JJ Adeneur, Ahr Valley
Visiting the most northerly of Germany's wine regions, where Pinot Noir is king

Website: http://adeneuer.de/

 

This was a great visit to begin the mini-trip with. Marc Adeneuer hosted us on a chilly January evening. JJ Adeneuer is a family-owned company (Marc and his brother Frank run things here) with 500 years of history, and like many producers in this region, the speciality is red wine. 90% of production is Pinot, with 7% Pinot Madeleine, 2% Weissburgunder and a dribble of Regent. The wines are made in big old barrels, with the exception of some of the top cuvees which see new oak.

 

Mark describes 2014 as very difficult – a lot of sorting was needed – but the results are very interesting. '2013 was a good vintage, not too warm,' he says, 'with good structure and acidity, and fruit and tannins very well balanced. Overall he has 13 hectares spread across many plots. These include holdings in 6 Grand Crus, although Adeneuer only make two designated Grand Cru wines. He's particularly proud of a monopole vineyard, the Gärkammer, which the family bought in 1713. At just over half a hectare, it is Germany’s smallest designated single vineyard.

 

Adeneuer also specialise in Frühburgunder, an early ripening form of Pinot Noir that is found in the Ahr.

THE WINES 

JJ Adeneuer Spätburgunder 2013 Ahr, Germany
13% alcohol. Lovely texture here: this bottle has been open for a while, but it is still fres with a nice mineral texture to the cherry fruit. Nice spiciness with a fin-grained tannic structure. Lovely. 93/100

JJ Adeneuer  No 2 Spätburgunder 2013 Ahr, Germany
Sweetly aromatic with lovely spiciness. Warm, fine, with a generous palate and nice fine grained tannins. Rich but with real elegance. This is fully ripe and quite silky, but also spicy. 93/100

JJ Adeneuer Frühburgunder 2013 Ahr, Germany
Very aromatic with sweet floral red cherry fruit, rose petals and some plums. Silky and fresh with a lovely elegance and brightness. A very pretty wine that has some rose petal florality, too. 93/100

JJ Adeneuer Neuenahrer Sonnenberg Frühburgunder 2012  Ahr, Germany
Aged in older small barrels. Warm, sweet and textured, this is a lovely fresh wine showing silky cherry fruit and real finesse. Detailed and pretty. 94/100

JJ Adeneuer No 1 Spätburgunder 2011 Ahr, Germany
Aromatic, spicy cherry fruit nose with red cherries, herbs, spice and some sappy notes on the palate. Very fresh and fine with purity and a bit of grip. There are some spicy savoury notes and a little damson bitterness. Complex and distinctive. 94/100

JJ Adeneuer Walporzheimer Gärkammer Spätburgunder 2013 Ahr, Germany
Slate soils. Amazing purity: powerful but elegant with lovely black cherry fruit and some plum, with good acidity and amazing freshness. No new oak here. Detailed and structured, a fabulous wine. 94/100

JJ Adeneuer Walporzheimer Garkammer Spätburgunder GG 2011 Ahr, Germany
This is aged in Taransaud T5 new oak. Powerful, ripe and dense but still has elegance. The warm spicy oak is present, and there's good structure. This is a profound wine that needs time to open out. 95/100

JJ Adeneuer Rosenthal Spätburgunder GG 2012 Ahr, Germany
Sandy clay soils. Rich, spicy and intense with powerful sweet fruit and some new oak evident. Lovely sweet raspberry and cherry fruit with some bitter plum and spicy oak on the palate. Fine and dense: needs time. 94/100

JJ Adeneuer Walporzheimer Gärkammer Spätburgunder GG 2007 Ahr, Germany
Fresh, fine and expressive wih bright cherries and plums, as well as some sappy green notes in the background. Lively and pure wih lovely spicy complexity. Stylish and still quite taut. 93/100

UK agent: David Motion at The Winery

AHR VALLEY
Introduction
JJ Adeneuer
Meyer Näkel 
Jean Stodden

See also:

Visiting Germany's wine regions (series)
 

Wines tasted 01/15  
Find these wines with
wine-searcher.com

 

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