Ratzenberger’s spätburgunder is a life-affirming case that has delicate, feminine and Burgundian fruit combined with juicy identity and that hint of rustic-herb green that is just right. Bacharacher Spätburgunder is a complex but surprisingly immediate and honest wine, where the wine seems to evaporate in the glass.
German pinot noir (=spätburgunder) is otherwise many things – everything from sour, anemic shag to gumption, baroque cask bombs from ‘the dark side’. So if you’ve tried one, you definitely haven’t tried them all. Today, Germany probably stands as the world’s most interesting offer for serious pinot noir – the potential is enormous and so is the pool of talent.
In the Mittelrhein’s Bacharach valley, where Ratzenberger sits on the best plots, the grapes get plenty of sun, but the cool climate means long growing seasons with late harvests and thin-skinned grapes that produce bright but aromatic wines.
As the cask aging takes place in old casks, there are no oak aromas in the wine – you can just feel the micro-oxidation that the aging gives, which rounds off the wine and contributes to the ethereal style.
Aroma and taste offer red cherries, currants and cranberries with mold and geranium in the background. Juiciness and fine intensity are not matched by fullness: this wine is an intense lightweight that may not be for everyone, but for the growing crowd of cold climate enthusiasts, this is excellent entertainment.
Enjoy this wine from spacious burgundy glasses, served slightly below room temperature, at approx. 15-16°.
