2015 VDP Ahr Spätburgunder AHR 6

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 90 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/7/2020 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  A collaboration wine made with fruit pooled together by JJ Adeneuer, Cossmann-Hehle, HJ Kreuzberg, Meyer-Näkel, Nelles and Jean Stodden. Every producer brings in 300 kg of Pinot Noir harvested at Auslese ripeness. The crushed grapes start fermenting, but the fermentation is halted at the level of approximately 100 g/l by an addition of 77% wine distillate. The wine is fortified to approximately 20% ABV, after which it is left to macerate with the skins for an extended period of time in order to maximize the extraction. After pressing, the wine is aged in old barriques for 3 years and finally bottled by VDP Ahr. 19% alcohol, 96 g/l residual sugar and 5,4 g/l acidity.
  
  Attractive, slightly translucent black cherry color. Rich, sweet and somewhat Porty nose with aromas of peppery spice, jammy black raspberries, some boozy alcohol, a little bit of sweet grapey fruit, light meaty tones, a floral hint of violets and a touch of cherry marmalade. The wine really does smell like a fusion of Vintage Port and Spätburgunder, lol. The nose itself isn't too complex, but it nevertheless feels pure, vibrant and very true to the variety. The wine is sweet, surprisingly spicy, quite bitter and rather hot on the palate with a moderately full body and rich flavor of black cherry marmalade, jammy black raspberry, some peppery spice, a little bit of extracted bitterness, light sweet notes of grapey fruit, a floral hint of violets and a touch of charred game. The structure relies more on the high acidity than on the ripe, textural medium tannins. The finish is noticeably hot, long and powerful with rich flavors of sweet grapey fruit, some blackberry jam, a little bit of overripe black cherry, light peppery tones, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of fusel alcohol.
  
  A very nice fortified wine made in a style almost identical to a Vintage Port. The wine is quite singular in style, but also very much like how you'd expect a fortified Spätburgunder from Ahr to taste like. This isn't as bold, unctuous and tightly-knit as a true Vintage Port, but instead spicier, more lively and lighter in weight - just as an Ahr Pinot Noir would be in comparison to a Douro Tinto. The overall feel here is still very youthful, primary and grapey, making the wine really scream for further aging. I really don't see why this wine couldn't age as wonderfully as any true Vintage Port and I can imagine this wine will gain much more depth and complexity as it loses its primary qualities and develops some tertiary characteristics. Great, delicious stuff. Expect the score to go up with age. Priced according to its quality at 38€.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.