2022 Lardot Pinot Noir

When I first started hearing about Mosel Spätburgunder (the German word for Pinot Noir) in the early 2000s, the bottlings were relative rarities. A few estates made some on the side; they were mostly very not good: under-ripe, over-oaked, clunky and clumsy.

Ulli Stein was one of the first to pour me truly compelling Pinot Noirs from the Mosel that had... well, something of the Mosel about them.

Yet now, two decades later, the bar has been raised so high that I am nothing less than blown away by how serious, how specific, how natural these wines feel.

In a way, this is Pinot Noir at its most gossamer and soaring, at its most agile.

The best of these Pinots have an undeniable, Mosel-like architecture, meaning low alcohol, a certain briskness, a levity, a streamlined yet whip-smart acidity, a fine-toothed grip.

This offering, a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the Wintricher Grosser Herrgott by Stein's protégé Philip Lardot is a tour-de-force of Mosel Pinot.

I was absolutely blown away by the ease of the wine, by its easy rusticity and picture-perfect balance.

For those of you with a reference for Mosel Pinot Noir, Lardot's version rests somewhere between the textural yet clear style of Ulli Stein and the rather crystalline and severe style of Jonas Dostert in the Obermosel.

Lardot's version has restraint and energy, yet is also generous and layered, with a rather surprising level of detail and complexity. The red berry fruit is mouthwatering and alive, the herbal details fresh and vivid. The minerality is Mosel.

The wine is just a joy to drink.

If it's hard to find Pinot Noir that overdelivers for the price, this is that rare bird. Yes, this is delicious, ridiculously priced and rare. Be warned, our small parcel is not likely to last too long.

So while this wine is likely to be sold out before it arrives, Lardot's wines, including his Pinot Gris and a revelatory lineup of single-vineyard Rieslings, are only beginning to be more widely available in the U.S.

Lardot's is a story that is just beginning to be told.

The work Philip and his partner Rosalie Curtin are doing in the Mosel is nothing short of heroic. But more than that, their work is vitally important.

In fact, Philip visited New York in March of 2024 and his trip inspired us to take a look at the state of the Mosel. Maybe you saw the vom Boden article "Saving the Mosel" specifically reviewing the state of the Mosel's terraces and Lardot's role in trying to save the most vulnerable of them? If not, you can find the article here.

Maybe you saw the "Save the Mosel" T-shirts? All profits will go toward saving the terraces of the Mosel and helping those who work them. Maybe you bought one?

While the Mosel's Spätburgunder culture is on the dramatic ascent, the region's historic terraces and ungrafted, old-vine heritage is in grave danger.

We need to celebrate the new language of the Mosel, these angelic Pinot Noirs, while also supporting the profound and deep culture of Mosel Riesling.

We believe our palates are curious enough, and our tables are generous enough to support more than one bottle of wine.

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