BrandPinot Noir Pur 2017 (750ml)

The Brand Brothers (Daniel and Jonas) grow their Pinot Noir on the grand hill / small mountain behind their estate, the Sonnenberg. This is where all their best fruit is grown, with the general laws of Burgundy being more or less applied here. The lowest sites are the warmest and most fertile, and as the elevation gets higher it’s colder and windier than the rest of the warm Pfalz. So even though the grapes get fully ripe, there’s still a good acidic structure to the wine. The farming is certified organic and, like all the other Brand “pur” wines, the Pinot Noir is made with no added sulfur. The vines here are up to 40 years old, and the grapes see a week of cold maceration followed by a week of fermentation on the skins with occasional punchdowns, no pump-overs. Finally, it’s aged for about 8 months in old 500-liter barrels, called halbstück in the Pfalz. You know, to each region, it’s own barrel terminology. 

Also note that all the “Pur” labels are drawn by the brothers’ grandmother (Oma in German); really “natty wine” Oma’s boys.