Immich-Batterieberg - Weissburgunder 2020

At the end of our four weeks of Weissburgunder, we change the growing region again. This time we try a bottle of Weissburgunder 2020 from the Immich-Batterieberg winery on the Mosel. The Mosel is actually Riesling land, which fits particularly well on the steep slate slopes. Weissburgunder takes up only about four percent of the vineyard area on the moselle. At Immich-Batterieberg, at least, it is completely new to the range, and 2020 is the first vintage of this wine. The vines for it stand on slate soils, as is typical for the Moselle. The grapes are fermented spontaneously after hand harvesting and then aged in used wooden barrels. Before bottling, the wine remains on the fine lees. Our experience with the winery’s Rieslings is that they not only tolerate time on the bottle well, but benefit significantly from it. Let’s see if this is the case as well with this very young Weissburgunder.

The wine still smells slightly yeasty, super fresh with quite bright fruit. This is accompanied by freshly sliced apple and floral notes. The wine is also extremely fresh on the tongue and really still seems very young. The acidity has bite and out the back comes spice, some stone and a little bitter note. This is good, but somehow something is missing.

A night of air does not change that for now, unfortunately. The apple is almost clearer than right after uncorking along with fresh grape aromas. The floral note remains. The spiciness has become somewhat less and far back you have something like creaminess. If you want to bother your fellows and really slurp properly, however, you can already guess that this has not been everything. The wine becomes much more complex and exciting. Perhaps we are indeed too early with this bottle. So back to the fridge again.

On the third day, the Weissburgunder feels more mineral on the nose. The fruit has not disappeared, of course, but the wait was worth it in any case. There’s citrus on the tongue now, the spice is much finer, the wine is juicy and long. Everything seems much more elegant, balanced and somehow playful. There is power from the structure, there is freshness from the acidity and the clear, bright fruit in between gives lightness. For me, it is at its strongest now on the third evening and is so much fun. Again, an example that air and time can really change the experience.

These were four completely different wines the last few weeks and all really exciting in their own way. Perhaps this is the solidifying realization: you can make a lot out of Weissburgunder. So there is still plenty to discover. And even if I will still not reach for it as the very first thing, I look forward to many more exciting bottles of this grape variety.

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