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Lukas Hammelmann
these rosés are not rosés;
they are Pinot Noirs

{ I think it's very important to note that Lukas Hammelmann writes the word "rosé" exactly nowhere on the front label. }
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2021 Pinot Noir "Haschdott" village-level Rosé 

the three-pack Collection
Includes two bottles of the village-level "Haschdott"
and one bottle of the Grand Cru Roter Berg

After now having tasted with Lukas three times over nearly the same number of years, I have come to believe that there is little that Lukas does without serious thought and consideration.

I think Lukas did not write "rosé" on the label because he does not think of these wines as rosés.

In a way it is as simple as that; these are not rosés.

He certainly didn't treat either wine as a rosé - the "Grand Cru" Roter Berg had an élevage of around two years before release (it is a 2020). Even the "simple" village-level Pinot Noir was in barrel for well over a year (this is vintage 2021, and it is by no means simple).

Rather, these wines are expressions of Pinot Noir distilled to the most essential. They are lighter and finer than most Pinot Noirs, yet they both show a simply haunting elegance, incredibly silken and polished, with a sleek and perfumed sweet-berry fruit sheened by mineral and acid.

Robert (@soilpimp) organized a profound Pinot Noir study in December 2022 at Vinegar Hill House in Brooklyn - "Spätburgunder Study" we called it. We tasted 22 German Pinot Noirs from eight vintages including heavy-hitters such as Keller, Wasenhaus, Enderle & Moll, Henrik Möbitz (if you know Möbitz's wines you are a serious German wine dork, give yourself a pat on the back), Twardowski, Dostert and more.

One of the universal favorite wines of the night?

Hammelmann's Roter Berg Pinot Noir (rosé). Here's what I wrote: "The 2020 Hammelmann Pinot Noir Roter Berg rosé was simply bonkers. I personally love it when producers go all in on something that they know makes sense for their terroir and style even if they also know the market won’t understand it and maybe won’t support it. But this is a single-vineyard, “Grand Cru,” barreled-over (meaning a 2020 rosé not bottled until the fall) rosé that was only recently released. It’s ambitious and grandiose without being at all heavy or absurd. Honestly I thought it was fucking spectacular and one of the wines of the evening: glossy and even oily with ultra-fragrant perfumed fruit, a slick core of minerality, beautiful finesse and just perfect elegance. A very, very serious wine that just happens to be a rosé."

Experiences like this make one re-think - or should make one re-think - what has become a rather staid category with minimal expectations. The market demands that rosé should be light in color and high in acidity. A label with pastel colors is a plus - keep it under $20 if you want to sell case-loads.

We have no interest in selling case-loads; Lukas only made a small amount of these ultra-light Pinot Noir (not rosés).

So now we present a riddle that is also an offer: Two rare Pinot Noirs that are not rosés - a Grand Cru single-vineyard expression and the village-level bottling - that I honestly don't think should be treated like rosés.

Both are now in stock in perfect time for rosé season.

Lukas Hammelmann "these are not rosés" Rosé 3-Pack

2021 Lukas Hammelmann Pinot Noir "Haschdott" Rosé (village-level) 
This is Hammelmann's rosé made from fruit from the Roter Berg - this is in essence simply the barrel Lukas didn't think quite made the cut for the Grand Cru. It is lighter in color, showing more bright-tart red berry fruit with lots of complex herbal notes from pine needle resin to dried spices, all underpinned by a great illuminating acidity. This is a Pinot Noir rosé grown on limestone and loess soils; zingy, ultra-fine and ultra-light - great clarity and energy and not at all a rosé. My gut is this would benefit with another year or more in bottle, but good luck trying to hold it. For Source Material fanatics with a good memory: Yes this bottle was a part of an earlier offer late last year.

2020 Lukas Hammelmann Pinot Noir Roter Berg Rosé (single-vineyard) - only available in the three-pack
This is the Grand Cru bottling; I honestly don't think the vines are any older - it is just a barrel selection that was then bottled later. It is a shade darker in color, truly playing the line between a rosé and a red wine, and the fruit quality here also goes darker, more into the black cherry spectrum - yet it is the lightness matched to this incredibly compact and dense, satiny mid-palate that is the mind-blowing quality of the wine. It is the supreme finesse matched to such a luxurious mid-palate, matched to such lightness. This is a superb and semi-transcendent bottle of wine. Worth the three-pack indulgence!

After all - it's rosé season. Though remember, these are not rosés. 

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

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