Cabernet Sauvignon trocken 2024

Wine description for Cabernet Sauvignon trocken 2024 by Barnert & Drewitz

Colour & appearance

Deep violet-red with purple highlights towards the rim — dense, youthful, almost opaque.

Nose

Layers of dark fruit: blackberry, blackcurrant, sweet black cherry. Above, notes of vanilla and fine chocolate; beneath, a cool vegetal trace of green pepper and tomato leaf, framed by restrained wood spice.

Palate

Refined structure, fruity density, mineral depth. The oak influence remains subtle, the tannins present yet polished. Striking is the fleshy, umami-rich texture — a Cabernet that speaks through substance rather than sweetness.

Finish

Long and dark-fruited, with a saline-mineral aftertaste and a final hint of chocolate and pepper.

Terroir & origin

The grapes come from a southwest-facing steep vineyard site with gradients of up to 40%. The subsoil: aeolian sands over granite scree — a mosaic that Eric Barnert, a geologist with a doctorate, has mapped square metre by square metre. On the Hessische Bergstraße, between Bensheim and the Odenwald, Barnert & Drewitz cultivate old vines on roughly half a hectare of terraces — plots that elsewhere would long since have been abandoned.

Grape variety & vinification

Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested in early October. Spontaneous fermentation with traditional pigeage — the cap is plunged by hand. Subsequent ageing in a 350-litre Burgundy cask. In the vaulted cellar of Schloss Schönberg, the duo works without technical shortcuts: minimal sulphur, no filtration, patience instead of intervention.

Food recommendations

The smoky, umami-driven character of this wine makes it an obvious choice for grilled beef, herb-crusted rack of lamb or duck with soy broth and pak choi. It also finds its rhythm alongside smoked paprika goulash or mushroom dishes with miso.

Special features

Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bergstraße is by no means a given — let alone from terraced steep slopes that permit only manual labour. That a geologist and a sommelier join forces here to make wine is evident in the glass: it bears the cool, stony signature of granite without sacrificing fruit. A German Cabernet that does not imitate Bordeaux, but speaks of its own soil.