Schnaitmann Simonroth Spätburgunder, Württemberg 2021

Delicate yet complex German Pinot Noir.

Clean fruit notes of redcurrants, cherries and plums with soft spicy notes of cinammon and earthy, forest tones.
An elegant acidity and fine-grained tannins result in a dense and straight structure. Lots of freshness and length, the wine draws from its minerality with subtle iron notes.
Traditional fermentation, three weeks on the mash, ageing in (60%) new and (40%) used oak barrels of 300 litres.
The Schnaitmann family have a tradition of vine growing that lasts over 500 years.
Pair with fine autumnal cuisine, game, wild poultry, beef, lamb, grilled fish, mushrooms, stews. Served best at 16°C in a big Burgundy wine glass.

Grape variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2021
Type/Colour: Red
Alcohol: 12.5%
Bottle Size: 75cl
Group: Württemberg
Suitable for Vegans: Yes
Suitable for Vegetarians: Yes
Sustainable: Yes

Wurttemberg is the fourth-largest wine region in Germany, with almost 28,500 acres (11,500ha) of vineyards. Almost 70 percent of modern Wurttemberg wines are red, predominantly made from Trollinger, Schwarzriesling and Lemberger. These are not produced to be weighty, powerful cuvees but lighter, fruiter wines. The cool temperatures in this part of the world dictate this style as much as the local consumers, who are accustomed to - and proud of - the idiosyncratic nature of their red wines. That said, more and more winemakers are beginning to make higher-alcohol, more heavily extracted cuvees.

Wurttemberg
The coat of arms of Wurttemberg
While Riesling represents nearly two-thirds of the white wines produced in Wurttemberg, Muller-Thurgau and Kerner are also traditionally grown here. Riesling from the village of Flein (which means "hard pebble", a reflection of the terroir) is particularly well regarded throughout the region, although it has yet to make a name for itself on an international scale. As in Switzerland, the market for Wurttemberg's wines is predominantly local (the region has the highest wine consumption in all of Germany), meaning that very little wine ever makes it on to international or even national markets.

The main viticultural areas of Wurttemberg line the Neckar river valley, and spread up into its tributary valleys including the Rems, Enz, Kocher, Jagst and Tauber. There is also an isolated outcrop of vineyards around Friedrichshafen, on the shores of Bodensee (Lake Constance). The lake is the second largest in Europe, and is located at an altitude of 1295ft (395m) above sea level.

In the north of the region, steep riverside slopes provide the dramatic, if labor-intensive, landscape on which most Wurttemberg vines are grown, making use of sunny, south-facing aspects wherever possible. They are not on the scale of those found in the Mosel, but nevertheless provide a sufficiently impressive landscape to give Wurttemberg a growing wine tourism industry.

With more than 15,000 family-run vineyards contributing to the region's annual crush, co-operatives are responsible for a considerable proportion of the wine produced here.