2021 Jakob Moise Spätburgunder "Kaiserstuhl" 
2022 Jakob Moise Spätburgunder 
2022 Jakob Moise Spätburgunder "Belmont" 
2022 Jakob Moise Spätburgunder Eichberg 

There is so little wine that perhaps a quick introduction is in order.

This may be the first time we have ever offered a grower's very first vintage (the 2021 on offer today). This is certainly the smallest estate we have ever worked with: Jakob Moise currently farms one hectare.

Yet size be damned. For me, the wines of Jakob Moise represent one of the most exciting Spätburgunder discoveries of the last few years, right up there with Enderle & Moll (2007) and Wasenhaus (2016). 

We will discuss this more below, but one of the fascinations here is that Jakob is farming any number of plots that are very close to those farmed (at one time) by Henrik Möbitz, and now are farmed by Wasenhaus. The "Belmont" bottling specifically comes from the same limestone mountain from which Wasenhaus sources their Möhlin bottling. Jakob also has a tiny parcel of Kanzel (a site once farmed by Möbitz and now worked by Wasenhaus). 

Yet what is most interesting is, of course, the wines. As with the labels themselves, the wines seem to be reduced to only what is most essential and this gives them a focus that makes an impression, an energy that lifts the wines – especially in the world of often lugubrious Baden Spätburgunder.

Moise’s wines feel almost refreshing.

Here we present four beautiful Spätburgunders from Jakob Moise. This is their U.S. debut and the wines are absurdly limited.

The 2021er Kaiserstuhl (the same parcels as the Grand Cru Eichberg of 2022, declassified) is a lean and angular Pinot. This is the first wine Jakob has made here in Baden and it has a lightness and energy that is just stunning. I love the definition, the fresh fruit and the structure, the rusticity and grip. It reminded me in a way of Enderle & Moll yet with more of the red-fruit quality of Wasenhaus.

The 2022ers are unquestionably denser and more coating. This is, according to many winemakers and critics, among the best Spätburgunder vintages Germany has ever seen. The regular Spätburgunder opens up rather herbal yet after only twenty minutes in the glass it begins to dance with dark-berried, crunchy fruit and mineral. The “Belmont” – meaning beautiful mountain – is sourced from various parcels on the same hill where Wasenhaus sources their Möhlin. This is the most finessed and complete; simply one step up from the normal Spätburgunder.

Finally, the “Grand Cru” Eichberg, one of the greatest sites of the Kaiserstuhl, is a head-turner. This contains some of the lightness that is Jakob’s signature, yet is dark-fruited, complex, saturating with beautiful delineation.

To say these are impressive early wines is a gross understatement honestly. Yet at the same time, I’m loath to say much more. First, this is a story at the very, very beginning and I want to give Jakob the space to find himself and his style here in Baden. And second, to be perfectly honest, we first showed the wines to only a few accounts in New York – friends mostly – and sold nearly half of what we have brought in.

If this is an area you are interested in – German Spätburgunder – do not miss these wines. That’s all I’ll say.

For those of you interested in a bit more context, we can go a little bit into Baden’s history with Spätburgunder. This region has truly had a central role in the renaissance of German Spätburgunder.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, estates like Bernard Huber and Franz Keller launched the Spätburgunder movement by flexing the newly found potential in Germany for full ripeness. If these early wines were perhaps more lavish than balanced, the second wave of serious growers began to pull back some of these layers of new wood and concentration, trying to find the subtleties of site.
For me, Hendrik Möbitz and Enderle & Moll represent this turning point. It’s my opinion that their influence has been wide and mighty. Or, at the very least, they were well ahead of the curve regarding this stylistic shift.

Their calling card was simple: restraint.

And now, the third wave of young growers is completely redefining the Spätburgunder landscape, from the Mosel (Daniel Twardowski, Julian Haart, Daniel Fries) through the Rheinhessen (Keller, Kissinger), Franconia (Leipold, Giegerich, Fürst), the Pfalz (Christmann & Kaufmann, Hammelmann) and of course Baden (Wasenhaus).

The only thing missing, in a way, has been the broader conversation of terroir: The ability to compare, side-by-side, similar sites, terroirs, through the lens of different growers. This is the fascination of Burgundy, of Mosel Riesling. This exciting chapter is now beginning, in a small way at least, with the tiny estate of Jakob Moise.

As stated, Jakob is farming many sites very close to Wasenhaus; his cellar is only a five-minute drive from Wasenhaus. And in the spring of 2024, Jakob was able to acquire a tiny parcel in the Kanzel, a site originally made famous by Hendrik Möbitz (at least for serious Spätburgunder dorks) and later continued and expanded upon by Wasenhaus.

If Jakob decides to bottle this site on its own, we will have the third Kanzel... and the rare opportunity to compare, side-by-side, two talented growers and one very special site.

This is all so tiny, so esoteric, as to be almost laughable. But on the other hand, I think – I hope – it marks the beginning of a very new chapter in German Spätburgunder.

Let the rising tide raise all boats.

Stephen and Robert

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