2019 Konigschaffhausen Spatburgunder Selection, Baden, Germany (750ml)   

About the Icons
100% Pinot Noir grown in the loess and volcanic soils of the famed Kaiserstuhl. One of the most distinct growing regions of Baden, the Kaiserstuhl is a 2,000 feet high volcanic mountain rising up in the middle of the Rhein Valley. Konigschaffhausen is a cooperative of 370 growers that has been in existence since 1933 and who all agree on low yields and rigorous farming. The grapes are fermented in a combination of new and older oak barrels. It is a fantastically food friendly pinot noir, showing silky tannins, a gentle fresh raspberry leaf component and soft balanced acidity.

There are a couple interesting subtexts to this wine beyond its charmingly quaffable presentation. One is the fact that cooperative winenaking operations can be too easily dismissed as inherently inferior. On the contrary, when the participating growers have a shared commitment to an agreed upon set of quality guidelines, the opposite might be true, and the wines that result are often fine values. The second is that Germany is producing better and better Pinot Noir and other red wines. This is partly the result of determined effort on the part of wine producers, and partly - let's face it - the result of climate change.