This was my first opportunity to try a pinot noir (Spätburgunder -- rhymes with late) from Meyer-Näkel. They are widely considered to be Germany's best Pinot Noir producer, from the only German wine region, the Ahr, where red wines are dominant. This was a QbA costing EUR 9 per bottle.

Color: deep garnet red, almost opaque. Earth tones and cherries in equal balance, more tannic than I would have expected. Compared to normal German Spätburgunder, which costs EUR 3 and tastes like grape jiuce, this was a treat. This wine got an 85 in the Gault-Millau Weinguide Deutschland. They tend to be stricter than WS in scoring... above a 90 is very rare for them.

Meyer-Näkel's top wine, Meyer-Näkel "S", costs around EUR 27 a bottle. For those of you who speak German, their website ishttp://www.meyer-naekel.de/home.html.