Spätburgunder für alle

originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
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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Great idea!

Did you guys ever do that spatburgunder dinner last year? Regardless, seems like as good of an autumnal theme as any. Perhaps try to get a date before the end of the year.

Technically, I don't have any spatburgunder cellared, but some German riesling options to start.
 
Sorry for the short notice. I am organizing an incredible Spätburgunder dinner this Sunday (12/4) in the Private Carriage House at Vinegar Hill House. Stephen Bitterolf of Vom Boden, Lyle Fass of Fass Selections and I will be donating all of the wines. It will be the most comprehensive tasting of Spätburgunder in the U.S. since we did the dinner at Seasonal that Eric Asimov wrote up. It will only be 10 people and I have two seats open. Please reach out if you have any interest.
 
spatburgunder.jpg
this was also incredible with the seating just as limited, although to be fair mainly due to obesity of my host

among the variation in dirt, micro climate, and of course clones, there is something for every day of the week here. can even throw in winemaking, since i doubt ode halde walked off the vineyard expecting to grow up to be a red that drinks like a white in the mold of classic Brezeme rouge. only for the first couple of hours though - it eventually found the little remaining unoccupied space in the room to fill out and encircle its stony blackness to play nicely with the other kids
 
Nice. I kept meaning to try the Beurer Spätburgunder but never got around to it. Sounds exactly like what one would imagine.
 
Spätburgunder Rose Welcome
2020 Soilpimp Selections Falkenstein Herrenberg Zuckerberg (Saar)
2020 Lukas Hammelmann Roter Berg Rose (Pfalz)

Butter Lettuce Salad
2014 Stein Spätburgunder Waechter (Mosel)
2015 Stein Spätburgunder Waechter (Mosel)
2018 Stein Pinot Noir “Waechter” (Mosel)
2019 Jonas Dostert Spätburgunder 164 / 237 (Upper Mosel)

Chicken Liver Mousse
2017 Daniel Twardowski Pinot Noir Ardoise (Mosel)
2018 Markus Molitor Graacher Himmelreich*** (Mosel)
2018 Steinmetz Kestener Herrenberg Pinot Noir** (Mosel)
2019 Leipolds Pinot Noir Trocken (Franken)

Roast Chicken
2006 Mobitz Kapelle (Baden)
2007 Josef Walter “J” Centgrafenberg Frühburgunder (Franken)
2013 Josef Walter “J” Centgrafenberg (Franken)
2013 Fürst Centgrafenberg GG (Franken)

Red Waddle Pork Chop
2014 Mobitz Kanzel (Baden)
2019 Wasenhaus Kanzel (Baden
2018 Enderle & Moll Ida (Baden)
2019 Saalwächter Assmannshausen (Rheinhessen)

Cheese
2015 Keller Frauenberg GG (Rheinhessen)
2015 Ziereisen Jaspis Alte Reben (Baden)
2018 Dr Heger Schlossberg GG (Baden)
2018 Wasenhaus Möhlin (Baden)

The dinner was an absolute huge success and I finally got to meet Rahsaan in person! My overarching goal was to show where Spätburgunder is today. I curated a group of a couple of long-time German importers/retailers, a few long-time German collectors and a few youngerish collectors to help guide an interesting discussion.

Three of us were at the 2010 tasting and we all noted how this tasing was significantly better in terms of overall quality. There was not a single bottle that I would not want in my cellar and many that I really want in my cellar. The newer producers showed extremely well, there is a great future for Pinot in Germany.

Some overall observations:

The old guard Molitor, Dr. Heger and Furst still show just a tad too much oak young but it was not that bad and should integrate in time. Of this group most liked the Molitor and Furst.

The Mosel had a very strong showing with Jonas Dostert and Daniel Twardoski really impressing the group. And when factoring in price the Ulli Stein wines were also charming(just like Ulli) and well received.

For me Baden is definitely the epicenter for Pinot in Germany - the 2018 Wasenhaus Möhlin was my wine of the night followed by the 2006 Mobitz Kapelle.

The J Walter wines also showed really well. I have been buying them from Fass for awhile but have not really drunk many.

My top wines were as follows:

2018 Wasenhaus Möhlin
2006 Mobitz Kapelle
2019 Jonas Dostert
2020 Lukas Hammelmann Roter Berg Rose
 
Thanks to Robert for organizing such a great evening. I agree with pretty much everything you say.

So many delicious wines, it would be hard for me to choose favorites. I really liked the Stein wines and the Dostert, as well as the Twardowski. Although to follow up on our mini sidebar about Spätburgunder pricing and 'value' relative to Burgundy, I see Crush selling the 2019 Twardowski for $130, which is well beyond what I would be willing to pay for its juicy charms. But, it was certainly charming!

I also really liked the 2018 Wasenhaus Möhlin, the 2018 E&M Ida and the 06 Mobitz.

And for all the readers at home, Robert didn't even post the slew of 'bonus' wines that came afterwards! All delicious (on and off-theme), and I particularly liked Lyle's 2015 from Jürgen von der Mark.

Great evening!
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Thanks to Robert for organizing such a great evening. I agree with pretty much everything you say.

So many delicious wines, it would be hard for me to choose favorites. I really liked the Stein wines and the Dostert, as well as the Twardowski. Although to follow up on our mini sidebar about Spätburgunder pricing and 'value' relative to Burgundy, I see Crush selling the 2019 Twardowski for $130, which is well beyond what I would be willing to pay for its juicy charms. But, it was certainly charming!

I also really liked the 2018 Wasenhaus Möhlin and the 06 Mobitz.

And for all the readers at home, Robert didn't even post the slew of 'bonus' wines that came afterwards! All delicious (on and off-theme), and I particularly liked Lyle's 2015 from Jürgen von der Mark.

Great evening!
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I absolutely agree with you on the Twardowski pricing. The Dostert for $50-60 is an entirely different story. And the Wasenhaus Möhlin also around $130 is worth it to me in comparison to what I can get in Burgundy.
 
originally posted by fatboy:
originally posted by Robert Dentice:
Stephen wrote up a nice summary of the evening.

Vom Boden Spätburgunderstudy write up
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dudes who sell wine writing about wines that they sell.

i guess it was always thus. it's the making out there's nothing else that caused teh ripple in the fatforce. is teh politburo on holiday, or did I miss the last purge?

fb.
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I guess as a former German wine industry tycoon you would know best!
 
originally shilled by Robert Dentice:

I guess as a former German wine industry tycoon you would know best!
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just to be clear, i have never earned a cent from the importation / exportation of german wine. i have occasionally helped hook growers up with importers and vice versa, which has meant that sometimes friendships have been involved. i have always tried to make these clear in what i write. (which i do less and less these days, for the same reasons.)

what about you?

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originally posted by fatboy:
originally shilled by Robert Dentice:

I guess as a former German wine industry tycoon you would know best!
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just to be clear, i have never earned a cent from the importation / exportation of german wine. i have occasionally helped hook growers up with importers and vice versa, which has meant that sometimes friendships have been involved. i have always tried to make these clear in what i write. (which i do less and less these days, for the same reasons.)

what about you?

fb. (returning everyone else to their regular scheduled advertisements)
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Were you not a partner in Selection Massale? I have been involved with source | material for two years solely, like you, because I want to help growers. I personally hate how people on wine boards immediately accuse anyone in the wine business of being a shill. I like to think someone who puts on a Spätburgunder dinner is doing it for the right reasons and not to get rich...which was why I jokingly referred to you as a German wine tycoon. What Swabia did not make you rich?? BTW I am kidding around.

I hesitated to even post about the dinner here. I am glad I did because Rahsaan saw it and came. For the record we sold four of the approximate 25 wines through source | material and don't have a single bottle for sale and I donated the majority of wines from my cellar and make no money from the wine bus. These days I don't make much from investment banking either.

Lastly any new German discoveries that need help?
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:
I personally hate how people on wine boards immediately accuse anyone in the wine business of being a shill.
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there's a simple solution. be transparent in your relationships. and hype a bit less. "my overarching goal was to show where spätburgunder is today." it's a nice group of wines, but it's a long way from that.

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originally posted by Rahsaan:
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.
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an 08 in october was the best version of this wine i've had.

they age sneakily. is a trait of pinot, i find.

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originally posted by fatboy:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
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.
Click to expand...

an 08 in october was the best version of this wine i've had.

they age sneakily. is a trait of pinot, i find.

fb.
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Good to hear. I look forward to more drinking more.

Per your earlier point, I can't claim to have a comprehensive sense of German Spätburgunder, but Holger Koch is one of my favorites. I mentioned at the tasting that it would have been nice to see them in the mix. But, we certainly had more than enough wine, as the body does have daily limits!

And as a mere consumer of wine, I've always appreciated when the ITB folks of various kinds mingle and share their perspective and knowledge. I could be wrong, but most of the types that cross my orbit seem far from mercenary in their approach.

(I have attended dinners where the ITB-speak was focused on investment value and wine as commodity, so we know that's out there. But Robert and his crew do not seem to be in that spirit)
 
Just saw a rave for Martin Wassmer's Castellberg PN GC from Baden. Not mentioned above. Goes for seventy something Euros in Germany. Any thoughts on this wine or producer?
 
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