Dautel Estate Pinot Noir 2021

Dautel Estate Pinot Noir

Few have tried or even knew of Pinot Noir that comes from Germany, but Dautel is an excellent place to start. TheDautel family is a leading producer with grape growing history going back 500 years. Like many estates, the previous story was one of mixed agriculture. Reformation in the region dictated that property be divided between all children; parcels of vineyard land got increasingly smaller with each passing generation. Co-ops were founded and came to dominate the area, the idea being that the smaller plots of land could be reunited through production rather than ownership. Ernst Dautel was the first generation in his family to attend winemaking school in Geisenheim in the 1970s. When he returned home he decided to stop working with the coop, despite being one of its founding members. Ernst didn’t want to “throw his fruit in with all the rest and get some bad quality wine out of it.” He then became one of the first producers in the Württemberg to estate bottle wines. His eldest son Christian attended Geisenheim just as he did. Today, Christian farms four Grand Cru sites. He is a thoughtful winemaker with a huge amount of respect for what his father accomplished and sees no need to tear down the work that has been done by making abrupt changes.

Dautel’s goal is to bring out the specific character of each terroir without losing the inherent flavor of the grape variety planted to each vineyard. Wines are not made by formula, but by taking into account the feeling for each site and variety. Their wines showcase pure varietal characteristics while also being simply fun to drink.