Weingut Greiner Spatburgunder 2024
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Baden's Markgräflerland sits closer to Basel than to any major German city, a strip of rolling hills between the Rhine plain and the southern Black Forest where the Swiss border is a short drive away. Weingut Greiner works steep slopes around the village of Obereggenen, in the foothills of the Hochblauen, one of the tallest peaks of the southern Black Forest. Its Sonnenstück vineyard sits at about 390 meters. The climate is moderate, softened by light Föhn winds coming down off the mountains, and the soils mix limestone with volcanic rock. For Pinot Noir from Baden, that pairing matters: the limestone gives the wine lift and a chalky line, while the elevation and mountain air keep the fruit fresh in what is otherwise Germany's warmest wine region.
The Wine
Greiner's Spätburgunder is 100% Pinot Noir, harvested and sorted by hand because the slopes are too steep for machines. In past vintages the fruit fermented spontaneously in open-top fermenters before being pressed into used barriques for around 24 months, a long, slow élevage that settles the tannins into a fine grain without stamping the wine with new oak. The estate presses in an old basket press, lets malolactic run its course, and does not fine. Expect red cherry, wild strawberry, rose petal and a little forest floor, a light-to-medium body, fine-grained tannins, and a fresh, faintly chalky finish. This is natural wine from Baden in the clean, precise sense: biodynamic farming and minimal cellar intervention, with the emphasis on transparency of site.
The People
Maximilian Greiner trained as a wine cooper before studying viticulture and enology at Geisenheim. In 2017 he turned his family's former fruit-growing business into his own winery, releasing his first vintage that year and farming biodynamically from the start. The estate holds Demeter certification and works with green cover crops, biodynamic preparations, compost and herbal teas to build soil life. His guiding rule is "as much as necessary, as little as possible." Beyond Pinot Noir, Greiner makes Chasselas (labeled the Swiss way, a nod to the nearby border), Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and bottle-fermented sparkling wine. It is a very small estate, and the wines carry that hands-on precision.
Food Pairing
Start where the wine comes from: a Flammkuchen with crème fraîche, caramelized onions, mushrooms and a little Gruyère, where the bright acidity cuts the cream. Pan-roasted duck breast with a sour cherry jus mirrors the red fruit, and the fine tannins handle the rendered fat. Grilled salmon over French lentils with thyme works because the wine is light enough not to bury the fish. Roast quail with chanterelles brings out the forest-floor side. This is the red to pour when someone at the table insists they only drink white.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Baden, Germany's warmest and southernmost wine region, is distinctly different from its northern counterparts. Benefiting from a near-Mediterranean climate, Baden is known for its ripe, full-bodied wines, particularly Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) and Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder). The Kaiserstuhl, a volcanic range within Baden, is a key area, known for its rich, fertile soils that contribute to the wines' concentration and power. While Riesling is grown, Baden's focus is more on these Burgundian varieties, producing wines that are richer, rounder, and often more approachable in their youth than classic examples from cooler German regions. Baden offers a unique and sun-drenched expression of German wine, showcasing a different facet of the country's viticultural landscape.
Germany - Baden
Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned, notoriously difficult-to-grow, low-yielding grape that finds its ancestral home in Burgundy, France, where it produces some of the world's most elegant and nuanced wines. While Burgundy remains its spiritual heartland, Pinot Noir has since traveled the globe, finding success in other cooler climates, notably in California, Oregon, New Zealand, and Germany. This grape is a challenge for any grower, as it requires specific conditions to show its best, and yet the wines it produces are capable of such a captivating and singular character.
