Top Tier German Pinot Noir Pricing
– Germany Can Compete at a High Level with Their Grand Cru Pinot Noirs
– Furst’s Version is $150+ in Europe – Would Be $300ish Here
– Keller Felix is $1,000+
– Market Prices Are Catching Up to the Quality
– Except at Walter, So Far Where This Is Still Under $70
2019 Josef Walter Spätburgunder Centgrafenberg Hündsruck “J”
– Franken Is Fairly Far North
– In 2019 A Ripe/Warm(ish), Cool (ish) Year With Cut, Walter Transforms the Vintage Into His Best
– Density with Weight But Never Heavy
– Complexity with Elegance and Finesse
– “This Is One of The Best Wines I Ever Made.” – Christophe Walter
– “Better Than The 15/16/18?- Lyle
– “YES” – Christophe Walter
– This Wine Is Next Level
– Hard to Describe Other than Every Sip Is a Perfect Moment
– Insane Nose
– Chestnut, Forest Leaves
– Orange Rind, Cherry Flower, Mid Season Cherry
– Totally Seamless on the Palate
– Insane Earthy Sweetness, The Sweetness is Incredible/So Delicate
– Literally a Perfect Pinot Noir
– A Cross Between the Elegance of Chambolle and the Density of Vosne-Romanee
– Yet Totally Unique
Very, Very Special Wine
Fass clients know that Walter’s Hundsruck is one of our great wines. And they also know that the winemaker, Christophe Walter, is very German and very reserved. He has never commented on any wine in the 10+ years I’ve worked with him.
So when he says that this is one of the best wines that he has ever made, that means a lot.
This is undisputedly one of the top pinot noir vineyards in Germany. And the best version of this wine ever made by Walter. And this wine will age well for decades.
A Bit of Background on Hundsrück
Hundstruck. Just say it out loud with authority. Hoonds Troock. Even the name has a power, an innate force about it. The Germans are a people that do not lightly flout authority, even if they disagree with it. They even follow the speed limit. But when the German government melded the legendary, historic Hundstruck vineyard into Centrgrafenberg, it sparked a revolution of sorts (even though Centgrafenberg is one of the best vineyards in Germany and not exactly chopped liver). In a very un German way, my good friend Sebastien Furst thumbed his nose at the German authorities and in 2003, started selling Hundsruck as a fantasy name. It became his most heralded wine and the German authorities eventually relented and brought Hundstruck back from the dead with 2011 being the first vintage of its second life.
German Pinot Noir Pricing
The 2018 Furst Hundsruck GG is $150+ in Europe. Add in 3 tiers and that is quickly a $300 dollar wine in the States. Considering Keller’s Felix goes for $1,000 a bottle now great German Pinot from top sites will only go up in value. This is probably why the Fürst wine is not available in the USA. I can’t really explain how thrilled I am to be able to offer this to my list at such an affordable price. This vineyard is basically the La Tache of Germany except you’ve got someone else making it besides DRC/Fürst.
The Wine
Today’s wine is the 2019 Josef Walter Spätburgunder Centrgrafenberg “J” Hündsruck for $64.99 a bottle on a 4-pack and, This is one of the top 8 German Pinots of my life. What are the other 7? Well they change, but this is current.
1) 2015 Enderle and Moll Bundtstanstein
2) 2017 Möbitz Kanzell
3) 2016 Ziereisen Jaspis Alte Reben 10-4
4) 2019 Thörle Hölle
5) 2020 Achim Durr Pinot Noir Hard 225
6) 2020 Aufricht Pinot Noir Krahen
7) 2021 Richard Osterricher Spätburgunder Rosen
That’s my list right now. It’s bigger now. It always changes and does have recency bias a bit but it’s always evolving as we are in a period of German Pinot Noir evolution. I’d argue it’s never been a better time in history to be drinking German Pinot Noir. New generation taking over, Geisenheim graduates flooding the estates and global warming combine to make German Pinot a phenomenon the likes the wine world has not seen since the 1930s and 1940s when Burgundy started to estate bottle and get famous.
Now here is my note in all its NSFW glory .
I have been waiting to taste this wine for 5 years and it’s better than I imagined. Holee F! This is one of the the best Walter wines I’ve ever had. Christophe is correct.
Blind anybody would say Grand Cru Red Burgundy.
This is the most Chambolle 1er cru of any wine I’ve ever had from Germany. Easily up there with the top 8 German Pinots I’ve ever had. Maybe top 3! It is like 16 in terms of concentration bit has higher acid and is straighter than say the 2015. That means it has more focus and precision. But boy is there melty fruit and tannin that reminded me of a recent barrel sample of 22 Buffet Volnay 1er Cru “Clos des Chenes.” The tannins are also softer than the 16 but even ripe and more velvety which means it will drink well young. It has a long life ahead of it!
Just insane nose. It’s insane right off the bat. The nose is a spectrum. There is so much and its so fragrant and so detailed and so vivid and so delicate. It’s the Pinot Noir experience from a top vineyard that nothing else can reproduce. Huge chestnut, forest leaves, orange rind, cherry flower, mid season cherry. Tons and tons of the most beautiful spice. Your nose gets lost. It’s so stunning. And I’ve only described maybe 1/3rd of the nose. There are accents of mint and menthol and also hints of very fine cigar.
A new nuance and detail every time you stick your nose in the glass.
The palate puts the G in Grand Cru. It’s totally seamless and precise. Just this beautiful orb of Hundsruck that is blessing your palate. It’s opulent and sweet but also velvety, melty, and to die for tannins. But It also has cut, focus and freshness like nothing else I’ve ever tasted from Walter. The purity of the grape essence is just beyond. Fruit is red cherries but also it gets hard skinned black cherries as well. They explode like nothing else. Just perfect balance. It’s so concentrated and so sweet but so delicate as well. There is a deep hidden structure you get on this wine like you get on top Burgundies. You catch yourself saying a lot, “This is so insane now, I cannot imagine what this will be like in 10 years.” The precision and energy of the exquisite Hundsruck footprint weaved into some of the most amazingly vivid fruit you will ever taste in a German Pinot makes this an all timer and I have tasted a lot of German Pinot.
I tried to describe the fruit but with most wines, you can taste a bit of this or that peeking out. This wine is so seamless, you can’t. It’s just a perfect orb on the palate. Every sip is pretty much a moment where time stops and you marvel at the perfection.
The finish NEVER ends. I know Walter and I know this wine is only showing 10% as it always improves with age.
This is a mindboggling wine that is so distinctive. No Pinot in the world acts like it smells like or taste like Walter’s Hundsrück. This is a masterpiece. This is Walter’s Seven Samurai. So elegant and deep with just an amazing finish that keeps on adding length and richness the more the wine aerates. The tannins are as higher quality as one can get. Silk, velvet, satin, you name it. And so sweet.
This is a 9.8 now but this is Walter and air is this estate’s friend. A masterpiece and a new benchmark in German Pinot.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
|
| Previous Offers Still Open
2022 Chavy Chouet Maranges Les Plantes Rouge – $35.99 ($135.96 4-pack) 2022 Chavy Chouet Maranges Les Meurees Blanc – $39.99 ($151.96 4-pack) 2020 Achim Durr Pinot Noir Hard 225 – $41.99 ($159.96 4-pack) 2022 Paul Weltner Hoheleite Sylvaner Grosses Gewachs – $54.99 ($211.96 4-Pack, $599.88 12 bottle case {$49.99}) 2022 Paul Weltner Riesling Grosses Gewachs – $54.99 ($211.96 4-Pack, $599.88 12 bottle case {$49.99}) |
A Word about Fass Selections and Social Media
I am big into certain social media and I want people to take pictures of the wines they have received or will receive and tag me in them and share their thoughts. I a am on Instagram. Please tag me there. I also am on Delectable which I love a lot. It is Iphone/Ipad only, but it’s like Instagram meets Facebook for wine. Tag me there and find me there as well. I want to know if you liked the wine, were not moved by the wine, hated the wine or the wine gave you a religious experience. I want to know it all. Feedback is key and I will answer all feedback e-mails as quickly as I can.
For all billing and invoicing inquiries please contact Nick at accounts@fassselections.com or 646-498-6078