October 30, 2023 - Fifth bottle from a half case purchased at the estate. Perfect now. smoky slate and spicy strawberries, delicate but intense, fresh and grippy, slightly sticky tannins, an interpretation of the Ahr theme which is very typical for the Weingut.
July 31, 2023 - Fourth bottle from a half case purchased at the estate in 2019. In full bloom. Smoky and spicy, silky and seamless, fresh and vibrant, papery tannins, crushed red berries, hint of red meat, flowers and forest floor, hint of oak sweetness, very good resonance and length. Drink now and over the next few years.
May 28, 2023 - A fine match with grilled pork with herb butter. Well-balanced.
May 28, 2023 - A - Medium garnet, clear
N - Clean. Medium plus intensity, red cherry, raspberry, oak, wet leafs, forrest ground, mushrooms. The wine is fully developed.
T - Dry. Body mouth medium plus, all the above flavours, accidity medium plus, tannins medium, finish long and complex.
C - Very good. Drink now.
Aged very nicely. This is a pure pleasure to drink. Wish I had more bottles of this. Amazing.
March 28, 2023 - We paid a brief visit to the Ahr region today, to have lunch at Meyer Näkel's Hofgarten in Dernau. They were closed unfortunately ("Ruhetag" in the "Winteröffnung"), but we could not fail to be impressed by the scale of the devastation even almost two years after the flood, in spite of all the - ongoing - heroic efforts to rebuild what was lost. We drink to the good fortunes of the people in the Ahr with this wine from Meyer-Näkel, whose owners had to seek refuge in a tree during the flood to avoid drowning. It is delightful now, completely ready after almost six years, spicy and sweet, cool and minerally, red berries and forest floor, delicate but firm, with sandy tannins, and a dry finish with good length. Drink now- 2027.
April 7, 2022 - Second bottle from a half case purchased from the estate in 2019. Fifteen months on since my previous tasting note, this is reallly starting to fulfill the promise of its youth. Being a 2017, this floral wine with aromas of forest floor is in a lighter, fresher and more transparent style, but the smoky and spicy aromatics on the nose are very Ahr and very Meyer-Näkel, the red berry fruit is fresh but ripe, the balance on the palate is impeccable, with bright acidity and papery tannins, and resonance and length are very good. A flawless, elegant, rendition of the Spätburgunder "S". Drink now - 2027.
July 15, 2021 - A clear ruby colour, this wine leaps out of the glass with glorious scents of warm hay, bramble and dark berries. The palate is not as generous as the nose but there is a lovely bite of acidity and the texture is silky and so elegant. Beautiful now, and promising for the next 5+ years.
January 4, 2021 - First bottle from a half case purchased at the estate in 2019. Well judged spicy oak, smoky slate, supple and juicy style, energetic and elegant, red berries and undergrowth, lovely freshness and balance, gentle tannic grip, good resonance and length. An understated but clearly defined personality. Very Ahr, not Burgundy. I did not detect any green notes, it is just right. Very good now, even better 2022-2027.
January 4, 2020 - Really beautiful and absolutely Burgundian, a very vivid and savory wine with gorgeous wild fruit that walks hand-in-hand with earthiness rather than running in front of it. Nose is initially a blast of peppery herbs and smoky earth, salty, foresty, before unfurling with just-picked mulberries and a menthol coolness. Palate is bright and fresh with acidity and a long finish, plus some good tannin in the background. Wonderful for $30 at Hi Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, maybe lacking some intensity for the apparent ~$60 average (?) on winesearcher, but also could definitely age for at least a decade and would undoubtedly benefit from some rest.
October 12, 2019 - Dinner at Suhring (Suhring, Bangkok): A pretty good Spatburgunder. The nose showed nice bassy notes of earth, meat and mushroomy umami, along with a nice sweet red fruited aromas, all just edged with a bit of the minty greenness that sometimes accompanies these Northernmost of Pinot Noir expressions. The palate had a nice shape and precision to it, with velvety tannins and bright acidity tracing their way through high-tones notes of cherries and red berries, all seasoned with a touch of mineral, spice and lentils on the midpalate and into a decently lengthy finish. Not mindblowing, but very decent, and quite a good pairing for roast duck. The nose was a bit more interesting than the palate at the moment, but this should be better in a few years as it picks up complexity. Not one for the absolute long-term though.