Pinot delights: Iijima’s 12 Ahr Spätburgunders to try
1 JJ Adeneuer, Gärkammer Spätburgunder GG 2020 95
adeneuer.de
Sourced from vines up to 100 years old in Adeneuer's historic small monopole (see panel, p67), the Gärkammer is a flagship bottling of the Ahr itself. Raspberry and red cherry flavours are pure and pulsating, accented by heady streaks of violet and blood orange. Kisses of smoke and spice allude to 22 months of maturation in second-use barrique. A poised, supple wine with a revitalising freshness and fruit purity. Drink 2024-2038 Alcohol 13.5%
2 Meyer-Näkel, Kräuterberg Spätburgunder GG 2021 95
£111.50 The WineBarn
The steep slate terraces of the Kräuterberg in Walporzheim tend towards spicy, earthier expressions of Spätburgunder and this complex, stately wine balances its savoury elements well against pure, pulsating blackberry and cherry flavours. Weighty and concentrated yet held upright by bristling acidity and fine, firm tannins, it’s a wine that should mature beautifully well into the next decade. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13%
3 Bertram-Baltes, Ahrweiler Rosenthal Spätburgunder GG 2021 94
US$83 Schatzi Wines
Swathes of rose petals, fresh sage and bramble introduce this intensely perfumed, fine and filigree Spätburgunder. Sourced from some of the producer’s best sites in the Grosse Lage of Rosenthal, its red cherry and raspberry flavours are profoundly ripe yet pure. A remarkably light-footed wine with a fine edge of acidity and lingering tones of graphite and smoke. Matured for 18 months in German oak barrels. Organic. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 11.5%
Bertram-Baltes, Treibgut Spätburgunder Alte Reben 2020 94
US$52 Schatzi Wines
One of just a few barrels of the 2020 vintage that survived the July 2021 Ahr flood, this elevated Ortswein, or village wine, offers richness and lusciousness of black plum and mulberry shaded with violets and struck flint. Concentrated yet held upright by fine, firm tannins and a nervy spine of acidity. Matured for 15 months on fine lees in 50% new German oak barrels. Organic. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 12%
4 Jean Stodden, Herrenberg Spätburgunder GG 2021 94
£66 (ib)-£120 Hedonism, Lay & Wheeler, Vino Gusto Redcurrant and raspberry tones are vibrant and sheer in this full-bodied yet bracing, vital wine. Despite maturation in new barrique, it’s a gorgeously pure-fruited Spätburgunder accented by whispers of smoke and petrichor. A finely honed rasp of tannins and bristling acidity extend the finish. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 13.5%
Jean Stodden, Rosenthal Spätburgunder GG 2021 94
£58.33 (ib)-£87.22 Stannary Wine, Vinum
Flecks of dried ginger and violet petals mark this spicy, smoky wine packed with penetrating blackberry and cherry flavours. It’s a ripe yet svelte wine marked by a thrilling nervous tension and finely integrated tannins. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13%
Meyer-Näkel, Blauschiefer Spätburgunder 2021 94
£34.45 The WineBarn
This is a profoundly stony, salt-etched expression of the cooler blue-slate vineyards of Dernau. While ripe and concentrated in black cherry and raspberry flavours, veins of graphite and menthol lend a nervous shiver through its spine. There’s a grip of wood tannins and a piquant spice throughout, but it’s elegant and deeply satisfying. Should continue to improve. Drink 2024-2038 Alc 13%