Ahrweiler Spätburgunder 2022

The Ahrweiler Spätburgunder 2022 doesn't draw its depth from alcohol: 11.5% ABV, picked early, unchaptalised, dry. In the Ahr valley, the long-held rule was that riper grapes meant a better wine — Julia Bertram and Benedikt Baltes have turned that logic on its head. She was German Wine Queen, he comes from a fifth-generation winegrowing family in Dernau; their first joint vintage, 2014, was immediately hailed as "Discovery of the Year".

Ahrweiler lies in the narrow Ahr valley, where weathered slate soils store the day's warmth while cool nights preserve freshness in the grapes. Some plots drop as steeply as 70 percent, allowing only manual work. The estate farms around four hectares, fully organic since 2020, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare.

Pure Pinot Noir, known as Spätburgunder on the Ahr. Fermentation starts spontaneously, and ageing takes place in local oak: the barrels come from German coopers working Franconian wood. No chaptalisation, no fining, bottled unfiltered.

Pale ruby red in the glass, with red cherry and wild raspberry on the nose, alongside floral hints and a fine slaty spiciness. The body stays lean, carried by vibrant acidity and fine-grained tannins, with a cool, clear finish.

The 2021 flood hit Dernau with full force: flooded cellars, barrels swept away, lost vintages. Bertram-Baltes rebuilt the estate without compromising on quality. The 2022 is thus also a record of this fresh start.