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Cool vintages are celebrated by many wine lovers and experts for their leaner, more acidic, supposedly more elegant wines. This is perhaps even more true for Pinot Noir than for many other varieties. But it's not that simple. Wine cannot be elegant without real substance and inner strength.

VDP

Over the past few months, we have tasted a considerable number of older vintages and some 2022s, as well as Pinot Noirs from 2020 and 2021. Looking at the results, one might come to the conclusion that the younger vintage is superior to the older one. But the picture is deceptive because many of the best 2020s were tasted earlier and published in the last Pinot Noir special. After three particularly favourable years for Pinot Noir, many winemakers had to fight for substance and ripeness again in 2021. In a direct comparison of the best wines, the difference between the vintages is particularly noticeable among the top producers, who try to get the most out of every vintage.

Nevertheless, many observers consider the 2021 vintage to be particularly successful because it produced lighter, more elegant and often more acidic red wines than in other years. However, as much as we love fine and elegant wines, we can only agree with this view to a limited extent. We have the impression that elegance is often confused with pure slenderness, just as acidity alone is confused with freshness and tension. However, as soon as elegance is bought at the price of a lack of body, inner strength (we are explicitly not talking about alcoholic strength here), depth and structure, it is no longer elegance. Imagine a ballet dancer without strength and body tension. Spoiler alert: there is no such thing.

One of the biggest mistakes a Pinot Noir producer can make is to pick the grapes too late. Thick, low-contour, warm, high-alcohol wines made from grapes that are too ripe do not have any real structure, even if they are vigorously acidified or treated with new wood. The second big mistake, however, is the exact opposite: picking the grapes too early. If you only focus on the acidity or do everything you can to keep the alcohol low while neglecting the necessary ripeness, you will end up with wines that can be quite animating in their youth; they may even be celebrated by wine fans and tasters who are primarily interested in superficial effects. But the fun doesn't last long because the wines lack the necessary structure, depth and substance.

For this reason, ripe Pinot Noir vintages will generally always remain superior to those that make it difficult for healthy grapes to ripen, even if this may well be different for individual wines. Sceptics only need to go back a few years: while wines from the "elegant" and more acidic 2008 and 2010 vintages, for example, are in most cases already past their prime (and sometimes even a little longer), their 09 counterparts are often still in full swing.

VDP

Against this backdrop, it is all the more remarkable how many good Pinot Noirs were produced in 2021. Almost 120 wines received 88 points or more, with almost 50 wines scoring 90 points or more, and it is to be expected that a few more will be added by those wineries that generally release their wines a little later. The best Pinots of the vintage have energy, backbone, often a marvellous freshness and, above all, the necessary substance to mature well. This is where the vintage can play to its strengths. In 2021, there are many mid-range wines that would normally be rated somewhat higher, which often taste excellent but ultimately lack the necessary substance and depth for top ratings. They compete with wines that have always been in the mid-range quality category, but are often considerably cheaper. This category of very good and affordable Pinot Noirs is somewhat smaller than usual in 2021, but as always, it is worth keeping an eye out for these wines. The only thing that applies here in particular is: drink these wines while they taste good; don't put them in the cellar for 10 years!

But we're not just talking about the reds. Almost 100 of the Pinot Noirs tasted recently were rosé or white. And there is a lot going on here. While the classic Pinot Blanc remains rather undemanding, a new rosé culture has developed over the last few years: away from banal, sweet, run-of-the-mill drinks and towards serious wines with real character. They definitely deserve the attention of even the most discerning wine lovers. The trend is less pronounced in the white-pressed versions, but here too there are worthwhile wines, often at very favourable prices. We have already covered in detail elsewhere how good the sparkling wines have become, but we don't want to ignore it here either.

We have currently tasted well over 600 Pinot Noirs of all colours, the best of which we present here. You will find links to all the results and the producers at the end of each list.

German Pinot Noir Red wine vintage 2022

German Pinot Noir Red wine vintage 2021

German Pinot Noir Red wine vintage 2020

German Pinot Noir Red wine vintage 2019

German Pinot Noir Red wine Older vintages

German Pinot Noir The best reds up to 20€

German Pinot Noir Rosé

German Pinot Noir Weißherbst

German Pinot Noir White wine

German Pinot Noir Sparkling wine / PetNat

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