Wine & Spirits - April 2021 - 125

New Releases
wine stands out for the freshness of its flavors-with bright lemon, juicy peach and
fresh date notes that add dimension and
clarity to the darker tones of beeswax and
baked pear. It is, in fact, very easy to drink
despite its 240 grams per liter of sugar; some
hard biscotti might help you pace yourself. §
Maisons Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA

long hours of sun, in tandem with the delicacy that comes from long, slow ripening in
a cool climate; it has the lithe structure and
mineral tones common to wines from vines
rooted into slippery slate slopes. And the
wine lasts-the velvety tannins lend heft to
the cherry flavors, while notes of fresh orange
and rose give it buoyancy and grace. § The German Wine Collection, Carlsbad, CA
522479

94 | Müller-Catoir

$42

2017 Pfalz Haardt Spätburgunder ^ Working with organically farmed vines rooted in
sandstone soils, winemaker Martin Franzen
turned out a lean, elegant pinot noir in 2017.
Vinified in small oak barrels, it developed
into a meaty wine with brisk notes of forest
floor and bresaola under the rose scents and
cherry flavors. The cool, breezy delivery and
lasting freshness suggest taking this out to a
picnic, with cured meats and crusty bread. §
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
523593

93 | Heger

522526

93 | Jackson-Triggs

$30/375ml

2018 Niagara Peninsula Reserve Vidal
Icewine (Best Buy) ^ Spicy, round, satiny and
fresh, this is a succulent vidal. It handles its
sweetness with grace and sophistication, the
sugar drawing out complexity in the notes of
juicy pear and strawberries and cream. Those
notes linger on the tongue for minutes after
each sip, making this $30 bottle last long. §
Maisons Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA
522525

90 | Inniskillin

$80/375ml

2019 Niagara Peninsula Riesling Icewine ^
This is so rich it's almost thick, like a lemon
syrup. For all that weight, it's impressively
clean and clear in flavor, lit by the acidity
that keeps it buoyant. § Maisons Marques &
Domaines, Oakland, CA

GE RM A N Y
PINOT NOIR
522475

94 | Meyer-Näkel

$62

2018 Ahr Blue Slate Pinot Noir ^ MeyerNäkel has been one of Germany's top names
in pinot noir since Werner Näkel took over
his family's estate in the early 1980s, shifting the focus from sweet reds to dry versions.
Today his daughters Dörte and Meike run the
winery, tending more than 56 acres, threequarters of which is planted to pinot. This
wine is a composite view of the Ahr's vineyards: It has the sort of ease that you might
expect from a region that stands out for its

$18

2016 Baden Tuniberg ^ Joachim Heger, the
third generation to run his family's winery,
sources this wine from vineyards he contracts in Tuniberg, a hill of limestone and
loess that's significantly cooler than his
estate vineyards in the neighboring Kaiserstuhl. That coolness reads clearly in the pale
color and earthy scent of this wine, more
spice than fruit. Give it time to warm up-a
few hours or even a day-and the flavors
blossom, fragrant with roses, dark cherries,
herbs and gingerbread spice. The gauzy texture fills in with a rich, pecan-like nuttiness,
the wine elegant and complex. § Schatzi Wines,
Milan, NY
522488

93 | Ziereisen

$33

2015 Baden Schulen Blauer Spätburgunder ^ Hanspeter and Edel Ziereisen farm
their 58 acres in the Dreiändereck-the
" three-country corner " where Germany,
Switzerland and France meet. The influence
of all those countries seems to show up in
this wine, as it transmits a sense of mountain coolness, Burgundian smoothness and
Germanic precision. From a limestone site,
the grapes ferment spontaneously in stainless steel before going into barrels from a
cooperage in Franken. The 2015 is tangy
and rich at once, the combination of bright
fruit, chocolate depth and fine, lacey acidity
bringing to mind a florentine. The flavors last
with an herbal savor that keeps the wine feeling fresh. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
522490

92 | Rainer Schnaitmann

$30

91 | Meyer-Näkel

$42

90 | Braunewell

$23

90 | Dautel

$70

2017 Württemberg Steinwiege Pinot Noir ^
While his family has grown grapes in Württemberg for generations, it wasn't until 1997
that Rainer Schnaitmann started bottling
wine, after leasing seven acres of vines from
his father. Now he farms 64 acres, all organically, in some of Württemberg's top sites.
Steinwiege is a selection from the estate's
VDP-classified vineyards, fermented spontaneously and aged in used 300-liter oak barrels for 18 months. The 2017 is restrained and
elegant, with a lemongrass-like note framing
seedy strawberry fruit. The bright acidity and
firm tannins make it mouthwatering, ready
to serve with a juicy weisswurst. § The German
Wine Collection, Carlsbad, CA
522474
2018 Ahr Pinot Noir ^ This matches its translucent garnet hue in its restraint, the tangy
raspberry flavors fragrant with notes of forest floor, orange peel and peonies. It's gentle and elegant, ready to elevate an herbed
mushroom risotto. § The German Wine Collection, Carlsbad, CA
522468
2017 Rheinhessen Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^
A new name in the US, this family estate
is run by Stefan and Christian Braunewell,
who farm 67 acres in Essenheim, south of
the Rhein River, in the coolest pocket of the
Rheinhessen. This pinot noir captures that
coolness in its fragrant expression: It smells
of roses and freshly turned earth, tart cherries and cherry pits. The acidity keeps it brisk
and mouthwatering; this is ready to pair with
a rosy roast duck breast. § Skurnik Wines &
Spirits, NY
522492
2016 Württemberg Oberstenfeld Forstberg ^ Ernst Dautel was one of the first producers in Württemberg to bottle wines, after
leaving the local coop in the 1970s. His son,
Christian, took over in 2010, having worked
at Mount Langhi in Australia, Weninger in
Austria and Domaine des Comtes Lafon in
Burgundy. His 2016 from Forstberg, a site
of marl, stony clay and limestone above the
Bottwar River, is lush and ripe, with a dark,
smoky richness under its cherry scents. At
the same time, the acidity is bright, almost
prickly in its energy, wanting rich food, like
goose, to bring it into balance. § Skurnik Wines
& Spirits, NY
522477

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2021

125
Wine & Spirits - April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2021
