Juicy cherry red with ruby highlights towards the rim of the glass.
Nose
Floral aromatic notes meet raspberry, sour cherry, lingonberry and pomegranate, underpinned by fine minerality and delicate smokiness.
Palate
Juicy and supple on the palate, with sweet-seeming fruit, a vibrant structure and Burgundian finesse.
Character
A refined, nimble-footed Pinot Noir with playfulness and energy – elegant rather than heavy with alcohol, shaped by slate soils and cool nights in the Ahr.
Pairing
Calf's liver with raspberries and veal jus, duck ragout with glazed carrots or cream cheese with pumpernickel and beetroot.
Notes
Spontaneously fermented in casks made from local oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered; best enjoyed slightly chilled and decanted from Burgundy glasses.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Juicy cherry red, lightening to ruby towards the rim — translucent, luminous, entirely in the style of cool-climate Spätburgunder.
Nose
Floral notes above a beguiling core of fruit: raspberry, sour cherry, lingonberry and pomegranate. Beneath them, fine minerality and a delicate veil of smoke — an aromatic profile that recalls the Côte de Nuits rather than warm Central Europe.
Palate
At just 11.5 per cent alcohol, the depth is astonishing: sweet red fruit meets abundant juiciness and a supple, silky structure. The fresh acidity — preserved by cool nights in the Ahr Valley — lends tension and vitality. Full of finesse, never heavy, a counterpoint to rich cuisine.
Finish
Taut and mineral, with finely chiselled tannins and a long, cool-fruited aftertaste. Best served slightly chilled, decanted, from Burgundy glasses.
Terroir & origin
The Pfarrwingert in Dernau is one of the steep vineyard sites of the Ahr Valley — parcels with gradients of up to 70 per cent that demand entirely manual work. Weathered slate soils store the warmth of the day, while cool nights rising from the valley preserve freshness. Bertram-Baltes cultivates 7.5 hectares in the finest vineyard sites between Dernau, Ahrweiler and Mayschoß, fully organically certified since 2019, with yields of only 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare. In the vineyard, Julia and Benedikt follow permaculture principles: trees among the vines, sheep tending the soil, wooden stakes instead of plastic.
Grape variety & vinification
Spätburgunder, harvested early and by hand — the deliberate antithesis to the old Ahr maxim “the riper, the better”. The grapes ferment spontaneously in casks of local oak made by German coopers, then are bottled unfined and unfiltered. No chaptalisation, no compromises.
Food recommendations
The cool fruit and the structure call for elegance on the plate: pan-fried calf’s liver with raspberries and veal jus is a classic match for this style. Duck ragout with orange juice and caramelised carrots also works wonderfully — the roasted aromas of the poultry mirror the wine’s delicate smoky note. For vegetarians: cream cheese with pumpernickel and beetroot.
Special features
The 2022 vintage is the first complete one following the devastating Ahr flood of 2021, which struck the estate in Dernau and destroyed both cellar and casks. Julia Bertram and Benedikt Baltes — she a former German Wine Queen, he a winemaker’s son from Mayschoß — rebuilt everything. This wine carries that story: light-footed in the glass, unbending in its origins. Proof that low alcohol levels and great concentration are no contradiction.
EN 
DE 
FR 
IT 
