Vosne in Baden
2009 Ziereisen Spätburgunder Schulen
Pinot from a Bomb Shelter - Texture, Value
We've long been fascinated by German Pinot. Its quality, its value, make it ripe for exploration.
Today, we explore further. The story here is all about texture.
The easiest comparison is with the velvet and spice of Burgundy's legendary Vosne-Romanee. It's also helpful to draw upon the elegance and sheer pleasure that Vosne delivers.
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Edeltraud and Hanspeter Ziereisen have quickly become one of Germany's up-and-coming Pinot producers. David Schildknecht, the great German scholar, even listed Ziereisen's yet to be available 2010 Schulen as one of the biggest surprises of his tastings in 2012.
Pinot Noir, as we all know, is extraordinarily sensitive to its surroundings. And, despite the ease of the Burgundy comparison, German Pinot is just different. It's rounder, richer... Here it shares more with New World Pinot. Yet, its profile is more akin to Burgundy - it has a smokiness, a spicy, dark fruit element that is finely woven with herbs and earth and complex minerals.
Ziereisen's definitely straddles this line between Burgundy and New World Pinot while steadfastly remaining its own thing. There's a clarity and a depth of minerality at its core that few Pinots outside of Burgundy can achieve. Yet, Ziereisen Pinot Schulen carries a weight, an ampleness of fruit, that feels New World.
What makes it very much its own thing is the way it carries these characteristics. The richness seems to float across your palate.
Then there's the texture. I keep returning to it because it's a major factor in what makes the wine so unique, so compelling. Texture is a key element in wine and one that's not talked about. That's probably because it's difficult to put into words. I'm going to have trouble here. Saying that it has an ultra-suave, super-fine velvet texture helps to imagine it.
Schulen is a vineyard that sits on very limestone-y soil in the Baden region of Southern Germany, home to many of the country's top Pinots. Limestone is ideal soil for producing elegant, mineral Pinot Noir - it's the primary soil type in Burgundy. Ziereisen farms his vineyards with obsessive care and without chemicals. From there, the winemaking happens in an old bomb shelter.
For its unique expression of Pinot Noir, for its value, for the sheer enjoyment factor, Ziereisen's 09 Spatburgunder Schulen is recommended. Our parcel is small and as such, this is only going out to a small group of Pinot fanatics. Still, it will likely sell out before the end of the day.
Please give us your ideal order and we'll try our best.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits