Recently, I hosted a wine night where we blind tasted a dozen Pinot Noirs. Although we correctly guessed the varietal each time (thankfully), we were often divided when we tried to determine the country or region of origin for that particular Pinot Noir. One of the wines that particularly surprised us was this Pinot Noir or Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir in German) from the Baden region of Germany. Half of the room said that it was definitely old world and the other claimed it was Oregon or Santa Barbara. Germany was nowhere on our radar when it came to Pinot Noir. It had a classic spiced cherry and strawberry nose and a somewhat full body. I don't think that any of us expected such a full bodied red wine from Germany. It wasn't like some crazy Carneros Pinot Noir, but it wasn't thin and overly acidic either.
None of us knew anything about Baden save for the fact that it was a southerly wine region along the Rhine in Germany. I have learned that Baden is the third largest wine region in Germany. More that 50 percent of the grapes grown there are Spätburgunder. It's climate is comparable to Alsace which also produces some cool Pinot Noirs.
Maybe this region doesn't get a lot of respect because the vast majority of the wine is made by cooperatives. Perhaps that's why it's not super popular. However, the wine we tasted was from an estate. The winery is Heger, it's a family winery. They have been around since the 1940's. They have become famous for their Pinot Noir and their Pinot Gris. Both of these grapes grow well on the estate's loess soils.
Loess is one of those cool soils you also see in Austria, its name means "loose" in German. It's made up of sand and clay and calcium carbonate (fish skeletons)- basically the bed of an ancient sea. Very cool.
Basically -give Pinot Noir from Germany a try. Keep an open mind!
color: ruby red
nose: cinnamon spice, red cherry, wild strawberrypalate: cherry and red currant on palate, full body with balanced acidity, medium finish
approximate retail $25
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