Baden, Germany
Christoph Wolber and Alexander Götze met in Burgundy while getting their enology education at the local school in Beaune. At the same time they both worked full time jobs between some of Burgundy’s top biodynamic estates: Alex has spent nearly a decade between Pierre Morey and De Montille, where he is currently the chef de culture (the vineyard manager), and Christoph had some years at Leflaive, Bernhard van Berg, Domaine de la Vougeraie and Comte Armand. Shortly after they became roommates, they hatched a plan to return to Germany and start a new project in Baden, a wine region that sits on the east side of the Rhine Graben, across from and within sight of the Alsatian wine region, all in a valley that separates Germany’s Black Forest from France’s Vosge mountains.
This wine is composed of grapes from two vineyard sites south of Baden and within sight of Switzerland’s beautiful town of Basel. Atypical for this region known for its heavier clay, marl (calcium carbonate mud stones) and löss, these vineyards are more limestone and sand. Vine ages for this wine are around 30 years old.
Made with 10% whole bunches and 90% destemmed grapes, it spends one year in old 228-liter barrels followed by six months in stainless steel. No fining or filtration. reshness were further enhanced by minimal movement of the mash and pressing after about two weeks.
The 2018 Pinot Noir is already very open and fragrant, on the one hand with the typical ripe fruit aromas of the vintage, plum, currant and blueberry, but also cool and filigree notes of whole grapes, a little violet, rosemary and mint. Overall very complex and multi-layered, with every puff, new aromas are added, fine smokiness and a little ginger, that just doesn't stop.