Neiss Bockenheim Pinot Noir 2019 (Pfalz) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely, vegan-friendly, and sustainable Pinot Noir (locally known as Spätburgunder) from the Pfalz wine region in Germany. This red wine is brand new to the LCBO, arriving as part of the recent September 23rd LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Weingut Neiss, a well-known, family-owned winery located in the town of Kindenheim within the Pfalz wine region in southwestern Germany. The Neiss family has a long history of winemaking, going back many generations, and are known for their dedication to producing top-quality wines from a diverse range of grape varieties.

Today, the winery is managed by Axel Neiss, the 6th generation of the family, and his wife, Katja. The winery is located in the far north of the Palatinate. The hillside vineyards are located in the same region, in Kindenheim, Bockenheim, and Zell, and up to 250 meters above sea level, which is significantly higher than comparable locations in the Northern Palatinate.The grapes in this area naturally benefit from a cooler climate due to westerly winds which ventilate the exposed vineyards and extends the growing season. The grapes are also influenced by the clearly visible lime content in the soil. The vines are a high proportion of old, deeply rooted vines which are nearly 50 years old. This terroir helps produce wines with moderate alcohol levels, great depth of taste, fully developed aromas, and refreshing acidity, as well as naturally dense, compact, and powerful wines that are characterized by fresh elegance and stimulating lightness.

The wine philosophy of Axel Neiss is future-oriented and with an extra portion of handwork, as well as working close to nature. Their focus is on sustainable and environmentally-friendly winemaking practices, which not only ensures the health of the vineyards, but also contributes to the overall quality of their wines. In the mid-1990s, the winery actively switched to controlled, environmentally friendly viticulture. In 2013, they joined the Fair'n Green association, a German system for sustainable viticulture, as a founding member. In 2021, Winegut Neiss became one of the few German wineries to be certified CO2-neutral.

This Pinot Noir is from Neiss winery's Local Range of wines - wines with clear origins. All of their wines in the Local Range come from their best vineyards within the municipality of Bockenheim, a region that showcases the calcareous terroir, fruit, and minerality. The grapes were grown to low-harvest yields in a cool climate on sand, loam, mineral limestone, and clay soils. Selectively hand-picked, the grapes were mash fermented for 6-8 days, then pressed into a combination of barriques and large wooden barrels, where the wine matured for 12 months prior to bottling.

The growing season in Pfalz in 2019 began with vines budding in mid-April and blossoming in early-to-mid June. The dry weather in July and August caused problems for the vines in the Palatinate region, while rainfall was 50 to 60 percent less than normal, resulting in many small-grained grapes, while some were also damaged from sunburn due to the extreme heat in July. Harvest was largely completed by the end of September, prior to the continuous rain that set in. The quality of the harvested grapes is very satisfying, with the first young wines presenting themselves in a fruity and rather light manner, with clearly pronounced varietal aromas, ripe tannins, and good colour expression due to the smaller berries. While this vintage was not the easiest, it is considered to be an exceptional vintage. Let's see how this 2019 Pinot Noir from Pfalz is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

NEISS BOCKENHEIM PINOT NOIR 2019 - Vegan, sustainable, Pfalz, Germany (#25769) (XD) - $30.95
The intense nose is fragrant and highly aromatic with lovely, complex wet earth, minerality, raspberry, black cherry, cinnamon, beetroot, and spice aromas. Even some tea leaf notes with time in the glass. It is medium+ bodied and dry with delicious black cherry, raspberry, and cola flavours surrounding a savoury, wet earth core, and accented with cinnamon and spices. Acids are fresh and juicy, while fine-grained tannins are lightly grippy. Some tomato leaf notes add further complexity on the mid-palate. Earthy and minerally on the long, savoury, and crisp finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91 pts

Other lovely wines by Weingut Neiss can be ordered through their Agent - DBINO David Beauroy Selections.