Pfalz Pinot

Erich Stachel was quite clear when he said to us that he thought Spätburgunder from the Pfalz was superior to Spätburgunder from Baden. Quite a confident statement to make, and maybe one tinged with just a little bias, I thought. Nevertheless, you couldn't argue with his wines. This, his top Pinot, cost EUR 18, but it was still fairly priced in my opinion.



Picture taken long after consumption, hence the dry cork.










Weingut Erich Stachel, Spätburgunder Heiligenberg 2007, Pfalz, Germany
Dark ruby with a brownish hue. Cedary spice aromas with a hint of raspberry. On the second day, this evolved into dark cherries and chocolate. Quite assertive with layers of spicy complexity - in a masculine fashion as opposed to a perfumy scent. Dense and tense on the palate. Packed with flavour and ending with a few pleasantly bitter hints on the finish. After 24 hours, the various elements had bedded together more. Imbued with plenty of muscle but with a fresh vein of acidity throughout.

Unsurprisingly, this wine has plenty of legs for the next few years but is drinking well now. If this is representative of Pfalz Pinot at this price level, I could be on to a good thing here.