By cork
The name of this Pinot Noir does not make for good clickbait, admittedly. German wine names are awful for clickbaiters. As a publication, our readership will take a serious plunge this week on this wine review alone. We’ll take that risk. Because this is a gorgeous wine you have to know about.
This is a review of the 2012 Fürst Klingenberger Spätburgunder. Let’s decipher the code:
Fürst. The last name of a father and son team who run the estate. Also one of the most respected names in German Pinot winemaking. If you weren’t aware Germany made great Pinot Noirs, you are hardly alone.
Klingenberger. The Klingenberg is a small town in Bavaria dating back to Roman times with a small winegrowing area, only 75 acres large. Pinot Noir grows well in these very steep slopes, producing wine with similar qualities to the Pinot Noir they make in Burgundy, France, the most prestigious in the world.
Spatburgunder. Just a fancy German name for Pinot Noir grapes.
The 2012 Klingenberger starts with an amazing perfume of rose, red cherry and pomegranate. Minerals and earth greet the mid-palate along a light-bodied texture so clean and precise. Fruit character is bright and indomitable—purity of expression that can’t be stopped. There is nothing weighty about this wine whatsoever, like it were free of burden. Pristine, demure and precious. Well-traveled and well-heeled femininity. An embodiment of elegance. –J.M.
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