The Discover Club - August 2020
This month, each club at Just A Taste explores classic wines of Germany. However, for the Discover Club, we explore a lesser-known region by an old producer under the new leadership of the most recent generation: Weingut Dautel Spatburgunder.
Weingut Dautel Spatburgunder 2016
Producer: Weingut Dautel
Winemaker: Ghristian Dautel
Region: GER, Wurttemberg, Bonnigheim
Grape Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Viticulture: calcareous marl, clay, yellow sandstone, and limestone; steep-terraced vineyards; sustainably farmed
Method: partial whole-cluster; neutral oak
Serving Suggestions: serve 60-65 F
Age: drink 2020-2030
Nose: sour cherry, blackberry, vanilla
Palate: dark berries and elevated acidity
Finish: soft, long-lasting tannins
About dautel
The Dautel family has been tending vines for over 500 years, though Christian Dautel is only the second generation to bottle their own wine. The Dautel family, first enthused by Ernst, Christian’s father, embraces techniques from around the globe, incorporating whole-cluster methods from the Rhone Valley and oak regimen from the Cote-d’Or. They have spent a lifetime trying to raise the name of Wurttemberg from the fallout of “Blue Nun,” and are making waves of their own in the process.
Why I am Excited about this Wine
With global warming effecting wine regions across the globe, the classic “cold-climate” growing regions are less “cold” and more moderate each year. However, there is a definitive style associated with “cooler-climate” regions that cannot be emulated anywhere else. In the past, many cold-climates struggled to ripen grapes like Pinot Noir and often gave a sour note to the finished wines; however, with recent climate changes, many overlooked areas are now producing beautiful wines of world class. This is one example.
“In the 1970s, Württemberg was known for Blue Nun and all that sweet shit and thermo-vinification. It was more or less a bulk production. It was not quality focused.
My whole childhood I was all the time in wine regions. I saw Cos d’Estournel, La Tour.... Everywhere he traveled he saw things and got new experiences. He saw new things and realized ‘why can’t I do things like this here in my region as well? I have the potential from the vineyards, so why can’t I also use why can’t I also use oak? Why can’t I work in this way, more quality minded? And this is how things started.”