Lukas Hammelmann's first major release of sparkling wines is nothing short of a revelation.
The young Lukas Hammelmann has taken the German wine world a bit by storm with ruthlessly dry Rieslings that we've compared to a perfume of earth and mineral.
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We've also compared the wines to rocket ships. The wines are so weightless, so etched and compact that they almost feel like Riesling-vapor.
Today, we present a small parcel of Hammelmann's first-ever sparkling wine releases. These are very limited.
While both of these wines are Spätburgunders (Pinot Noirs), they present a riveting fine-ness, a brilliantly delineated form.
At as low as $45.95 when you buy the four-pack, we have yet another lesson in the profound value of German wine. These are sparkling wine revelations - in terms of quality and cost.
While Schäfer-Fröhlich and Emrich-Schönleber may be the most commonly cited reference points for the Rieslings of Hammelmann, the sparkling wines are a different story. Both the Spätburgunders - one a Blanc de Noir, the other a rosé - are Brut Nature, yet not nearly as bracing as many.
In fact, as forceful as the Rieslings are, Hammelmann's sparkling wines are more ethereal, more mysterious, finely threaded with fresh, crushed-berry fruit, a complex herbal quality that is both savory and mineral at the same time.
They have perhaps the finest perlage of any German sparkling wines we've had, creating a luxurious mid-palate, buoyed by Hammelmann's almost famous energy and acidity.
They are shape-shifters in the glass, constantly revealing new aspects, new dimensions - these are diamond-like in their multi-faceted complexity.
If Lauer has made sparkling Riesling a category to watch, the newest generation of sparkling wine growers in Germany - including Keller, Kissinger, Lena Singer-Fischer - are reintroducing Spätburgunder, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay, and even Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier) into the mix.
This is a category, a story, that is only beginning - a renaissance in Germany. Yet already the results are very impressive. Try for yourself.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
In Stock - Limited Quantities
NV Lukas Hammelmann Spatburgunder Blanc de Noir Brut Nature750 ml