Glockenspiel Spätburgunder 2016 – Weingut Neiss.
The German Pfalz is the second-largest wine region of Germany, and it can be seen as the continuation of Alsace in France. In the North of the Pfalz, close to Rheinhessen, you will find Weingut Neiss. Rheinhessen is known to produce wines with elegant and minimalistic styles these days so the more interesting it will be to see how the red wine in this review turns out.
For this occasion, we are reviewing a 2016 Spätburgunder called “Glockenspiel”, produced by Weingut Neiss.
About the Winery
As mentioned Weingut Neiss is situated in Northern Pfalz, to be precise in Kindenheim. Here the Neiss family (led by Axel and Katja) produces wines based on their own values. These values are the heart and soul of the winery: family, innovation, teamwork and a love for wine. Next to that, Neiss designed a four-tier pyramid to show the diversity of their own estate as reflected in their portfolio.
- Premium Wein: These wines only grow exclusively in the finest Kindenheim sites, where the work is done hand-in-hand with nature.
- Lagen Wein: Single vineyard these wines are produced from grapes that come from a single vineyard, such as Katzenstein, situated in Kindenheim.
- Orts Wein: Mostly made from the three different vineyards established in Bockheim due to the climatic and geological growth conditions.
- Guts Wein: A blend existing of grapes harvested from different vineyards.
About the Wine
The Spätburgunder vines for this Glockenspiel are planted at the Vogelsang vineyard, located in Kindenheim. This premium wine is purely made from grapes that come from this hillside vineyard, consisting of limestone soil. Besides, a heavy selection of the grapes is made. Some of the vines in the vineyard are over the 40 years old, planted back in the 1970s.
In general, Spätburgunder, aka Pinot Noir, is called the diva. It needs perfect conditions to ripen. Neiss manages this with help of the altitude (the vines are planted at 200 above sea level) and cooling winds. Due to high elevation natural high acidities can be found back in this elegant and surprising Spätburgunder.
In the glass you will find a ruby colored-wine, supplemented with an emerging garnet rim. The nose brings you typical aromas of strawberry, blueberry and red currants, accompanied by earthy notes. The wine has aged for 18 months in French oak, delivering nutmeg and vanilla aromas. When drinking, the vanilla comes immediately forward accompanied with fine tannins. A surprising effect is the long aftertaste combined with a small leftover layer on the tongue, like when one eats butter. In the end a salty flavor comes across, delivered by the limestone soil.
Conclusion:
An interesting wine that lets you explore something new with each sip. A wine that keeps surprising you. One of Neiss’s top wines and we can see why. Great character and length within an elegant structure. We would recommend it to drink it not to warm, with people who can appreciate a serious wine. We award this excellent Spätburgunder with a 93-point DWA score.
Other Weingut Neiss wines we reviewed:
This wine is reviewed by our own Judi Veldwijk. It is imported in the Netherlands by Icarius and available at Weingut Neiss.
Price: €37,95
Taste date: March 2023
Score: 93/100 DWA Score
Website: Weingut Neiss