Frühburgunder or Pinot Noir Précoce (aka Pinot Madeleine) is an early ripening mutation of Pinot Noir. The German word Früh and the French word Précoce mean the same thing: early, and the variety ripens around two weeks before Pinot Noir. Its exact place of origin is unknown; however, judging by the number of French synonyms dating to the late 17th century, somewhere in Burgundy seems most likely. Once widespread in Germany in the early 19th century, Frühburgunder (a low-yielding variety) declined to about 15 hectares in the 1960s. It now represents 228 hectares (2021) in Germany, the highest concentration of which is in Rheinhessen, Pfalz, and most notably in the Ahr, with 33 hectares planted. In the Ahr, Frühburgunder is a permitted varietal for GG status among its seven VDP members. Stuart Pigott’s Wein Spricht Deutsch devotes a sidebar to the variety within the chapter dedicated to the Ahr and describes Frühburgunder with words like smooth, sensuous, and seductive, which I largely agree with. Typical of the variety is an expressive nose of black fruits, florals, and spice with juicy acidity and a softer palate impression than most Pinot Noir. The best examples of Frühburgunder I’ve tasted have come mainly from the Ahr, Rheinhessen, and Franken, where growers cultivate a unique Frühburgunder clone.

Germany’s Schwarzriesling is unrelated to Riesling and is, In fact, an early ripening mutation of Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), and is best known as Champagne’s Pinot Meunier. Its other German synonym, Müllerrebe, is a better translation though I’ve yet to see it printed on a wine label. The German “Müller” and the French “Meunier” have the same meaning: miller. This is because the leaves of Schwarzriesling/Müllerrebe/Pinot Meunier feature a fuzzy underside, likened to a dusting of flour. Deep in color, Schwarzriesling tends to produce a fruitier wine of higher acidity than Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, making it ideal for blending in Champagne and Sekt production. It is an especially important variety in Württemberg as it buds later, ripens earlier than Pinot Noir, and is resilient to frost. As a standalone wine, I often encounter wines labeled Schwarzriesling in Württemberg, but I’ve also tasted examples from Baden, Franken, and Rheinhessen.

I’ve been saying it for a while now, and I’m more convinced than ever that German Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder) should be on everyone's radar. It’s one thing to taste a smoky and hedonistic Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder from the Ahr or a full-bodied and deeply-fruited Friedrich Becker from the southern Pfalz. It’s another thing to taste a nuanced and filigreed whole-cluster fermented Paul Fürst Pinot from Franken or the stellar and intellectual Spätburgunders from Dr. Simone Adams in Rheinhessen’s Ingelheim. Germany is the world’s third largest producer of Pinot Noir, with 11,784 hectares planted (11% of Germany’s vineyard area in 2022), no doubt aided by the changing climate. The late (spät) ripening Pinot Noir (burgunder) arrived in 884 at Bodensee in southern Baden, brought to the region from Burgundy by emperor Charles the Fat. That’s plenty of time for the mutation-prone Pinot Noir to develop into a family of clones specific to Germany. The so-called “standard” Spätburgunder clones were selected when high yields and high-must weights mattered most. Then there are the more recent Geisenheim and French “Dijon” clones chosen for quality, though not always best for certain climates like Baden's Kaiserstuhl. Clones aside, top-quality German Spätburgunder comes from ambitious producers and a vast range of soil types making Germany one of the most diverse Pinot Noir-producing places on the planet. Bernhard Huber from Baden and some of the leading Pinot estates in the Pfalz, like Dr. Wehrheim and the outstanding Weingut Knipser, produce Spätburgunder from limestone and clay, while Dr. Heger’s Pinots come from the volcanic soils of Baden’s famous Kaiserstuhl. Franken’s leading estates grow Pinot on steep sandstone terraces, and for something entirely original, Pinot is grown on slate soils in the Rheingau’s Assmannshausen and the best sites of the Ahr. Whatever past perceptions may have been, Germany’s Spätburgunder of today is nuanced, sophisticated, and highly expressive of its soils, regions, and individual terroirs. Still unconvinced? The best wine I tasted in 2022, from any variety or place, was Weingut Franz Keller Spätburgunder Achkarren Schlossberg GG Baden 2020. I can still taste it—a stunning Spätburgunder beauty that I cannot wait to taste again.