant and shows its power and concentration on the finish. (JH)