2019 Stein Spatburgunder "Waechter"

Visiting Ulli Stein was a watershed moment in my wine career. Here is a person that is so fully immersed and dedicated to his land and its rich cultural history. What an admirable human and a motivation to give a shit about what you love in life.

This is, in most years, Stein’s top Spätburgunder bottling (only rarely does Stein bottle a “Reserve”), named after the famous artist who did the label, F.K. Waechter. The Waechter bottling is a selection of the best fruit (normally the wine is a touch riper, with alcohols in the 12-12.5% range) and the élevage is carried out in used 225-liter barrique including one DRC barrel Stein got from Daniel Twardowski. This is a deeper and more textural and almost lavish Mosel Pinot Noir. Stein believes his 2020 Pinots are among the best he has ever made. The regular 2020 “Waechter” Spätburgunder is a formidable wine in its own right, dark and deep-fruited, structured and energetic.