2018 Recher Herrenberg Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs Jean Stodden

The 2018 Herrenberg Spätburgunder GG is deep, intense and ripe on the nose and displays a ripe, dark and red fruit bouquet with floral and herbal aromas as well as discreet but present oaky and licorice notes. Round and generous on the palate, this is a full-bodied, concentrated and firmly structured yet silky, intense and refreshing Pinot that still has a lot of oak flavors but fine tannins and a finely crystalline structure. This Herrenberg needs a longer while to gain the finesse of the JS or even the J, but it is certainly more powerful, compact and juicy. Very promising and with great aging potential. Tasted as a barrel sample in April 2020.

2018 was very hot, says Alexander Stodden started the harvest (nothing but Pinot Noir and Pinot Precorcé) in mid-August to preserve the house's own cool, lean and elegant style. "We definitely did not want too high alcohol levels, and of course, we also aimed for nice acidity. Therefore, we decided to start the harvest immediately after reaching physiological maturity," Stodden said in an email he wrote to me in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. Up to now, I could only taste a part of his Pinots, but a tasting at the winery at the end of August is arranged. According to first impressions, 2018 might have been one of the best years so far for the red wine estate Jean Stodden. Even the simpler Pinot Noirs show class with elegance and finesse, whereas the Herrenberg GG shows complexity and power in combination with finesse and freshness.

Suckling 94, Quite floral, but behind this lightness is a strong wine with a finely etched tannin structure that has plenty of drive. Some cocoa and spice from oak, but this sits neatly within the framework that the grape character gives the wine. Drink or hold.

Fine--Cherry-colored, light, ruby ​​red on the edge. In the scent, the fruit with aromas of cherry and plum share the sensory stage with notes of cigar box and roasted almonds. It packs a punch on the palate with plenty of fruit and rich acidity, and the tannins are also quite firm. Chocolate, cedar spice and dark mineral hints make their presence felt on the finish, which is still a little astringent at the moment. Still in its raw state, but promising.