Pinot Noir from Burgundy versus Pinot Noir/Spätburgunder from Germany. And the best Dornfelder. There have been some disappointments, so not all wine made it onto the picture.
Clos de Reas is one of the best 1er Cru vineyards, but we expected more from Michel Gros 2010 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Clos de Reas. Although it has tannin and structure, some herbs and vegetables, it is too simple and tastes more like a Spätburgunder. 15.5/20 points.
We were really disappointed with the Laurent Roumier 2001 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru. It is from one of the most prestige vineyards, but it is a simple and irrelevant wine with garnet colour and some coffee and toasted notes. 15.8/20 points. For such a wine we expect something great.
Althoug there are some exceptions: Burgundy is a mine field. You never know what you will get even if you spent a lot of money.
The Koehler-Ruprecht 2012 Pinot Noir Auslese trocken was over. It was malty, yeasty, sour with black pepper. 0/20 points.
The WG Königschaffhausen 2002 Spätburgunder Regnum is from one of the best wine cooperatives in Germany and this is their best wine. It has strawberries, bacon and toasted notes and is medium-bodied with a higher acidity. It is relative balanced but rather simple. 15/20 points.
Deutzerhof is one of the top producers at the Ahr. But 2014 was a difficult vintage and so the Deutzerhof 2014 Mayschosser Mönchberg Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs is not a great wine, but excellent: It has the aromas of a classic German Spätburgunder with cherries, almonds and marzipan and is balanced and full-bodied. 17/20 points.
Also Jean Stodden is one of the top producers at the Ahr. The Jean Stodden 2013 Recher Herrenberg Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs is from the better vintage 2013 and it shows what is possible with Spätburgunder: With white pepper and cherries in the nose, it is full-bodied, balanced and mineralic and has a good structure and a long finish. 18.5/20 points.
You would never expect that one of the best Pinot Noirs in Germany comes from the Mosel which is famous for Riesling but not for red wines. The Markus Molitor 2009 Graacher Himmelreich Pinot Noir *** has strawberries, blossoms, toasted notes and a little bit of bacon with aeration and is a full-bodied, opulent, balanced and complex wine with a high minerality. 18.8/20 points.
Normally the grape variety Dornfelder is used for easy-drinking red wine. But here we have perhaps the best Dornfelder: Deutzerhof 2012 Dornfelder. With an opaque ruby colour and a lot of raspberries in the nose, it is an expressively fruity wine, perfectly balanced and medium complex. 18/20 poiints.
