by Al Drinkle
Calgary, meet Spätburgunder. You may have been entirely oblivious to its existence, but that doesn't diminish its worth or its capacity to improve your life. Spätburgunder is the German word for Pinot Noir, and it's the perfect red wine for right now.
Many are surprised to learn that Germany has a vibrant culture for the world's greatest red wine grape, but in fact, next to France and the United States (both of whose general wine production dwarfs Germany's), it's the third most significant producer of Pinot Noir. Before we get too far, please don't ask us if it's going to be sweet… admittedly the occasional dubious German producer has inexplicably chosen to commercialize off-dry examples, but it's certain that the average American Pinot is “sweeter” than the average Spätburgunder, and the vast majority of the latter retain precisely the amount of residual sugar that good Pinot Noir needs — specifically, none at all.
Spätburgunder infers the late ripening grape of Burgundy. The idea that Cistercian monks transported it from the Côte d’Or to Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau 1000 or so years ago is almost certainly apocryphal, but it's no newcomer! Spätburgunder has been in the ground in Germany for hundreds of years, but exactly how many hundreds remains a topic of debate and speculation. Despite this, its status as a viable and singular winestyle — not to mention the fact that plantings more than doubled between 1990 and 2010 — is a much more recent story, and one that's actively being written.
For years, every time I encountered Spätburgunder I was somewhat confused by it. The celebrated examples of the past couple of decades were usually heavily extracted, ponderously oaky and needlessly alcoholic, which is precisely the last style of red wine that we need from Germany. It goes without saying that there are enough countries producing such wines, and to note Germany's northern proximity on a map should be enough to indicate that it needn't be your source for palate destruction. There were important exceptions to this heavy-handed approach, sure, but exceptions aren't what define a movement. Happily, there have been significant developments regarding what Spätburgunder can, and probably should, be.
Partly due to a change in generation, but even more so due to a general shift in philosophy, today's growers of Spätburgunder are pursuing a fresher, more vibrant style than their predecessors. More importantly, such a style is not one that their colleagues in warmer countries are easily capable of producing. Please note that a scaling back of oak, extraction and alcohol certainly doesn't preclude ageability! (A 1995 Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chȇnes that was recently shared with me would aptly support this thought). It's only fair that I be transparent about the fact that aromatic vividity, freshness, and intensity without weight essentially epitomizes what I most cherish in red wine — and very few categories combine these virtues with the frequency that German Spätburgunder does. However, even if these aren't the characteristics that you tend to value in red wine, it's important to note Spätburgunder's distinctiveness as a unique and viable expression of European Pinot Noir. After all, this story would be a lot less interesting if the lead was merely, “like many winegrowing countries, Germany is making very good but anonymous and indistinct Pinot Noir”.
Today's prime examples of Spätburgunder tend to offer aromatics on the bright, petty and piercing end of the spectrum. Even when aromas of blue and black fruit dominate, their olfactory altitude is of a particularly high register — like you're smelling Chelan cherries from below, or like the pianist is sweetening the sonata with pretty, tinkling high notes. Many are still framed by more new oak than I personally enjoy, but do note that my threshold of enjoyment for perceptible wood is zero¹ , so chances are you wouldn't be so sensitive to this occurrence. Spätburgunder is fruitier than Burgundy, less so than Willamette Valley, and as focussed and articulate as the best from both of these places. Without being specific (for how could one be without also being erroneous?), the palate is likely to consist of a combination of red fruit, flowers, alpine herbs, allusive stoniness, baking spices and incense, along with more savoury, sylvan and sweet terrestrial tones. Whole cluster use — which is common — will bring kirsch and oolong notes to the fore. None of this sounds highly inventive, but the most compelling Spätburgunders communicate these qualities in an original way, within structural frameworks that animate and instigate salivation. They can achieve an intensity of flavor with an appetizing absence of density, and you'll encounter such wines up and down the quality spectrum.
The timing of Spätburgunder's stylistic and qualitative shift is also noteworthy, not that it wouldn't have been exciting at any point in time. But at the moment, Burgundy, Pinot Noir's birthplace and the traditional source for its most hallowed wines, is itself undergoing changes. Leaving aside concerns of escalating alcohol levels and stylistic shifts due to climate change, the prices for the Burgundies that we all want to drink have become wildly untenable. It could be argued that the quality of Burgundy has never been so high, but it must also be admitted that few wines from the region offer value according to any reasonable definition of the word. Burgundy's partisans — amongst whom I emphatically count myself — are likely undergoing a recalibration of their love for the region, while simultaneously looking elsewhere for compelling European Pinot Noir.
Germany is the most obvious “elsewhere”, and climate change has been mostly beneficial to its wine production so far. Spätburgunder, however, isn't merely a stylistic replica of Burgundy, and if it was it wouldn't be nearly as exciting. But good Spätburgunder shares with Burgundy a commendable sense of grace and energy, offering fruit as an important component amongst other fascinating nuances, and not merely as the facile headline. And like so many of their international colleagues, organic and biodynamic farming is commonplace amongst quality-minded German Pinot producers. Though we offer a few that are rather expensive, I'd still argue that they're fairly priced, and the quality that you'll find for under $45 CAD (which is about $7 USD at the time of writing) is simply mindboggling.
The Germans have had a long time to learn how to work with Spätburgunder, and it’s found in all 13 official wine regions. It's the perfect red wine for those who consider drinkability and complexity as complimentary virtues, and the aromas and flavours hybridize attractive motifs of regions that you probably already love. German Spätburgunder is one of the most compelling European wine stories of the moment, and it's only going to get more exciting.
¹ I don't think I'll ever understand why winegrowers who go to such lengths to pursue terroir specificity — often engendering collections that are unruly marketing nightmares in the process — feel that it's sensible to obscure the inherent individuality of their wines with the aromas and flavours of oak sourced from a completely different country.
Here's what we've got on offer:
Enderle & Moll - Munchweier, Baden
My first Spätburgunder epiphany happened here. Biodynamic farming and lo-fi winemaking (now in two garages instead of one!) result in aromatically-aerial, wild, crunchy, singular Spätburgunder.
2021 Spätburgunder Rosé $39
2021 Pinot Noir “Basis” $38
2021 Pinot Noir “Liaison” $51
2021 Pinot Noir "Muschelkalk” $79 SOLD OUT
Am Schlipf / Familie Schneider - Weil am Rhein, Baden
At the confluence of Germany, Switzerland and France, the Schneider brothers’ haunting Spätburgunders are the very measure of understatement, elegance and grace.
2020 Spätburgunder “Vom Kalkstein” $43
2020 Weil am Rhein Spätburgunder “Alte Reben” $68
Wasenhaus - Staufen, Baden
These are simply some of the most soul-stirring wines that we know of. Quantities are miniscule, and seldom has such legendary status been achieved over such a short period of time. Expensive, and very good value.
2021 Spätburgunder $61 SOLD OUT
2021 Spätburgunder "Vulkan” $86 SOLD OUT
2021 Spätburgunder “Bellen” $144 SOLD OUT
2021 Spätburgunder “Möhlin” $144 SOLD OUT
Gebrüder Mathis - Merdingen, Baden
Family ownership was retained when winemaking skipped a generation here, but the wine below marks the first Spätburgunder vintage from life- and winegrowing-partners Severin Stich and Sabeth Sedlatschek… and what a debut!
2020 Spätburgunder “Kalbödele” $32
Darting - Bad Dürkheim, Pfalz
The Darting family has no delusion about making the most cerebral wines on the planet, but nobody makes more delicious, heartwarming Spätburgunder at better prices.
2019 Spätburgunder $26
2022 Blanc de Noirs $24
Wagner-Stempel - Siefersheim, Rheinhessen
These Riesling masters have been quietly fine-tuning their Spätburgunder program for years, and the results are nuanced and texturally-beguiling.
2021 Rheinhessen Spätburgunder $35
Dr. Deinhard - Deidesheim, Pfalz
This is the "playful” label from the arch-innovators at Von Winning, and the wine is buoyant, cool-toned and awash in lavish, plummy fruit.
2021 Spätburgunder $29
Laisse Tomber - Baden
Laisse Tomber is Bastian Wölber, a German who's been making wine in Volnay, Burgundy for the past few years. He's kept a hand in the Spätburgunder game in the form of this savoury, untamed seducer sourced from his childhood home in Baden's Markgräflerland.
2022 Spätburgunder $85
