2018 Weingut Friedrich Becker, Spätburgunder, Sankt Paul GG, Monopol, Pfalz, Germany.
Not too long ago I reviewed another one of Becker’s cru GG Pinots, but I couldn’t not mention this gorgeous Sankt Paul Spätburgunder, which also is a profound wine of purity and class, again highlighting the sublime quality that is on offer from this artisan Pfalz producer. This 2018 Sankt Paul, which is a full Grosses Gewächs and a Monopol wine is a little less intense than the “Zensiert” Kammerberg I previously reviewed, but no less of beauty with an elegant, Grand Cru Burgundy rivaling medium/full bodied palate of deep black cherry, mulberry, plum and subtle orange toned fruit along with an exceptional floral aromatic charm, a touch of chalky stone, refined oak framing, with vanilla, a light sense of toast and tea spice. There’s a satiny and impressive mouth feel here that is hard to explain without gushing about the textural pleasure, but the underlying structure is firmly in control, and carries the aftertaste for minutes and minutes, this is absolutely as good as it gets. As mentioned in prior notes, the grapes are all hand picked, carefully sorted and pressed, 100% de-stemmed berries are then fermented in open oak vats for three weeks with daily punch downs. Then the Cru wines are gently racked to barrels, with a good dose of new French oak, where they are matured in these barriques for 18 months. Friedrich Becker’s Pfalz region Pinots, or Spâtburgunders, that comes from vineyards that actually straddle across the border with France, are always a special treat, and have left a massive impression on me over the years since MS Tim Gaiser first introduced them to me and remain some of my favorite wines.
Weingut Friedrich Becker, founded in 1973, in the Pfalz, crafts some beautiful, complex 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. Based in the town of Schweigen in Germany’s Pfalz region, the Beckers have witnessed that border shifting throughout history and today, as noted, they have vineyards on both the French and German side almost in equal parts, at the edge of the Palatinate forest. The winery is run by thelegendary Friedrich Becker Senior and Junior “Fritz” Becker, 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. Becker continues to raise the bar and these wines are coveted by enthusiasts and the latest cru Pinots are absolutely stunning efforts, especially this amazing Sankt Paul GG. Becker has vineyards planted on both German and French soil, mostly of which is calcarious and chalky with limestone underneath and cultivates a range of varieties, including Pinot, as well as Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, plus some Riesling, Muskateller and Silvaner. The winery says that the vines here are grown, with mostly German clones and some French, all set on the deep marl (limestone) soils and produce powerful but also refined, mineral-driven Pinot Noirs, as seen here with this excellent terroir driven version. The unique Sankt Paul vineyard, was brought back to life by the Becker’s, has been around since the 14th century and originally cultivated by the Cistercian monks of Wissembourg is pure limestone, makes for some of the most glorious modern Pinot Noir on earth, don’t miss a chance to try this wine.
($120-160 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive