The Rise of Spätburgunder | Wine Enthusiast

When you think of fine Pinot Noir, your mind probably drifts straight to Burgundy, the French region that produces some of the world’s finest expressions of the grape. But hold onto your corkscrew: German Pinot Noir, known as Spätburgunder, is coming for Burgundy’s crown.

The Rise of German Pinot Noir

German winemakers have a love affair with red Burgundy, evident in a drive to recreate it at home. Over the last two decades, German Pinot Noir has undergone a dramatic transformation, rising to new heights in both craftsmanship and global acclaim. The excellent recent vintages are the result of years of fine-tuning and adaptation; winemakers here seem to have convinced the temperamental grape to behave itself.

“Germany is the most exciting region in the world for Pinot,” says Robert Dentice, a wine collector of note. “They are unique in their own right and [the wines] are rapidly improving due to the passion of the growers, global warming and increased knowledge gained from working in or visiting Burgundy, all of which is shared amongst colleagues.”

Pinot Noir’s Surprisingly Great 2022 Vintage

Germany’s 2022 vintage initially seemed lackluster due to an extended heat wave. The uniformly hot summer brought a prolonged drought, causing many vines to shut down from hydric stress instead of ripening their grapes.

Fortunately, the main red wine regions received timely relief. The Ahr enjoyed sporadic rain in July and August, which significantly benefited the Spätburgunder, resulting in excellent quality and quantity. Similarly, Baden received its rain in August, leading to a remarkable harvest of 13% more grapes than average and 50% more than in 2021.

All in all, the 2022 vintage for reds, particularly Pinot Noir, showcases a harmonious balance of ripeness, elegance and complexity with moderate acidity and alcohol content. In other words, it’s special. The Spätburgunders exhibit silky textures and long, expressive finishes—all elements we love about top-tier Burgundy, but with a fresh German twist.

Spätburgunder Producers and Wines to Watch

This past August, at a tasting event of top wines hosted by the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), an organization that promotes Germany’s top wines and estates, I had a chance to sample wines from some of Germany’s most renowned producers. They included familiar names like Bernhard Huber, Rudolf Fürst and Meyer-Näkel, plus an impressive contingent of emerging talent.

The 2022 Weingut Kaufmann Hattenheimer Hassel offers a delightful balance of ripe cherries, game and a hint of spice, all wrapped in a silky texture. The 2022 Saumagen Spätburgunder showcases vibrant fruit and refreshing acidity, while the 2022 A. Christmann Vogelsang balances tradition and innovation, with minerality harmonizing beautifully with the fruit.

Among the more intriguing producers is Wasenhaus in Baden, known for ethereal wines with low alcohol but bursting with flavor. Their Kanzel 2022, made with grapes from clay and limestone soils, would be hard to match anywhere in the world.

Also noteworthy is Makalié, whose natural-style Spätburgunders beautifully reflect Baden’s limestone and volcanic soils. And from the Ahr Valley, Bertram-Baltes delivers a silky lineup, with the Golkaul 2022 particularly capturing the challenges of cultivating grapes in steep, terraced vineyards.

Sven Enderle deserves a mention as well; after parting ways with his partner at Enderle and Moll, he launched a négociant venture that has produced an impressive collection of 2022 Pinot Noirs.

Are these wines currently available? Some are ready to purchase stateside now and more have yet to trickle into the market. At least one (as of writing, the Kanzel) seems to have been largely snapped up. We’ve supplied links to all of the above bottles—you’ll be directed to where you can order them.

If you need more choices, consider our rundown of overall top picks for Spätburgunder.

The Price Tag

Pinot Noir is not an easy variety to work with, and its price reflects that. Certainly, the cost of Spätburgunders has gone up. However, I find that German bottles are significantly more affordable than their French counterparts of the same quality. Dentice agrees, particularly in bottles priced around $50 and $100.

Jenna Fields, CEO of the California-based German Wine Collection, notes that while Spätburgunder has indeed become pricier, the rise in quality far outpaces the cost.

“The new generation of top growers is focusing on freshness, balance and complexity rather than the outdated mantra of ‘ripeness equals quality,’” she says. “This new philosophy has elevated the quality of Pinot Noir in Germany beyond what the price would suggest in Burgundy.”

The Bigger Picture

If you’re still clinging to the belief that the best Pinots can only come from Burgundy, it might be time to reconsider.

“Areas like the Obermosel can produce an ethereal 10.5% abv Pinot unlike anything I have ever had in Burgundy,” says Dentice.

Even more compelling, the climate for Pinot Noir is shifting north in Europe—master sommelier Jesse Becker believes Germany is ideally positioned to be the grape’s leading source.

“Where else does Pinot Noir find itself planted in such a range of latitudes and soils?” he says. “German Pinot Noir already stands toe-to-toe qualitatively with Burgundy, but its range of expression is much greater.”