The German Spätburgunder and Pinot Noir is getting better and better and so there is now a large selection of great wines.

The Bernhart 2005 Schweigener Sonnenberg Spätburgunder Rädling Großes Gewächs has intensive flavours of strawberry, cherry and herbs. It has full-body, perfect balance, a medium long finish and a good complexity. It is on its peak and should be drunken now or at least in 2-3 years. 17.8/20 points.

The Bernhard Koch 2013 Hainfelder Letten Pinot Noir Reserve is very expressive and full of mocha and cherry. It needs some air to open up and has full-body, balance, density, power and a medium long finish. 18/20 points.

Keller not only makes good white wines, but also really good red wines. The Keller 2009 Spätburgunder Bürgel has sweet strawberries  and blossoms, a medium body, slightly phenolic and a medium to long finish. It is very complex and elegant. Just like the white wines, it should not be drunk too young. 2009 now has a good maturity, but it is still not on its peak. It still has potential for the next decade. 18.3/20 points.

Also from Rheinhessen: The Thörle 2012 Saulheimer Hölle Spätburgunder has a lot of cherry, cherry stone and phenolic. It needs aeration and is well structured by its tannin. 18.3/20 points.

The winner of the tasting is the Markus Molitor 2005 Graacher Himmelreich Spätburgunder***. It is a typical Spätburgunder from the slate with cherry, herbs, bacon and herbs. With full-body, cool fruit and a long finish, it is structured, phenolic, balanced  and has no sign of age. It is comparable to other high-end Spätburgunder from the slate like the Assmannshäuser Höllenberg. Other vintages that we recommend are 2009, 2010 and 2012, but this vintages will still need some time. 19.3/20 points.