The Mosel is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about landscapes for Pinot Noir, and Ulli Stein is, obviously, at the very center of it all.
As we've written before, in a way, the Mosel’s stunning Pinot Noir development is both surprising and not surprising.
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Surprising because the Mosel’s 20th-century reputation was built completely on Riesling; it’s unsurprising because these Rieslings are among the most ethereal and transparent wines on earth.
Ethereal and transparent also happen to be very apt descriptors of Pinot Noir.
Today, we feature what very well might be the most ethereal of them all, Stein's 2024 Pinot Noir "Red Light."
Given the quality and the labor involved - these are all steep, slate slopes that must be farmed by hand - it's actually and literally unreal pricing.
Stein’s Pinot Noir “Red Light” has become an iconic bottling; it is a bright, red-fruited arrow, as sharp as the slate on which it is grown. The 2024, especially, is nervy, with truly awesome drive and rigor. The bright red fruit dazzles in all directions, finely woven with dried herbs and a mouth-watering slate minerality.
For us, and for serious Spätburgunder fanatics, it is the best "Red Light" since the superb 2019.
As we've written before, Stein was at the very center of the struggle to allow red wine production in the Mosel. It had been banned before the Second World War, and for nearly 40 years, growers lamented this fact. Yet, Stein fought back against the government and won.
This is not only a profound bragging right; it also means that Stein has some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines grown in the Mosel, planted in the late 1980s. It also means that he has decades more experience than most. You can taste it.
We'll stop there. Supplies are limited, and demand may not be. This is, after all, Stein.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
