The Perfect Storm of Value
– Estate Is Famous for Its Rieslings
– Small Batch Pinot Noirs of Fantastic Quality
– Totally Under the Radar
– No One Thinks of the Mosel for Pinot Noir
– A Hot Year in a Very Cool Climate
– In Normal Years, 1er Cru Quality
– In Hot 2015, A Crazy Value for a Grand Cru Quality Pinot Noir
– Case Pricing – You Won’t Get Another Pinot Noir Deal like This in Your Lifetime – Will Age 15+ Years
2015 Spater-Veit Pinot Noir Reserve
– Nose: Vosne Romanee-like Nose
– Complex with Loads of Spice
– Gorgeous and Deep
– Mulberry, Mulled Spices, Cardamon and Clove
– Bright Deep Dark Cherries, Raspberry
– Devastating Purity
– Floral like Crazy
– Palate: Serious Concentration and Wonderfully Intense
– A Dream you Don’t Want to Wake up from
– Sappy and Pure, a Hit of Opulence
– Super Precise Sweet Fruit
– Amazing Density
– Very Juicy, Stunning Purity and Clarity
– Floral Inner Mouth Aromas are Stunning
The Joy of Aged Wines
There’s a reason for the expression “it ages like fine wine”. Aged wine allows for a different class of flavors. If you want aged wines in your cellar, there are normally two steps: 1) Buy the wines. 2) wait.
It’s easy to buy wines. The hard part is keeping your hands off of them and storing them for 10+ years until they are more mature.
Fortunately, today, you can skip the hard part and buy an old wine that is straight from the cellar of the winemaker.
First some history from Mosel Fine Wines
Mosel Fine Wines, the wonderful informative and very well written publication that explores Mosel Wines in depth, has an issue, linked here, about the history of Mosel Red Wines. My bullet point summary is below. You can read the whole piece here.
- Red grapes were banned in the Mosel from 1930’s to the 1980’s but there is no documentary evidence this actually happened.
- In the 1980’s red grapes were allowed to be planted but not all of them.
- Uli Stein kept the pressure up and eventually got them all able to be planted.
- German Pinot still was one dimensional, oaky and sweet due to a multitude of factors like bad clones, no older generations to teach how to make red wine and a cooler climate. Also wines had a lack of finesse and sophistication.
- In the mid 2010’s they finally started to get there and were helped by global warming
- The future is bright!
You Need to Buy This Wine – Here’s Why
So, we all know the Mosel. But how many of you have compared its location on a map to say Burgundy? Well – it’s North of Burgundy. In fact, it’s North of Champagne. Now that’s fine for making riesling but pinot noirs from most vineyards in the Middle Mosel are usually not going to have Grand Cru type density even with that global warming booster.
Which is why in hot years like 2015, the wines can be incredible.
Incredible.
I’ve been waiting to sell today’s wine since I tasted a barrel sample back in August 2017. I gave this a 9.6/9.7 and it was still a baby.
Normally this is a a very solid 1er Cru quality wine. Which is a deal for this price.
But in 2015, this is the best value in Grand Cru German Pinot Noir I’ve offered in all my years of Fass Selections.
Niklas Welter – Famous for White Wines
Niklas Welter of Spater-Veit only releases wines when they are ready so I’ve been waiting impatiently for this wine to be released. Well it finally was released in April.
What one needs to understand is that Spater-Veit is an estate that makes 95% white wines and only 5% red wines but the red wines he makes are arguably the best Pinots in the Mosel. I don’t know how he does it but he does. Remember the Mosel is north of Champagne. It’s very cool and not the most ideal place to grow Pinot Noir. But that doesn’t deter Niklas. In classic vintages like 2014 and 2008 he nails that ripeness. In ripe vintages like 2009/2010 and 2015 he nails that ripeness.
I think that Niklas Welter might be the greatest red wine talent in Germany that no one knows about.
The Style
If Josef Walter is more Cote de Beaune (Volnay, Corton, Marqnges) and Enderle & Moll and Zieriesen are more of a Vosne-Romanee style then I have to say Spater-Veit is more of a Nuits-Saint-Georges / Chambolle style. But it’s those Nuits vineyards that are next to Vosne-Romanee like Bousselots and Chaignots. The wines still have that NSG grit, grip and structure but they also have the elegance, finesse and head spinning aromas of Vosne-Romanee. As they age they become more Chambolle-like.
The Wine
I’m thrilled to be selling the 2015 Spater-Veit Pinot Noir Reserve for $31.99 a bottle and $29.99 on a 12 bottle case.
The nose on the 2015 is Stunning. Vosne Romanee-like nose. Just gorgeous and deep. Hint of mulled spices, mulberry, bright deep dark cherries, cardamon and clove with devastating purity. Nose is so layered, and man is it pungent. Smells like it is just entering its drinking window. And Niklas has released it at the perfect time. Floral like crazy with a melange of fruits – ripe mid season cherry fruits and some cherry flower. So mineral, so slatey, so pretty. A true drop everything and run and get this wine nose so you can smell It for days. Insane spice and so much layered nuance. Nutmeg, clove, Xmas, cardamon, just gorgeous spice. Gorgeous mulled spices, raspberry, wood shavings, mid season ripe cherries, so deep, hit of honey, so wafting and wonderful levels of insane spice. Roses on the nose after mega air.
Palate of the 2015 is a dream you don’t want to wake up from. Sappy and pure with a hit of opulence and lovely fruit that is more skin than body. Incredible balance and purity with a step above lithe structure. Terrific sweetness and exquisite balance. Long lingering finish. It has that Pinot lacey texture and impressive sweetness. This is gaining depth and sweetness as it opens. Brilliant. It’s got terrific acidity with super precise sweet fruit and such linearity and freshness. So you have thick luscious fruit that is buoyed by some delicate poignant acids. and is ultra juicy and precise. Those day yet sharp 2012 lines are there. The clarity is unreal. Serious concentration and wonderfully intense. White pepper. Stunning. Ripe beautiful tannins with a long and mineral finish. The slate is so apparent on this wine and the freshness is like Mosel Riesling. But man that sweet fruit. There is more of a density to this 2015. This is as nimble and delicate as Mosel Riesling and often shares the same characteristics but is fully in decked out Pinot Noir clothing. Very juicy, stunning purity and clarity with just amazingly clean and deep fruit. Stunning. It has tannins and just a stunning structure that will ensure this baby lasts 15 more years. Easy. But will peak in 5-6. The warmer vintages are very good for Pinot Noir in the Mosel. 30 years ago you’d have a difficult time ripening Pinot Noir in Piesport. The floral inner mouth aromas are stunning. But if it is this great now how will it be in 5-6-8 years? I bet it is just bonkers.
The Reserve is from the great Piesporter Falkenberg. Up until this point, I have only had Stefan Steinmetz’s Riesling from this site. It is a terrific site with absolutely rocking top notch terroir. It is a very high south facing vineyard with blue slate. Most of Spater-Veit’s production is dry, off dry and sweet Riesling. This is almost a side passion project. Most of the Cru wines are released, minimum, 5 years after harvest. I have tasted some younger vintages and I have to agree that is a wise decision and luxury that they can afford to do it. It is also a huge boon for the consumer. For $30 just get this wine.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 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 4-7 EST Monday – Friday.
|
|
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 Rick at accounts@fassselections.com or 919-396-9876