Ahrweiler Forstberg 2022

A Pinot Noir whose tension comes from freshness rather than weight. 11.5% vol., dry, with cool depth on the nose, fine structure and ageing potential that extends well beyond the coming years.

The Forstberg is among the steep vineyard sites of Ahrweiler. Weathered slate soils store the day's warmth, while the cool nights of the Ahr valley preserve the freshness of the grapes. Some of the estate's parcels drop as steeply as 70 percent and can only be worked by hand. Bertram-Baltes farms around 4 hectares, fully organic since 2020, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare.

Pure Pinot Noir. The hand-harvested grapes ferment spontaneously in local oak barrels crafted by German coopers from Franconian oak. No enrichment, no fining, bottled unfiltered.

The wine is juicy and fresh on the tongue, with the fruit held in elegant restraint. Dark cherry and blackcurrant lead, followed by blackcurrant jelly, peony, juniper, cinnamon and cocoa, alongside stony notes and wood smoke. The low alcohol carries the drinkability.

Salt-crust beetroot on rocket with argan oil, duck with cassis sauce and thyme gnocchi, or pork medallions with prune sauce and chard-potato gratin. Serve lightly chilled and decanted from a burgundy glass.

Julia Bertram and Benedikt Baltes released their first vintage in 2014, immediately earning the "Discovery of the Year" award. The 2021 Ahr flood swept through the cellar and carried away barrels; the 2022 comes from the vintages following the rebuild.