Vogelsang Spätburgunder GG VDP Grosse Lage 2021

The Vogelsang 2021 is a slender, silky Pinot Noir from a VDP GRAND CRU (VDP.GROSSE LAGE) site in the Palatinate's Mittelhaardt. The fruit stays bright and red, the structure taut, the tannin finely woven. This Pinot Noir draws its power from tension rather than fullness.

The Palatinate's Mittelhaardt is warm enough for full-bodied wines and cool enough for elegance and fine minerality. The A. Christmann winery, based in Gimmeldingen, farms 17 hectares there, all classified as VDP.ERSTE LAGE or VDP.GROSSE LAGE. Soils of variegated sandstone, limestone and terraced gravel shape each wine differently; Vogelsang is one of the estate's VDP.GROSSE LAGE sites.

100 percent Pinot Noir. Steffen Christmann took over the estate in 1996, the seventh generation, and since 2018 his daughter Sophie Christmann has joined him, trained in Geisenheim with stints in Bordeaux and Australia. Since 2003 the estate has farmed biodynamically, certified respekt-BIODYN and EU organic: horn manure, horn silica and compost preparations instead of synthetic chemistry, all work following the lunar calendar.

On the nose, morello cherry, redcurrant and wild raspberry, underscored by herbal nuances, a touch of forest floor and a cool, stony minerality. The palate remains slender and silky, the vibrant acidity of the cool 2021 vintage holding up the red berry fruit. The finish is long, focused and saline, with cranberry and subtle spice.

With rosé-cooked duck breast, pheasant breast with cranberry sauce or boeuf bourguignon. Equally good with saddle of venison, braised veal cheeks and a mild mushroom risotto.

The winery grows only Riesling and Pinot, with Riesling accounting for 70 percent of the vineyard area. Steffen Christmann has been president of the VDP since 2007; the estate belongs to respekt-BIODYN and La Renaissance des Appellations.