“I would eat my hat if I could find a Burgundy this scrumptious, age-worthy and interesting at this price.” - Tamlyn Currin for JancisRobinson.com

Tucked away in the Selz Valley of Rheinhessen, Weingut Eppelmann has quietly become one of Germany’s most exciting young Pinot Noir producers. This small estate farms organically, thinks sustainably, and lets its vineyards do the talking (low-intervention winemaking). The soils here are a winemaker’s dream: limestone and the chalky, barren Terra Fusca soils of their vineyards lend a distinctive mineral backbone, which gives Terra F its signature cool, flinty edge – that little smoky wink that makes you lean in for another sip. The 2022 vintage is a blend of fruit from four sites, including three top single-vineyard parcels – to achieve a perfect balance of breadth and finesse.

It’s a wonderfully expressive Pinot Noir, swirling with opulent aromas of black cherry, wild strawberries, sweet kola, glossy plums, rosehip, and orange. It’s pure and jewel-like with floral high tones and a whisper of cinnamon giving it a feminine and sensuous character, while forest-floor bass notes and a smoky flint-like reduction add another layer of intrigue. It has glowingly healthy fruit, as if each berry had been asked to remove its shoes and take a shower before leaping into the vat. Partial whole-bunch fermentation (25% of the grapes) adds aromatic lift and gives a silky structure, while sensitive Burgundian oak aging layers in quiet complexity without smothering the vibrant and succulent fruit. This is a seriously impressive Pinot Noir for sub-£20. One of the best we have ever tasted. Think a very good Villages Burgundy level in terms of quality with a nod to Oregon or New Zealand in terms of style. Just gorgeous! 12-18 months in new French oak. Organic. 12.5% alc. Drink now – 2030.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com (Tamlyn Currin): “A wine that smells floral, scented, midnight and then slides down mossy banks into deep cherry fruit, a side of truffled wild rice. A wine that tastes of sky (violets, turned to light), of earth (truffles, sweet, loam, rice). The sweetness of strawberry on the finish. I would eat my hat if I could find a burgundy this scrumptious, age-worthy and interesting at this price. VERY GOOD VALUE. Drink now-2033.” 17 points

Customer comment:

“Howard Ripley once told me some of his clients acquired the wines of Domaine Dujac, in particular, largely for the aromas. I could get that back then and I get it now with the Eppelmann Spatburgunder (at less than £20 a pop). So, thank you!” - Mr M.C.