Eichberg Oberrotweil Spätburgunder GG 2024

A Pinot Noir that relies not on power but on tension: dark cherry, wild raspberry and violet over a smoky, mineral undertone. Fine-grained tannin, cool acidity and 12.5% Vol. keep it taut.

The Oberrotweil Eichberg lies on the Kaiserstuhl, a former volcanic island in the Rhine rift valley. The volcanic soils lend minerality and dark spice. The Franz Keller estate in Vogtsburg-Oberbergen has been working since 1892 and cultivates 35 hectares with six VDP Grand Cru vineyards, including the Eichberg. Since 2016, Friedrich Keller has led the estate as the fourth generation; the vineyards are being gradually converted to organic farming with biodynamic elements.

Pinot Noir, known here as Spätburgunder, finds ideal conditions on the Kaiserstuhl. In the cellar, the guiding principle is "as little as possible, as much as necessary": rigorous selection, minimal intervention. Uwe Barnickel and Christian Häuber vinify the vineyards separately. The cellar, built into the terraced hillside in 2013, follows the gravity principle, with the grapes moving through the levels without pumping.

Juicy dark fruit, blackcurrant and ripe cherry, accompanied by fine spice. The tannin is polished, and the taut minerality carries this dry wine into a long, precise finish.

With duck breast, saddle of venison with cranberries and herb-crusted lamb rack. Equally good with porcini risotto and other mushroom dishes, or with an aged hard cheese such as Comté. Serve at 14 to 16 degrees.

The estate also includes the restaurant Schwarzer Adler, which has held a Michelin star continuously for over 55 years; Irma Keller cooked there as Germany's first female Michelin-starred chef. The cellar's roof is planted with native species from the Badberg nature reserve.