2018 Weingut Friedrich Becker, Spätburgunder “Zensiert” Kammerberg Grosses Gewächs, Pfalz, Germany.
So, I’m visiting Washington DC and cruising the local wine scene and go into a small wine bar in Eastern Market to show off some wines and I notice a couple of bottles of Weingut Friedrich Becker behind the bar and find out I’ve only missed Fritz (Friedrich jr) by minutes, one of my heroes and greatest German Pinot makers! Lucky for me the coolest guy runs this place and he lets me try the fabulous Cru bottling, with this 2018 Zensiert GG being a gorgeous standout, a wine that easily rivals those else Burgundies at nose bleed prices! The dark ruby/garnet 2018 Zensiert flows across the medium bodied palate with pure confidence and poise showing a range of dark cherry, plum, currant and cranberry fruits, some spicy wood, smoky stones, delicate rose florals, a touch tannic tea and it has incredible depth and layering. The “Kammerberg” GG vineyard, a VDP Grand Cru site, which was planted with Pinot Noir in 1967, is actually in the Alsatian town of Weissenburg (in France!) with great exposure and heavy clay soils with pure calcareous subsoil. The grapes are hand picked, carefully sorted and pressed, these de-stemmed berries are fermented in open oak vats for three weeks with daily punch downs. Then the wine is delicately racked to barrel, then matured in barriques for 18 months. Friedrich Becker’s Pfalz Pinots that comes from vineyards that straddle across the border with France, they always have left a massive impression on me and remain some of my favorite wines, and this wine is again reminder of why, with its class and quality. Intriguingly, Becker also has an interesting array of grapes, from rarities in Germany, Meunier and Cabernet, along with a collection of Alsace varietals, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Gewürztraminer and even some Sylvaner, all of which I recommend.
As I have noted in my prior reviews, one of Germany’s best known Pinot Noir producers, Weingut Friedrich Becker, founded in 1973, in the Pfalz crafts some beautiful and detailed wines in this unique terroir you could ever taste, these are wines that, especially their Pinots that have Burgundy like class and character. The winery is run by the Becker family, Friedrich Becker Senior and Junior “Fritz”, who’s doing most of the heavy lifting these days, they have Gerard Paul, an Alsatian as their general manager, as well as the talents of Sandrine Eichenlaub in vineyard and cellar along with Daniel Scheib. Becker’s tight team are extremely focused and the wines speak for themselves, especially the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay offerings. The Pinots come from the area’s sandstone and alluvial soils and sustainable vines, they are then produced with traditional Burgundian methods. The Becker wine-making process itself is, as they explain, rather simple and classic, using all de-stemmed berries and are macerated and fermented in open top fermenters allowing the must time to dissolve the tannins from skins. After which they take the spicy and aromatic mash by hand to the wine press where it gently pressed and then racked to toasty French oak barrels, with this one seeing a small percentage of new wood. Becker continues to raise the bar and these wines are coveted by enthusiasts and the latest cru Pinots are absolutely stunning efforts, especially the Sankt Paul GG and this one! What an opportunity, a huge thank you to The Eastern Wine Bar in DC for sharing their experience with me, indulging me in my stories of how Tim Gaiser MS introduced me to Becker and my own chase of these wines. The wine world can be wonderfully small and welcoming, and I am beyond grateful, but I still was bummed to have been only about 15 minutes late to meet Friedrich Jr “Fritz” himself and tell him in person how much I love these wines!
($150 Est.) 97 Points, grapelive