Last year we were fortunate to visit some of the most exciting winemakers in Germany, including Rainer Schnaitmann, one the country's top producers of Pinot Noir, which he grows in his vineyards in Württemberg, just outside Stuttgart, on rolling slopes looking across to the city, and the headquarters of Mercedes and Porsche.  

The general quality of German Pinot Noir has shot up over the last couple of decades, but Rainer's wines are at a completely different level to the generality.  He is one of a few star winemakers producing world-class reds, competing with the best in Burgundy, New Zealand and elsewhere.  His 2022 Spätburgunder Lämmler 'GG' (93+ pts, WA) is a real alternative to grand cru red burgundy, at £330 per six, but the 'estate wine' the 2022 Pinot Noir 'Steinwiege', is impressive in its own way:  Cool, classical and great value at just £110 per six.

The winery itself is in the village of Fellbach, at the heart of the Württemberg region.  Rainer's family have been growing vines here for 600 years, but it is only since he took over in 1997 that the estate has focused on quality.  

Through constant innovation and experimentation (including conversion first to organics and then to biodynamics) Rainer has become known as one of Germany's top winemakers.  Trained as an architect and a talented classical pianist, he brings an intellectual approach to his winemaking and on the day we visited, the barrels in his candlelit gothic cellar were being serenaded by the music of J.S. Bach, to help them to age harmoniously!   

Rainer's Lämmler Spätburgunder was included in James Sucking's 'Top 100 wines of the world' in 2020.  The Lämmler vineyard is a 'Grosses Gewachs' or 'Great Growth', Germany's equivalent of a grand cru, with vines planted here since 1132, on a mix of red sandstone and marl.  Thermal currents heat the vineyard during the day, followed by considerable cooling at night, fostering flavour development in the grapes.  The fermentation takes place in mixture of oak barrels and casks, from 225 to 1800 litres (most are 300 litres) and is spontaneous, using only naturally occurring yeasts.  

The 2022 Pinot Noir 'Steinwiege' (12.5% abv) is fermented in the same manner and aged for 18 months in 300 litre oak casks, before bottling without filtration or sulphuring.  The '22 showed intense dark cherry, blueberry, earth and juniper on the nose, with impressive tannic structure and the kind of fine, racy acidity that we always look for in red burgundy.   At just over £25 per bottle with all taxes, this is superb value for such a beautifully constructed wine.

We have just a handful of cases of Lämmler and very limited stock of the Steinwiege available, so please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to order.

Offered in bond, available for delivery in August.