Ahrweiler Rosenthal 2021

A finely structured Pinot Noir whose depth doesn't come from alcohol: 11.5% ABV, dry, with cool red fruit and a clear contour. Julia Bertram and Benedikt Baltes harvest earlier than was long customary on the Ahr, keeping the wine slender without ever letting it turn thin.

The Rosenthal vineyard lies on the steep slopes near Ahrweiler. Weathered slate soils store the day's warmth, while cool nights from the Ahr valley keep the freshness alive. Some of the estate's parcels drop as steeply as 70 percent, so every step of the work is done by hand. Around 4 hectares are cultivated in the finest sites of the Ahr valley, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare.

Pure Pinot Noir. Spontaneous fermentation in local oak; the barrels come exclusively from German coopers using Franconian oak. Neither chaptalized nor fined, bottled unfiltered.

Transparent ruby red, with red forest berries, cool cherry and a herbal spice on the nose over a mineral base. The palate entry is slender and linear, the acidity carries the wine, the tannin stays fine-grained, the finish dry and clear.

Pink-roasted duck breast, veal chop, coq au vin or a creamy porcini risotto.

Julia Bertram and Benedikt Baltes bottled their first vintage in 2014 and were immediately named discovery of the year; since 2020 the estate has farmed entirely organically. The 2021 vintage was marked by the Ahr flood, which struck Dernau with full force: flooded cellars, barrels swept away, wines lost. The rebuilding took place without any compromise on quality.