āSome years, this vineyard produces wine that is so concentrated and smoky that you almost think, whoa ā this Pinot seems oaky! But itās not, as we basically only use the old traditional StĆ¼ckfass [1200-liter oval oak barrels, typical for Germany] that I inherited from my ancestors. I think itās simply the soul of the site ā its soil is way redder than elsewhere, and I think the iron content might be causing this smoky character thatās so different from my other vineyards,ā Max Dexheimer smiles and lovingly shakes his head at the barrel sample of one of his Pinot Noirs that heās just served us in his old cellar, half-buried underground below the house where his whole family lives. (For this is a family affair, but more on that later.) āI have my experience with our vineyards and clones, so now I know this is a wine that needs time to open and lose its edge.ā In order to do that, this young Pinot enthusiast keeps the wine for some three years in the barrel while having fun with other plots and grapes in the meantime. - Jenny & Francois
