Palatinate Pinot Noir - 2022

The 2022 Pfalz Spätburgunder from Weingut Rings shows a softer interpretation

The 2022 Pfalz Spätburgunder from Weingut Rings is a dry red wine from the Palatinate, grown on Kallstadt and Freinsheim soils and aged for fifteen months in used barriques. Compared to the previous year, it presents softer edges without losing any of its density.

The 2022 Pfalz Spätburgunder is a dry VDP.Gutswein from Weingut Rings in Freinsheim, harvested from vines grown from French clones and blended from several vineyards. It is made in exactly the same way as the 2021 vintage, yet it turns out rounder in the glass. With 13.0 percent alcohol, it remains a red wine for dining rather than studying.

Heart cherry, cinnamon, and a mild finish

Ripe heart cherry leads on the nose, accompanied by a spice reminiscent of cinnamon and a hint of allspice. Such tones develop in berries that had enough time on the vine but did not reach the cellar overripe.

On the palate, it is dense and juicy like its predecessor, but the tannins are softer, nestling against the palate rather than gripping it. It remains bone-dry nonetheless, as the roundness here comes from the ripeness of the grapes and not from sugar in the glass.

Those who compare both vintages side-by-side will find a tauter thread in the predecessor and a milder finish in this one. Neither is better than the other; they are two interpretations of the same vineyards.

With grilled lamb chops and sautéed bell peppers

A red wine with a soft edge pairs well with anything prepared over an open flame, because roasted aromas don't find an opponent here, but an echo.

Obvious choices are grilled lamb chops, sautéed bell peppers with garlic and good olive oil, or a young Pecorino whose salt brings out the fruit. A pan of king oyster mushrooms with parsley also works well with it, provided the sauce isn't too heavy.

It is expressive at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius; it does not need a decanter, and half an hour in the glass is more than enough. For those looking to explore more dry red wines from German cultivation, the next level up has plenty to offer.

Small berries, lots of skin, and what becomes of it

The French clones planted in these vineyards produce significantly smaller berries than the common German varietals. This may sound like a technicality for experts, but it determines how dark and textured the final wine turns out.

Color and tannin reside in the berry skin; the juice itself is nearly colorless. The smaller the berry, the more skin there is per volume of must, and the more of both migrates into the wine during the maceration period.

Small-berried grapes therefore result in deeper colors and firmer tannins without the need for cellar intervention. To ensure the berries remain small, the vines are defoliated and desuckered, and the crop load is limited by hand.

The harvest takes place in several passes; in the cellar, a second selection follows along with destemming, and fermentation is started solely by indigenous yeasts from the vineyard. You can see how broadly this estate is positioned in the Weingut Rings hub.

2022 Pfalz Spätburgunder – a red wine and its specifications

• Origin: Germany
• Growing region: Pfalz
• Winery: Rings
• Classification: VDP.Gutswein
• Grape variety: Spätburgunder
• Alcohol: 13.0% vol
• Residual sugar: 0.1 g/l
• Acidity: 5.8 g/l

Organic control number – DE-ÖKO-022 German Agriculture