Peter Wagner Oberrotweil Spätburgunder 2023

Weingut Peter Wagner farms in Oberrotweil, a village in the Kaiserstuhl of Baden, the warmest of Germany's wine regions in the far south west. This is Spätburgunder, the German name for Pinot Noir. The Kaiserstuhl is a volcanic massif, and its warm volcanic and loess soils give Pinot Noir riper fruit and more body than cooler German sites, while a warming climate now brings the grapes to fuller ripeness than in past decades. The estate farms sustainably. The wine is aged sixteen months in foudres, large old oak casks that allow gentle oxygen exchange to soften tannin and build texture without imparting strong new oak flavour, keeping the focus on fruit and site. The colour is a clear medium ruby. The nose shows red cherry and raspberry over forest floor earth, a touch of rose and gentle spice. The palate is medium bodied, with fresh acidity, fine tannin and a savoury, lightly peppery finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees, decanted briefly, with roast duck, game birds or mushroom dishes.