Wasenhaus is, at the moment, perhaps the most exciting young estate in Germany.
It's somewhat extraordinary that Wasenhaus' reputation has grown so large and so quickly. The estate is tiny, little more than a minuscule collection of old-vine parcels farmed by two Germans who met working in Burgundy years ago.
However, the wines are jaw-droppingly good. People freak out over them once they've tasted them and enthusiastically spread the word.
Today, we focus on three of Wassenhaus' top Pinots from the 2018 vintage. I should mention that the wines are very limited.
These are some of the greatest and most fascinating Pinot Noirs in Germany. They're beautifully precise with intricate structures and amazing purity.
The roster of estates that Alex Götze and Christoph Wolber have worked at is impressive (Comte Armand, Bernard van Berg, Leflaive, de Montille, and Pierre Morey).
They brought this Burgundian expertise back to Germany's Baden region focusing on old-vine parcels and old clonal selections. The three wines below offer a trilogy of soils.
Full notes on all the wines are below. Please let us know what you'd like, and we'll try our best. Wines will arrive in July.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2018 Wasenhaus Pinot Noir
2018 Pinot Noir Vulkan $64.95
The Kaiserstuhl, with its dense and exposed volcanic soils, is one of Germany's most famous areas for Pinot Noir. Vulkan is sourced from a tiny vineyard near Eichstetten, a cooler part of the Kaiserstuhl. This is the brightest and most extroverted of the Pinots, with roughly 20% whole clusters. Still, it is silken and elegant and introduces the house style with emphasis and clarity.
2018 Pinot Noir Bellen $99.95
The Bellen is sourced from a steep vineyard, with a western exposure and a clay and limestone soil. The Bellen in 2018 is a powerful, broad, and driving Pinot Noir, yet it is always one of the most texturally fine, beyond satiny and lithe. Because of the limestone soils, this is tightly knit and structured, and would benefit from cellaring or decanting—an epic Pinot Noir.
2018 Pinot Noir Möhlin $114.95
This is the grandest of their 2018 collection, with the power and breadth of Bellen yet more linear, more direct, perhaps more elegant. This is simply the most complete Pinot. It is sourced from old vines that were worked previously by Henrik Möbitz, who recently retired and produced some of Germany's best Pinots. Möhlin comes from a side valley, with a southeast exposure, bare and poor limestone soils. 80% whole clusters.
