Happy Halloween: Weinbau Kraemer Müller-Thurgau Steillage 2015, Franken

Year in and year out there must be some room for a little Halloween interlude on my blog! This year it is time for some Müller-Thurgau! Wines made from Müller-Thurgau have doubtlessly an enormous potential to be a perfect match with this “holiday”. Most of them are frightful and downright scary! This Steillagen Müller-Thurgau 2015 from Stephan Kraemer is different! Luckily, it does not really have such a questionable potential! Let's have a look ...

Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2007, Walker Bay

Im Normalfall versuche ich stets den Leser meiner Artikel, Verkostungsnotizen oder sogar bei wirklich Wichtigem ;-) nicht mit belanglosen persönlichen Gefühlsregungen oder biographischen Nichtigkeiten zu langweilen. Heute muss ich diese Grundhaltung etwas aufweichen, da es heute um einen Wein gehen soll, der gedankliche noch immer nachwirkende Sedimente an meinem Gaumen hinterlassen hat. Ich meine natürlich nicht genau exakt diesen Wein. Ich meine vielmehr eine Edition aus grauer prä-bloggosphärischer Vorzeit.

Es mag nunmehr um die neun Jahre her sein als ich den Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir 2001 im virginen Zustand, im damals gerade noch jugendlichem Unverstand, mir die Kehle runter kippte. Auch damals schon, war neben einer ungesunden und verderbenden Sozialisation mit reichlich vielen Bordelaisern Weinen, meine Prä-Pinot-Destination evident. Doch mit Pinot Noirs aus der Neuen Welt kam ich bis zu diesem prägendem und nachhaltigen Erlebnis nur wenig in Kontakt. Was nun letztlich so prägend an diesem „Ur-Pinot-weit-weg“ war ist heute nur noch von belangloser Bedeutung und bestenfalls mit grauenvoll schmalzigen und lückenhaften Erinnerungen widergebbar. Diesen Anschlag in From von schlimmst möglicher Weinlyrik erspare ich dem geschätzten Leser sehr gerne. Nur soviel: es war sicherlich sehr schön! Genug dem Gesülze! Jetzt gibt es Flüssiges ... sogar mehr als nur den "Ur-Pinot-weit-weg"!

Happening Now Tasting 8: Weingut Stadt Klingenberg Buntsandstein Spätburgunder 2011, Franken

Today I am thirsty for easy Pinot Noir! For a change, some German stuff will do nicely, I guess! Since 2010, young Benedikt Baltes is in charge of the Pinot (and of course the others) producing process at Weingut Stadt Klingenberg in Churfranken (a Franconian subregion which is predominantly famous for its redsters). The Spätburgunder Buntsandstein, with reference its type of soil – mottled sandstone, is his entry level Pinot Noir. So, let's check out how his 2011 is doing right now ...

Teutonic Tinto Part 4: Weingut Paul Fürst Spätburgunder R Bürgstadter Centgrafenberg 2007, Franken

Pinot Noir – undoubtedly my most favourite grape variety! Spätburgunder – or in my language: Teutonic Pinot Noir – well, how shall I put it …? Maybe not that undoubtful might be the most diplomatic version! Especially concerning those high-end representatives! Various overambitious characteristics like over-oaking, toasting issues, over extraction, jamy fruit, lots of alc. etc. in plenty - not all, of course - of those high-end Spätburgunders provide me with head-shaking and other feelings I better won’t bring up ...! In my opinon there is far more quality to find in the entry- and mid-range-level sphere of Spätburgunder. Anyway, that's my opinon ... don't know what you guys on the net think!?

Today I’d like to give an high-end Pinot Noir from Teutonia a chance to show me different qualities. The representative for my endeavour: Bürgstädter Centgrafenberg Spätbugunder R 2007 from Weingut Paul Fürst. Since the early 1980s Paul Fürst is the Spätburgunder-Beacon from Mainviereck region in the very west of Bavaria. In recent decades the Pinot Noirs and Frühburgunders from his most famous parcels in Centgrafenberg (southwest facing red sandstone and clay vineyards, altitude between 150 to 250 meters) haven’t had any problems to show paramount examples of fantastic and highly mineral driven Teutonic Pinot Noir. Let’s check this one out …

On the Oregon Trail Part 4: Hunting some Burgs with Evesham Wood Le Puits Sec Pinot Noir 2007, Eola-Amity Hills

Last week it was time for an inevitable situation! A kind of situation I personally don't like: Contest situations. Of course in the end a pretty dumb undertaking! Especially in terms of wine. Whatever, a bit of suspense never hurts! What kind of contest? A contest situation featuring my new Pinot Noir-Adoration Oregon Pinot versus a wild assortment of Burgundians from Nuits-Saint-Georges, Morey-Saint-Denis, Savigny-Les-Beaune etc. and the 4th Teutonic Tinto!

Auto' Red from Auto country: Weingut A. Hofmann Tauberschwarz Röttinger Feuerstein R 2007, Franken

But it did not went down the gullet AUTO'matically … ! 

It was more like a steep hill to climb. But first:

Hi there everybody! Today’s wine might be more unusual to my trusty Russian, French and American readers out there. Not to mention all the others readers from more than 35 different countries. For my German and especially my Franconian readers it might get a bit boring today. Sorry! Next time I will write about something from the Middle-East.
The A. Hofmann winery is one of the few wineries in Franken region who dedicated themselves to the rare Tauberschwarz varietal. Tauberschwarz is a autochtonous, spicy and dark grape varietal from Tauber river in the South-West of Franconia. This Röttinger Feuerstein R was aged for 14 months in Röttinger oak (local production) and is probably one of the best and most complex, as well as varying, examples on the market. This very bottle is the Reserve from the vineyard.

Let’s start! In my glass I detected very dark red and clear reflexes. But not quite black like the name of the wine might implicate (Tauberschwarz = Tauber - name of a river - black). It appeared to be rather juvenile. No brown’ish tendencies on the rim at all. As always, the fragrance was getting more interesting. I smelled a fair amount of blueberries, hazelnuts, milk chocolate, forest berries, slight gentle oak, imaginary flint stone and after a while scents of cherry and juniper joined the club.
Well, that sound rather nice, doesn’t it? Right now, after I have already finished the bottle, I would concur!
However, my first tasting impression wasn’t positive at all. In the first 3 to 4 hours the flavours in my mouth were bitter, smoky, far too lean and some hyper acidic blueberry x cherry + whatsoever earthy-mineral flavours. It appeared to me as a very unbalanced and harsh wine without a convincing body. Somehow it reminded me of young, light bodied and too classical Chianti with far too much acid!?
Well, that sounds crap, doesn’t it? At this very stage I’d agree again. But not so fast, please! After the already mentioned 3 to 4 hours the face of the Tauberschwarz changed completely. The acid tamed, but did not vanish completely – the freshness preserved, the harsh bitterness sodded off, the quite strong mineral character remained and all over sudden some extraordinary creaminess evolved. The tannin structure was strong, but civilized. The accessibility of the wine improved with every minute. Maybe too a bit too exaggerated, but this stage made me so happy, please forgive me for my cheesy and overwhelmed soupçon of madness. The actual body appeared to gain some muscles, too. Very strange shift indeed! The fruitful flavours shifted more to the cherry / bramble side without eradicating my first impression of blueberries and some other forest berries. The traces of juniper from my nose detection centre hopped into my mouth as well. A miraculous metamorphosis to a very enjoyable and unique tasting wine! So, my advice for this wine: Open the bottle, take a good sip and leave it alone for the next 4 or more hours. On the second day it got even-chocolaty better ;-) Steep hills need time to summit …