Community Tasting Notes 2

• PSPatrick wrote: 91 points

  September 22, 2023 - At a VDP tasting. Medium to light garnet colour. Very savory. Dark cherry, bacon, intense spice, and smoke, with medium-level acidity, mostly resolved tannin, and a long, spicy finish.

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• PSPatrick wrote: 91 points

  February 17, 2013 - I decanted the wine for one hour before I poured the first glass, followed it over a period of another two hours, and saved one glass for the next day. The wine offered a savoury nose of mixed berries, cherry, herbs, roasted notes, some vanilla, cola, iron and a hint of liquorice. On the spicy and savoury palate the wine showed mixed berries, cherry, dried herbs, some coffee, vanilla, cola and some liquorice, paired with medium-level acidity and tannin and phenomenal length. The wine was a little tight, even after two hours in the decanter, and still needed to find its balance. It was rounder and smoother on day two, but although the wine already showed its class I basically consider it a waste to have opened the bottle that young. I'd hold my remaining bottles for at least three years. 91+ points for the time being, with potential to improve.
  
  I bought a case at the winery in March 2012. I am a fan of the Karl H. Johner range of Pinot Noirs and have been buying them regularly since the 2005 vintage. In prior vintages the Blauer Spätburgunder SJ used to retail between EUR 40.- and EUR 50.-. In 2009 the winery only produced 900 bottles of Blauer Spätburgunder SJ, in their view of unprecedented quality, and doubled its price. Normally, I would be fine with paying a higher price in exceptional years (though a premium of 100% would still seem questionable), but in such case I would also expect a winery to lower prices below their average price in less good years. Also, the exceptional Blauer Spätburgunder SJ 2005, which just entered into its prime drinking window and should be longer-lived than the 2009, is still available at some retailers at around EUR 50.-. I would hence currently rather buy two bottles of the 2005 than one bottle of the 2009. Let's wait and see how Karl H. Johner's regular customers will react to this new pricing policy and if it will pay out for Karl H. Johner in the long run.

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Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2009
• Type Red
• Producer Karl H. Johner
• Varietal Blauer Spätburgunder
• Designation "SJ"
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Germany
• Region Baden
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation n/a

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 4 (44%)
• Consumed 5 (56%)

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