With prices for many top Pinot Noirs from Burgundy steadily increasing, the wine press is full of articles on substitutes. I believe that there are no substitutes for Pinot Noir from Burgundy, there can only be other good Pinot Noirs from elsewhere. To compare German Spätburgunder against Pinot Noir from Burgundy is a popular theme for tastings in my neck of the woods. However, it’s always difficult to find the proper wines for a good comparative tasting. It’s only been around ten years that high quality Spätburgunder is produced in Germany from more than a handful of producers, so there are not many quality bottles from vintages older than - say - 2005. Then there is the question of which wines to pick. The best of both worlds? That would likely get very expensive on the Burgundy side. In addition, not all German Spätburgunders are made from limestone soils, some from sandstone, some from slate (Ahr, Rheingau), some from soils more resembling those in the Jura, which also makes the comparison difficult.
I decided that I’d try to do a “middle class” comparative tasting and tried to pick wines which are roughly in the same price class (just under 20 Euros to just under 50 Euros), all from the same vintage (2007), two wines from each producer and Spätburgunders only from Baden and only from limestone soils or soils with limestone components. This led to twelve wines, two from each producer, six from Burgundy, six from Baden. 2007 was one of the best, maybe the best, vintage of the last decade for Spätburgunder. It was sort of a breakthrough year as the 2007s were among the first Spätburgunders that received worldwide attention. It also led to steep price increases afterwards (from 2009 onwards). In Burgundy, 2007 was a medium year, the wines being approachable on the early side.
All wines were opened 6 hours in advance and none was decanted. However, in the middle of the tasting, I decanted one wine (2007 Huber Schlossberg GG) because it felt like it could use some air to open up. I served all wines blind, all the others knew were the vintage and that there were 6 wines from Burgundy and 6 from Baden, two from each producer.
Bracket 1: Martin Wassmer Schlatter Spätburgunder “SW” vs. Lignier Michelot MSD Charmes
The first bracket started with the “SW” Spätburgunder from Martin Wassmer, which is comparable in standing to Villages wines from Burgundy, and the Morey St. Denis Charmes from Virgile Lignier-Michelot. The group was fairly disappointed with the Wassmer as it was very heavily marked by oak and the fruit was a bit thin. Wassmer vinifies his wines with up to 60% of stems and this wine had a pretty strong stemmy character.The Lignier Michelot was great for me, very light, very high toned, very charming. For others in the group, it lacked a bit of concentration. Everyone guessed the country of origin for the two wines right. The group guessed Johner as the producer for the German wine and Chambolle or Morey for the origin of the French wine.
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2007 Martin Waßmer Spätburgunder Schlatter -SW- - Germany, Baden
Dark cherry red. In the nose very oaky, some high toned fruit (strawberry, red currant), exotic spices. Agreeable, but very much marked by oak. On the palate, it’s a bit rough, seems stemmy, there’s some oak again, the acidity is fine and well integrated, the fruit is a bit thin and diluted fruit, there are stemmy bitter notes in the finish. Gets better on the very end of the finish. (84 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Aux Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
Transparent light red, watery towards the edges. Very light and airy in the nose, high toned fruit, raspberry, strong floral notes and earthy undertones. Very elegant. On the palate, it’s light, but it’s got great structure, fine acidity, clear fruit, raspberry again. It’s juicy and mouthwatering. Excellent. (91 pts.)
Bracket 2: Forey NSG Les Perrières vs. Ziereisen “Schulen”
The second bracket started with the Burgundy. I very much liked the Forey for its Nuits St. Georges character and the group liked it a lot as well. We were all very disappointed by the Ziereisen because it was even more thin and diluted than the first Spätburgunder and was marked even more by oak. It was drinkable, but really quite disappointing. The group guessed the origin of the wines right immediately once the Ziereisen was poured, someone in the group also guessed Ziereisen right. The guesses for the origin of the Burgundy ranged from Chambolle to Vosne, but everyone said Côtes de Nuits.
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2007 Forey Père et Fils Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Purplish red. In the nose very floral with strong violet notes, the fruit starts a bit diffuse, but gets more precise with air. It’s dark in profile, there’s cassis and black cherry. This is framed by light oak notes. On the palate, this is great, slightly tart, crunchy dark berries, light herbal notes. Very fresh finish, which could be longer. (90 pts.) -
2007 Ziereisen Blauer Spätburgunder Schulen - Germany, Baden
Viscous cherry red. In the nose, this is VERY oaky, there’s cold hard oak, smoky notes, burnt ash, also a tiny bit of dilute fruit. On the palate, this is very thin, there’s good minerality though. It tastes of cold ash again, the acidity is next to everything else. I’m pretty confident that this won’t improve much, the oak seems just too heavy for the thin fruit. (81 pts.)
Bracket 3: Pavelot SlB Aux Guettes vs. Huber Bombacher Sommerhalde GG
Also the third bracket started with the Burgundy, which was one of only two wines that screamed “Closed for Business”. In the nose, it started out quite open, but shot down with every minute in the glass. In the mouth, it was super austere and tart. It does have its appeal though. In contrast, the Huber was very disappointing at first, but improved with every minute in the glass. In the end, it was quite a nice wine. I have a second bottle which I’ll keep for a few more years. In this bracket, the group had more difficulties guessing the origin of the wines right. However, in the end the vote was unanimous for Burgundy first and Baden second. Someone guessed Corton for the Pavelot, which I guess you can take as a compliment for the wine.
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2007 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Guettes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Clear cherry red. In the nose quite fragrant, warm, rather high toned, not much fruit, a tiny bit yeasty. Not bad, but hard to pin down. On the palate, this is really shut down, very tart, restrained, austere, strong tannins, very strong acidity, mineral core. The underlying material seems not bad, but this needs more time. (87 pts.) -
2007 Bernhard Huber Bombacher Sommerhalde Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs - Germany, Baden
Medium cherry red. In the nose quite agreeable, high toned fruit of raspberry and strawberry, not super complex, but nicely fragrant. On the palate, it’s got good structure, it’s transparent, the acidity is bright and shining, the fruit expression is very clear. Unfortunately, the finish is very short. This has further potential, it improved a lot in the glass. (89 pts.)
Food Break: Potato Soup, Soumaintrain and Ponsot Chambolle Charmes
Then we had a little dinner break with a Potato Soup from Baden (with lots of herbs and some crème fraiche), a Soumaintrain and the 2007 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Charmes from Domaine Ponsot. This is a winner, it’s available for a decent price (around 50 Euros), is very Chambolle in character and was just a little longer and more intense than some of the other 2007s that we had that night. Great wine, of which I’ll buy a few bottles.
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2007 Domaine Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Light and transparent crimson red. In the nose, this is super fragrant, jumps out of the glass in an airy way. It’s very elegant, there’s raspberry and griotte cherry as well as floral notes. Very Chambolle in character. On the palate, it’s light, but you can feel the structure, the tannins and acidity are mild and give more an invisible structure rather than make themselves heard. Floral and red berry notes again. Remarkably long finish. This is pure understatement, great wine. (93 pts.)
Bracket 4: Ziereisen Rhini vs. Pavelot Pernand-Vergelesses Les Vergelesses
The second round of the tasting started with the Rhini from Ziereisen, which was much better than the Schulen (at a price difference of 4 Euros, this is a no-brainer). Also when I tasted the 2008 Pinot Noirs at Ziereisen some years ago, I clearly preferred the Rhini to the Schulen. It seems to be a recurring trend. Someone in the group guessed right that it was the Ziereiesen Rhini. Also the second Pavelot was much better than the first, much more open, more accessible, again with rather strong acidity, but much easier to drink than the Aux Guettes. Almost everyone in the group linked it to the Forey Perrières and I can understand it as this was similar in its dark fruit profile. Someone else in the group guessed Pommard.
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2007 Ziereisen Blauer Spätburgunder Rhini - Germany, Baden
Transparent medium red. In the nose, this is pleasant, warm, quite open, nicely transparent in its aromatics. There’s a hint of oak, but it’s subtle enough. On the palate, this is clear, fine, well structured, it has “bite”, fairly strong acidity, mild tannins, there’s a tiny bit of oaky bitterness. Quite compact. Austere finish that is a bit thin in the end. (90 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
Transparent cherry red. In the nose, there’s dark fruit, cherry, cassis, it’s extremely precise, clear and pure. Cool appearance overall. On the palate, it’s equally clear, dark fruited, minerally, quite acidic, fairly austere, but beautiful. Slightly short finish. (91 pts.)
Bracket 5: Martin Wassmer “GC” vs. Lignier Michelot Les Chenevery
Then we had the second Wassmer of the night, this time the “GC” which stands for “Grand Cru” and was up to 2008 a cuvée from different parcels. From the 2009 vintage on there are two “GC” Spätburgunders, from the Schlatter Maltesergarten and from the Dottinger Castellberg. This was much better than the “SW” (at almost double the price) and many in the group liked it quite well. Others found it too simple, too voluptuous and too much. I found it quite good, but for me it just doesn’t justify its price tag. The Lignier Michelot was very good, but I preferred the Charmes as it was a bit more precise. Here, the group guessed the origin of the two wines right, but didn’t match the wines correct with their predecessors in round 1.
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2007 Martin Waßmer Pinot Noir GC - Germany, Baden
Transparent cherry red. In the nose, this is wonderfully fragrant with high pitched red berry fruit, fresh mushrooms, hints of oak, earthy undertones. On the palate, it’s got bite, fine to strong acidity, fine fruit, some oak, there’s good minerality. The finish is marked by dark green notes reminiscent of pine needles. (89 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Chenevery - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
Medium cherry red. In the nose, there’s ripe red fruit, strawberry mainly. The nose is marked by earthy and spicy notes, it’s very oriental in its spiciness. On the palate, the fruit is crisp, the wine is clear, precise, very well balanced, there’s good acidity and ripe, but present tannin. Medium long finish. (90 pts.)
Bracket 6: Forey NSG Les St. Georges vs. Huber Schlossberg GG
In the last bracket we started with the Les St. Georges from Forey, a marvellous wine of good intensity and length, quite similar in profile to his Perrières, but better. Also the Huber was a winner, I had decanted it for two hours because the Sommerhalde had improved before with air. The Huber really was the only wine that came close to the Burgundies in overall quality and finesse. The Ziereisen Rhini and the Wassmer “GC” were good for their intensity and characteristic aromatic profile, but they did lack in finesse a bit. We had given up on guessing at this point.
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2007 Forey Père et Fils Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Fairly dark cherry red, getting lighter towards the rim. In the nose, this is just very slightly reductive, but that blows off quickly with air. There’s cassis and black cherry, it’s extremely fragrant, clear and pure. Wonderful. On the palate, it starts with a bit of CO² that blows off quickly. There’s crisp fruit, fine to mild acidity, quite strong tannin, but great structure. Medium long finish. (93 pts.) -
2007 Bernhard Huber Hecklinger Schlossberg Spätburgunder “R” Großes Gewächs - Germany, Baden
Medium crimson colour, a bit cloudy. In the nose, this is quite dense, rather high toned with raspberry and forest strawberry notes, very clear, nicely fragrant, hints of oak that add to the appeal. On the palate, this is high toned again, beautiful, great structure, medium to mild acidity, crisp raspberry fruit, some tannin. Long. (92 pts.)
Dessert: 1971 Staatsweingüter Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Auslese
No tasting chez moi without an old bottle of Staatsweingüter. This time we had the 1971 Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Auslese. The group was sceptical due to the darkish amber colour. But this was still very fresh and wonderful right out the gate. Great vintage, solid producer, good vineyard. This wine was marvellous.
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1971 Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Auslese - Germany, Rheingau
Cork was wet and loose and fell into the bottle. Amber coloured. In the nose, this is beautiful, there’s caramel, crème brulée, baked apple, tarte tatin notes. It’s super elegant and fragrant. Simply beautiful. On the palate, it’s full, sweet, but not very sweet, very fresh, slightly bitter in the very long finish. (94 pts.)
Add on: Vocoret 1995 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
Just because I was curious on how this wine (a cheap purchase at ebay) tasted, we ended the night with a 1995 Vocoret Chablis Valmur, for me a great wine and the reason why I continue to take my chances on aged white Burgundy despite the prem-ox problem. This was super fresh, but with the complexity that only wines with some bottle age have. A great wine to end the night, even though it was a bit difficult to drink after the Auslese.
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1995 Domaine Vocoret et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Medium golden yellow. In the nose, there’s yellow and green apple, lemon, fresh nuts and hints of mushroom. It’s warm and fresh at the same time. On the palate, this is very well structured, the acidity is quite prominent and crisp, there are nutty notes again, very vibrant finish marked by acidity. Very, very good. (91 pts.)
It was interesting to see that the group eventually guessed all wines right as to their origin (Baden or Burgundy). Most wines were located correctly right on the first sniff, the rest at least once the second wine of the flight was poured. The less good of the Spätburgunders were marked by thin, diluted fruit and heavy use of oak, the better ones did not deny their origin and were appealing for different reasons than the Burgundy Pinot Noirs. The only wine where the group had difficulties guessing the origin and which even appealed to the most passionate burgheads on the table was the Huber Hecklinger Schlossberg GG.
On the positive side, we had no corked wines and most wines were already approacheable. The only wines that seemed shut down were the Huber Sommerhalde GG and the Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Guettes. On the negative side, although I’d love to buy and drink more German Spätburgunder, the only one I’d buy again was the Huber Schlossberg GG and that was the most expensive bottle of the tasting. If I compare it to a wine like the Forey Les St. Georges (costing 8 Euros less) or the Ponsot Chambolle Charmes (costing 8 Euros more), I’d definitely tend towards the two Burgundies. Some of the Spätburgunders were plain disappointing, and with the exception of the Ziereisen Rhini you have to spend quite a bit to get into the category where the wines start to get serious and pleasureable. On the Burgundy side, most wines showed as expected, were very pleasant to drink and mostly ready to go. They do lack the intensity and length of other vintages, but for a vintage to drink on the young side, I think 2007 is very good.
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