Rosé vom Spätburgunder 2023

Wine Description for Rosé from Spätburgunder 2023 by Klaus Vorgrimmler

Colour & Appearance

Brilliant pomegranate red with luminous orange and pale reflections – a rosé that already signals independence in the glass. Not a pale summer colour, but a deeply rooted character.

Nose

Intense and multi-layered: raspberry and strawberry open seductively, wild and impetuous. Sour cherry and redcurrant set varietal-typical accents. In the background, bergamot and the tart leaf of kaffir lime work as cool counterpoints. Dried herbs – thyme, sage, rosemary – along with delicate traces of clove and cinnamon lend the nose a Mediterranean-spicy depth that lingers long in the glass.

Palate

Far removed from the obliging mainstream rosé, this wine moves across the palate with remarkable lightness of foot. The fruit presents itself tame and creamy – almost reminiscent of cream cherry sweets – embedded in a taut, straightforward structure that radiates freshness and coolness. Positive bitter compounds play an invigorating role and recall a classic Provence rosé more than a German Spätburgunder. Earthiness and spice determine the essence of this wine.

Finish

Long and herbaceous, with lingering freshness and a slightly tart aftertaste. The wine remains precise and demanding – in a pleasant way.

Terroir & Origin

The vines are rooted in loess over a substratum of Dogger and Jurassic limestone – rock formations from the Middle Jurassic, approximately 180 million years old. For four decades, the soil has been continuously greened; for some years now, soil cultivation has been completely abandoned. The result: over 80 plant species and a living soil ecosystem that visibly shapes the vitality of the vine.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Pure Spätburgunder from a single old parcel, with deliberately early harvest timing for maximum acidity freshness. Yield limitation to 30–40 hl/ha through the estate’s own KV pruning method. In 2023, skin contact times were deliberately shortened. Fermentation at 18 °C in stainless steel tank, spontaneous, without additives. Malolactic fermentation over winter, maturation on fine lees. Sulphur is used once, shortly before bottling, in minimal dosage – nature-aligned winemaking in its most consequential form.

Food Recommendations

This rosé demands dishes with character: bouillabaisse or grilled red mullet with Provençal herbs would be ideal companions. It also harmonises beautifully with vitello tonnato, charcuterie with cornichons or a goat’s cheese tart with fresh herbs. For something simpler: a tomato burrata salad with basil oil.

Distinctive Features

A wine that defies any categorisation. Klaus Vorgrimmler works with the consistency of a craftsman and the sensitivity of an artist – without sulphur in the vineyard, with minimal intervention in the cellar and with a deep respect for the soil. This rosé is not a summer drink. It is a wine for contemplation.