It is often written that Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) has been in Germany for anywhere from 800 to 1,000 years, or more.

Which is all fine and well, but it does beg the question: Where has all this juice been going for the last few hundred years, as the story of quality German Spätburgunder seems to largely begin in the 1990s?

The truth is, I have no idea, but there is a not-insignificant (though hardly mainstream) B-side universe of Spätburgunder that was historically used in the production of white, or delicately rosé-tinged, off-dry wines. Spend enough time digging through German wine books, or cellars with German wines from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, and you do come across these bottles. Take a look at the eccentric lineup of labels above.

"Spätburgunder Weissherbst Beerenauslese"? Yes, you are reading this correctly.

The wines in this offer are 100% Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), basically white (directly pressed and so they have little to no color from the skins - you'll see the word "Weissherbst" or "Rotweiss" on all the bottles, this is what that refers to), and with two exceptions, sweet!

If this all sounds absolutely wild to the modern ear, step back in time for a moment.

When you think about it, this practice has a lot of logic to it. First, Pinot Noir, like Riesling, is high in acidity and later-ripening. And so in the vintages of yore, where ripeness was very often a struggle, it would make sense to pick on the earlier side (if you knew that, given the year, you were just never going to get enough ripeness for a dry wine) and to use the zippy acidity as a foil against some residual sugar. Most of these wines would have been largely direct-pressed and so, in their youth, would have been barely rosés.

All of these wines show as white wines - if anything deep and golden because of their age. I was blinded on any number of these bottles over the years at Becker and never guessed anything other than Riesling. Take the challenge yourself; it's beyond fascinating.

For us, every bottle in this offer is an important, beautiful, and, yes, a bizarre part of German wine history. Naturally, we bought absolutely everything we could. Most likely you will never see these wines again. These all come directly from Becker's cellar.

This is history.

At the same time, let us be clear: These are not all easy wines. We have provided rather detailed notes and listed them as per ease and profundity. The Spätburgunder "Rotweiss" Trocken is a powerful, glycerin-rich rosé; Becker's most recent return to the word "Rotweiss." This and the 1989 Trocken are the only two dry examples, though the 1988 and 1969 are barely off-dry tasting because of their age.

Going back into time, the 1994 Beerenauslese at the top of the list is not exactly a cheap date. However, this is also a 30-year-old, full 750ml bottle of profound Beerenauslese. This wine is magic, and clearly so.

The 1989 Spätlese Trocken is a provocative wine, cerebral and delicious, but definitely on the soil-driven side of the spectrum. The 1988 and 1969 are both mature wines that have descriptors such as "soil-driven," "roasted beet juice and caramelized mushrooms" - these are not easy, pop-and-pour wines. In their maturity, both taste nearly dry. These are not dessert wines as such.

All of the bottles are directly from Becker's cellar - so the provenance is perfect. Yet these are also complex, mature wines with all the risk that implies!

So please only indulge understanding that wine is, well, a living, crazy thing.

Also, please use a Durand on all of these bottles! Check out our notes below and thank you as always for your passion and support!

Stephen and Robert

2022 J.B. Becker Spätburgunder Walkenberg "Rotweiss" Trocken 
It is more than unclear to us why Becker has returned to using the term "Rotweiss," but for him the move was important. This is, in essence, simply a powerful, glycerin-rich rosé, heading in the direction of a light red wine. It is ripe and unctuous almost, with complex layers of fruit and spice and a slick acidity. No one other than Hans-Josef could make this wine.

1994 J.B. Becker Spätburgunder Walkenberg "Weissherbst" BA 
If the three older wines below are more cerebral than just plain delicious, the 1994 is, to us, something of a masterpiece. This does most definitely drink like a dessert wine... a dessert wine with everything turned up, very loud. This is kaleidoscopic, with the more typical honeyed and dried-stone-fruit notes, yet for those paying attention, there is an undercurrent of red-berry fruit, offering some hints as to its Pinot Noir core. This is a stunning wine, a bizarro cultural masterpiece that pushes all expectations, with 11% alcohol, 113 grams of RS, and 12 grams of acid. This is a wine that can certainly be open and enjoyed over a number of days, if not weeks. At 30 years old, it is still an infant. Cellar for another 30 years no problem.

1989 J.B. Becker Spätburgunder Walkenberg "Weissherbst" Spätlese Trocken 
While the 1969 and 1988 both taste nearly dry, the 1989 and the 2022 are the only two legally dry wines of the collection. This drinks like a great, yet complex and soil-driven, aged rosé. There was certainly some oxidation at play here, and the wine has saline and herbal notes that remind one of an older sherry. While 1989 was a ripe vintage, by the standards of the day, this most likely was harvested a bit earlier, as the acids are ripping. This is a curious wine because many bottles can feel quite autumnal and sous-bois on the palate, only to be absolutely fierce and tart on the finish. Hans-Josef mentioned that in the first ten years this wine was very difficult - no one liked the wine. Now, he mentioned with absolutely no emotion, it's sold out. Good things take time I guess?

1988 J.B. Becker Spätburgunder Walkenberg "Weissherbst" Auslese 375ml Half-Bottle 
The 1988 drinks nearly dry, with a sharp acidity of 9.3. 1988 is one of the last, great classic vintages of the 1980s and 1990. Again, this is less a dessert wine and more of a complex, soil-driven Pinot with buoyancy and lift. There is bottle variation here, buyer beware.

1969 J.B. Becker Spätburgunder Walkenberg "Rotweiss" Auslese "Cabinet" 375ml Half-Bottle
The 1969 is old school German-wine labeling at its finest: Before the 1971 wine law the term "Cabinet," spelled with a "c" and only one "t," referred not to the ripeness level (the ripeness here is Auslese-level) but to the wine's quality as a "reserve" or "premium wine," to be stored, as the term suggests, in a special part of the cellar - the cabinet with the top-top wines. This is, in other words, an "Auslese Reserve." For me, this is worth the buy just for the amazing typography of the label. Word to any potential buyer: This is mature wine, less a polished and obvious dessert wine and a more cerebral expression of Pinot Noir. At this point the wine tastes nearly dry, showing subterranean, roasted beet juice, caramelized mushrooms, umami and caramel notes across a complex palate. Most bottles still have a nice freshness at the core. For 1969, a good but not exceptional vintage, the 24-year-old Hans-Josef was working with his father. German wine history in a bottle.

This offer is now closed. If you need help finding the wines please email orders@sourcematerialwine.com.