Notes: Holger Koch Herrenstück 2023

I had this wine recently and figured it was as good a reason as any to finally start writing tasting notes.

The wine was recommended by a sommelier friend as a solid introduction to Spätburgunder at an entry-level price point. A single-vineyard wine made from French Burgundy clones on relatively young vines, fermented spontaneously and aged in French barrels.

In the glass it shows a deep ruby colour, with a big, aromatic and expressive nose of red berries: strawberry, sour cherry and red currant. The nose is complex yet clearly defined, very clean and precise (very German in a way). The palate follows through on the red berry notes from the nose, fresh and lively, with acidity and tannins that are present but delicately handled and in harmony. The palate also introduces a subtle honeyed note, adding depth to round off the sharp edge of the fruit. Beautiful! The wine is easy to drink and easy to like, yet with enough complexity to keep you paying attention. The finish is long and nicely balanced. I’ll definitely come back to try more wines from Holger Koch and was very pleasantly surprised by this bottle. 92 points

Decanted for around 1 hour before serving.