Hey, Robert, I enjoyed listening to your podcast interview. If you remember, Carsten Saalwächter’s younger sister, Lea, did the last year of her apprenticeship at Hofgut Falkenstein starting in 2020. He recommended that she contact the estate after meeting us at a Vinum awards ceremony in Mainz. (For Christmas, she gave Johannes, Yong, and me each a bottle of Müller-Thurgau, named “Fritz,” that she made with her boyfriend, Marc. It was delicious and comes from a vineyard in Remstal.)
Six years ago, I met Jonas Dostert at Weingut Egon Müller, where his friend Heiner Bollig gave us a tour of the vineyard and cellar. Erich and Johannes Weber joined us. A couple of years later, Jonas, without my asking, lent me the book Kellergeschichten by Junko Iwamoto. Few people know that Klaus Peter Keller’s late mother, Heidi Keller (née Michaeli), came from Nittel, of all places, and worked at the viticultural school in Bernkastel. According to Klaus Peter, she assisted Eberhard von Kunow of Weingut von Hövel with clonal selection in Scharzhofberg and Oberemmeler Hütte. Like Julien Renard, whom I first met in Bad Kreuznach in 2016, Jonas has received high praise from Mosel Fine Wines, and deservedly so. I really liked the 2020 Pinot Noir from Jonas. In January, Per Linder and I visited with him for nearly five hours.
You are a great advocate of German wines (the passion always comes through). Enjoyed the episode and as a side remark - I think the importance of the tastings with Eric and his subsequentlal writing triggered and influenced a great deal of people (myself included - thanks facilitating!).
Personally I think he’s one of the great wine writes that perhaps doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves, but that’s perhaps for another thread.
One other important factor I thought about when it comes to the change and improved quality of Spätburgunder is yields, though it’s somehow is there within the context of of what the new generation and focus to details. At least I assme this is a major change. I have no data or anything to build that on but my guess is that there must have been relatively high output (and as you mentioned, cellar corrections later on).
I’m thinking of the change E&M meant in Baden with old vines, farming practice, cellar work, etc. vs. the practices and focus at that time. And to connect it with Burgundy, recall Jasper Morris keep banging on about PN being quite yield sensitive…
After thinking about it, then i lumped all US wine into one category as well several times hehe. So guess that would feel as strange to people based in the US as calling Germany a region for me
Anyways back on topic. I will taste Makalié’s Bleuwen next to Wasenhaus early this March. Very excited to try Makalié’s top wine.
Had the 2017 Vulkan last night and I agree with your note. I love the earthier aspects of the wine. I like my Pinots to be earthy and a little dirty as long as it still has fruit which this did. It was a huge hit with everyone at the table. And a godsend to find on a restaurant list for the current retail price of the 2020!
I do not have that much experience with them. I have bought all of Lyle’s offers and recall liking them. They are more polished than Enderle & Moll and more ripe than Dostert. I bought some from his most recent offer.
As a part of a bigger lineup i picked out these two from a restaurant list.
Think there is enough talk about Wasenhaus here. But after some time in the glass the 2018 Bellen really opened up and was a real treat.
Makalié, Chapelle, 2020:
Instantly jumped out of the glass. Light without lacking any intensity. It has that sweet red fruited note on the nose that i often pick up in these low sulfites wines. But as it often is with these wines it does not translate to a ripe feeling when you taste it.
I think this is where people often think these “natural” wines feel very ripe without it actually being the case. 12,5% abv. Cherries, deliciously floral and with some wholecluster action. It felt less volatile than the base Spätburgunder i mentioned earlier in this thread. A very good wine. Will probably seek out a few for my cellar.
Edit after a few more hours of air where it just became better:
Enderle & Moll, Muschelkalk, 2018.
Last bottle.
It needed a lot of air to really show itself from its best side, but then it also became really delicious!
Dark cherries and cranberries. More red fruited on the palate with some sweet strawberries. Some noticeable VA as expected (and initially a bit overpowering), but with air it became very well integrated. Stem spices, roses, cinnamon, orange peel and autumn leafs. 13,5% abv. High acidity, that along with the VA, gives that fresh kick in your mouth. I always liked Muschelkalk, the most elegant wine in the top bracket of Enderle & Moll’s wines.
It is very good and enjoyable now! But give it some air. I didn’t decant it, but just let it breath in the bottle for a few hours.
I really like the wines from Enderle & Moll when they are on. But i have not been super thrilled about every vintage. 2019 was the last vintage i bought as my focus shifted towards Wasenhaus. If every vintage was as good as 2018 i would probably buy some more again.
On Instagram, an astute taster posted about a recent Spätburgunder tasting at the restaurant Coquine in Portland, Oregon. “The wines really ran the gamut,” he says. The list included wines from Wasenhaus (both 2018 Bellen and 2019 Spätburgunder), Stein (2021 Kabinett trocken), Durst (2017), Daniel Twardowski (2017 Pinot Noix), J.B. Becker (2014 Kabinett trocken), Shelter Winery (2020), Enderle & Moll (2020 Liaison), Fürst (2020 Klingenberger), and Peter Leipold (2019 “R”). His favorite of the bunch was Hofgut Falkenstein (2019). Happy Easter!
Wasenhaus Bellen 2016… guess this is one of the last bottles left in existence from their first vintage.
When i opened it, the cork was a little more soaked than i liked and the nose just felt a bit old and muted. Took a sip and there was some primary cherries, but overall it felt muted too… Gave me hope though.
A few hours later… damn!
So herbal and floral. Jumping out the glass. More mellow than younger vintages, but not as developed as the 2017 Vulkan i made a note on earlier. Simply beautiful!
Markovic with some of the same traits, but bigger in frame. A little sweet and with some VA a bit out of balance. There is a lot to like here, but it is not there yet.
Falkenstein a bit disappointing. Not a bad wine in any way, but just doesn’t have the same aromatics or intensity of the two other wines.
