Mayschosser Spätburgunder 2023

The Mayschosser Spätburgunder 2023 is one of three village wines from Julia Bertram and Benedikt Baltes, arriving in the glass at 11.0% vol. without ever seeming thin. Picked early, not chaptalised, not fined: what remains is fruit, spice and a fine structure. While young, a distinct reduction still lies over the wine, so it needs time and, ideally, a decanter.

Mayschoss in the Ahr valley is characterised by very stony to slightly loamy weathered slate soils. The slate stores the day's warmth, while cool nights rolling down from the valley preserve freshness. The estate farms around four hectares of steep vineyards entirely by hand, fully organic since 2020, and additionally follows biodynamic principles and those of permafrost cultivation. Yields sit between 30 and 40 hectolitres per hectare.

Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), dry, from vines averaging around 15 years of age. The fruit is meticulously sorted, the grapes ferment spontaneously in open stainless-steel tanks, and the wine is aged in used large oak casks and half casks made of Franconian oak by German coopers. There is no chaptalisation and no filtration; the ageing is deliberately reductive, with the only addition being minimal amounts of sulphur before bottling. The Spätburgunder spends two winters in the cellar.

Behind the reduction, the wine gains noticeable momentum: roses and violets, candied wild strawberries and raspberries, a touch of liquorice and cinnamon. Fresh and at the same time slightly creamy, with a hint of extract sweetness and vanilla in the juicy red, partly dark fruit. The tannin feels silky with a light grip, and overall the wine is highly drinkable.

The plots were planted by Benedikt's father; only taking them over made this third village wine possible. Julia Bertram and Benedikt Baltes bottled their first vintage in 2014 and were immediately named Discovery of the Year. After the 2021 Ahr flood, they rebuilt the winery.