2016 Spatburgunder Pinot Noir Hex vom Dasenstein Vineyard
Speaking of unique wine bottle labels, this German red wine has a witch, carrying a broom stick, riding on a goat! It’s raised surface is a hand painted art form. “Dang!”, I said to myself. “Is it of any value?” Sorry, self… Earlier painted wine bottles before 1860’s have value, but not this 2016.
This Spatburgunder is a witch’s brew, and produced on Germany’s Hex vom Dasenstein Vineyard. Its acreage lies near the town of Kappelrodeck. With pride, the vineyard carries German folklore; a legend about a witch. In 1356, a count’s daughter had an affair with a commoner. The Count disowned her. To survive, she lived alone in a cave. The daughter spent the rest of her life living in the cave, which was on the side of a gigantic rock (the Dasenstein). Legend places it in the middle of the vineyards. As the woman grew older, her nose grew longer, her face became very wrinkled and the locals called her the Hex vom Dasenstein. And yes, the vineyard was named after her.
My curiosity, also, found that German vintners bottled their wines using two main colors: brown or green. Their brown glass bottles indicated those wines produced in their Rheingau region; wines in green glass bottles came from Mosel. Then later, everyone switched to blue colored glass, which screwed up the messaging.
This particular German Pinot Noir is bottled in an embossed, hand-painted embossed bottle. Its artwork depicting the vineyard’s namesake: a witch riding on a goat with her broomstick. Today, the Hex vom Dasenstein vineyard produces some of Germany's fine Pinot Noir/Spätburgunder. The dark red ruby red wine combines a fine fruit bouquet with a warm full body.
Pinot Noir is a seductive, finicky grape. It is a varietal not meant for a witch’s brew. So, because my preferences do not run along sweet wines, this Spatburgunder wasn’t that enjoyable. However, tasting a sweet Pinot Noir became an intriguing experience. Where is the Pinot Noir, I asked? Its sweet heavy red cherry is fine, but allow me to find currant; its rich oak tannin, etc. Finally, there are other traditional German Pinot Noir that I prefer.
