Spätburgunder für alle

Rahsaan

Rahsaan
2019 Wasenhaus Am Kreuz
Crisp clear trembling transparent fruit. So delicate. But not flimsy. It is well-anchored with juicy sappiness and fruit you can feel. Delicious and very drinkable. The bottle emptied in a flash with pizza dinner. (Some grauburgunder vines mixed in, for those keeping track)

2019 Wasenhaus Bellen
Darker and earthier than the Am Kreuz, but still in the bright clean fresh register of things. Maybe this needs age, but it doesn’t show the depth or the complexity to make it worth spending the extra money, at least for me and for drinking now.

2018 Hain
Dark, earthy, spicy, as so many Spätburgunder are. But also brisk and herbal, as so many Mosel wines are. Structure and tannin build with air, suggesting you could age it, and the soaring fragrance is probably the best part. There’s no doubt this is a well-made wine, especially for casual restaurant drinking (less than 15euros retail). But a bit too boring for me to drink at home.

2018 Axel Bauer Handwerk
Leans a bit further into the earthy brothy side of Spätburgunder than I might prefer, although it doesn’t get full-on weedy. But it still has a nice core of berry fruit, fresh and lively, with enough substance and texture to roll around your tongue and play well with food. Another in the genre of sub-15 euro retail wines that are great for casual restaurants, but less so for me at home.

2015 Solveigs “Present”
Sweet fruit with sour fresh cut raw wood notes. If you look closely enough, there are some nice aspects to the fruit. But the structure is going wild and this is not the time to drink it. (Whether another time would be better is beyond me)

2019 Holger Koch *
So good. Silky and layered with good substance, but such a light touch. So good.

2018 Holger Koch ***
Crisp, firm and elegant, much more compact and reserved than the 2019 *. Nice times with a nice wine, but I would imagine this is more promising in the future, although others will know better.

2017 Holger Koch Reserve
Deliciously succulent harmonious resolved wine. For my tastes, this is a lovely state of evolution for drinking now. I’m sure there are more tertiary notes ahead, but not sure if any complexity/textural excitement will accompany. Others will know better.

2014 JB Becker Kabinett trocken
Resolved, soft, gentle. Not the same depth as the 2017 Koch Reserve, but very good value if that’s what you’re seeking.

1994 JB Becker Wallufer Walkenberg Spätlese trocken
Still holding some sweetness in the middle, and there is still tension and grip. But also plenty of the rusty autumnal aged notes. Probably a bit further into the tertiaries than my ideal, and nothing amazing or complex, but a nice bottle with dinner, so no complaints.
 
Fantastic line up of wines. The Bellen definitely needs time. Interesting note on the 94 JB Becker, I purchased an 88 Magnum at a charity auction that Hans-Joseph said is his favorite vintage of Spätburgunder, curious how it will show.

If you come across the Jonas Dostert Spätburgunder I would suggest giving that a try. Along with his old vine Elbling.

Jonas Dostert
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:

Interesting note on the 94 JB Becker, I purchased an 88 Magnum at a charity auction that Hans-Joseph said is his favorite vintage of Spätburgunder, curious how it will show.

I don't think 94 was supposed to be the biggest 'blockbuster' long-aged vintage, but plenty of life left, if not the most complexity. Would be interesting to taste other vintages. I'm sure you'll enjoy the 88.

originally posted by Robert Dentice:

If you come across the Jonas Dostert Spätburgunder I would suggest giving that a try. Along with his old vine Elbling.

Sounds good. Haven't seen at my usual haunts, but will keep an eye open.
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
and here i am, drinking the kaiserstuhl
need to get out more often, i suppose

Somehow I don't pity your level of drinking!

It's not all selection-wine level here either. Looking forward to drinking the 2020 Herrenstück, both regular and un-sulfured versions, very soon. Although probably won't be able to compare on the same night, needing to preserve my sleep and all!
 
Have a 2019 Wasenhaus Spätburgunder (Landwein) waiting in the wings, but it says neither Am Kreuz or Bellen on the label. Must be a humbler bottling.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Robert Dentice:

Interesting note on the 94 JB Becker, I purchased an 88 Magnum at a charity auction that Hans-Joseph said is his favorite vintage of Spätburgunder, curious how it will show.

I don't think 94 was supposed to be the biggest 'blockbuster' long-aged vintage, but plenty of life left, if not the most complexity. Would be interesting to taste other vintages. I'm sure you'll enjoy the 88.

originally posted by Robert Dentice:

If you come across the Jonas Dostert Spätburgunder I would suggest giving that a try. Along with his old vine Elbling.

Sounds good. Haven't seen at my usual haunts, but will keep an eye open.

Make a trip to NY. But do it soon.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

Make a trip to NY. But do it soon.

Actually, we're in the middle of planning to move back to Nyc in summer 2022. Lots of details, but I'm sure there will be plenty of good wine available whenever we make it!
 
A lovely pair to compare are the 2020 Holger Koch Pinot Noir Herrenstück and the 2020 Holger Koch Pinot Noir 'SF', which is the unsulfured version of the Herrenstück. Both were delightful, clean, clear, succulent, juicy, and too easy to drink with joy.

I thought the 'SF' had a bit more vibrant expression, and was maybe also a touch rounder. But that could easily have been the powers of label suggestion! I doubt I'll arrange this for a blind tasting, so I may never know anything other than the fact that both are delicious.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
That one is in my queue as well. It's the basic bottling.

Finally broached the 2019 Wasenhaus Spätburgunder Badischer Landwein 12.5% last night. Despite a hint of rubber, the lovely semi-carbonic spice aromas set me up for fruit with a touch of sweetness. But it was dry and austere, effectively savory. No apparent VA or oak. Did not particularly bond with food. Has a very particular personality and I suppose, if I channel you, that it's not its fault that the aromatics generated an expectation of (a certain kind of) pleasure that did not fructify. The pleasure that came was dressed in lederhosen, making the word pleasure somewhat synaptically inapt. Plus it left my finely regulated organism slightly tipsy, suggesting that the 12.5% is an underestimation. But, all in all, I think it was better than it sounds.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

Finally broached the 2019 Wasenhaus Spätburgunder Badischer Landwein 12.5% last night. Despite a hint of rubber, the lovely semi-carbonic spice aromas set me up for fruit with a touch of sweetness. But it was dry and austere, effectively savory. No apparent VA or oak. Did not particularly bond with food. Has a very particular personality and I suppose, if I channel you, that it's not its fault that the aromatics generated an expectation of (a certain kind of) pleasure that did not fructify. The pleasure that came was dressed in lederhosen, making the word pleasure somewhat synaptically inapt. Plus it left my finely regulated organism slightly tipsy, suggesting that the 12.5% is an underestimation. But, all in all, I think it was better than it sounds.

I think I had a similar reaction, although I might have used different words. The nose is beguiling but it doesn't have the depth of other bottlings. Everything in its place I suppose. In the end, I slotted it as a wine to order in a German wine bar or a casual German restaurant, but nothing I would pursue back in the US.

As far as not bonding with food, surely that depends on the food?!
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

Finally broached the 2019 Wasenhaus Spätburgunder Badischer Landwein 12.5% last night. Despite a hint of rubber, the lovely semi-carbonic spice aromas set me up for fruit with a touch of sweetness. But it was dry and austere, effectively savory. No apparent VA or oak. Did not particularly bond with food. Has a very particular personality and I suppose, if I channel you, that it's not its fault that the aromatics generated an expectation of (a certain kind of) pleasure that did not fructify. The pleasure that came was dressed in lederhosen, making the word pleasure somewhat synaptically inapt. Plus it left my finely regulated organism slightly tipsy, suggesting that the 12.5% is an underestimation. But, all in all, I think it was better than it sounds.

I think I had a similar reaction, although I might have used different words. The nose is beguiling but it doesn't have the depth of other bottlings. Everything in its place I suppose. In the end, I slotted it as a wine to order in a German wine bar or a casual German restaurant, but nothing I would pursue back in the US.

As far as not bonding with food, surely that depends on the food?!

For sure, but we tried cheese & toast, mortadella, rillette & toast, green salad, none of them generated any chemistry. Maybe schnitzel and potatoes would have worked (sorry, Georg, just trafficking shamelessly in stereotypes).
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Maybe schnitzel and potatoes would have worked (sorry, Georg, just trafficking shamelessly in stereotypes).

More like spaetzle or flammkuchen. (Although maybe someone will interject with some hyper-specific local dishes)

More broadly, while you may not have found the perfect synergy, I don't view these wines as particularly unfriendly to food. Light-medium bodied juicy wines without a lot of tannin seem very well suited to lots of dishes, although at the end of the day I might find other examples with more interest and better QPR than Wasenhaus.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

Finally broached the 2019 Wasenhaus Spätburgunder Badischer Landwein 12.5% last night. Despite a hint of rubber, the lovely semi-carbonic spice aromas set me up for fruit with a touch of sweetness. But it was dry and austere, effectively savory. No apparent VA or oak. Did not particularly bond with food. Has a very particular personality and I suppose, if I channel you, that it's not its fault that the aromatics generated an expectation of (a certain kind of) pleasure that did not fructify. The pleasure that came was dressed in lederhosen, making the word pleasure somewhat synaptically inapt. Plus it left my finely regulated organism slightly tipsy, suggesting that the 12.5% is an underestimation. But, all in all, I think it was better than it sounds.

I think I had a similar reaction, although I might have used different words. The nose is beguiling but it doesn't have the depth of other bottlings. Everything in its place I suppose. In the end, I slotted it as a wine to order in a German wine bar or a casual German restaurant, but nothing I would pursue back in the US.

As far as not bonding with food, surely that depends on the food?!

For sure, but we tried cheese & toast, mortadella, rillette & toast, green salad, none of them generated any chemistry. Maybe schnitzel and potatoes would have worked (sorry, Georg, just trafficking shamelessly in stereotypes).

Since I have had the wines with dinner, I believe a simple roast chicken with fresh herbs would work much better than all the dishes mentioned (tested this a couple of times).
 
Had a 2017 Bellen with Duck Ssam @ Momofuku NY a couple of weeks ago. It was everything I could have wanted. Not big, but intense in a delicate way. More red fruits than black, so aromatic. Phenomenal by itself and even better with the duck. Top of the list for food/wine matches in the ever for me.

So this weekend I pulled out a 2017 Vulkan. If the 2017 Bellen was a ballerina, the 2017 is a defensive lineman. Not much subtlety here yet. Dark fruit, tannin, big mouthful of wine that would have overwhelmed the duck rather than lifting it up.

Terroir...yup. Good stuff.
 
Thanks for reviving this thread. It reminds me, Rahsaan, that now you are in NYC, I should bring Dostert Spatburgunder to our next shindig. Or plan one.
 
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