WongAmat - Bürgel 2021
We are drinking a bottle of WongAmat Bürgel Pinot Noir from Rheinhessen from the year 2021.
Not only in Burgundy are trendy wines being bottled in small batches by newly established wineries and projects, Germany can do that too. One such project or winery is WongAmat. Under this name, Jan Raumland has been producing his own wines since 2019. At first, it was just for family and friends, but later also for sale. The name is an homage to his Thai heritage and the family name Wongse-Amatyakul. Jan actually doesn’t have a background in wine, but he discovered his love for fermented grape juice early on while working in gastronomy. Through internships, an apprenticeship at Emrich-Schönleber, a stint at Kellers, and stays abroad, he met Katharina Raumland in South Africa. Since he now shares the Raumland surname, it’s not hard to guess how the story continued. It’s also no secret that wine usually comes with bubbles in the Raumland household. But the idea of making his own red wine never let Jan go, so he started making Pinot with a few rows in the Dalsheimer Bürgel. Shortly thereafter, a vineyard in the Kriegsheimer Rosengarten was added. Alongside these two Pinots, there’s also a Cabernet Franc from the Untertürkheimer Herzogenberg in Württemberg, which belongs to the Wöhrwag family, who are related to the Raumland family, and a cuvée of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon made using a solera-like process.
Only 400 bottles of Bürgel were filled in 2020, and 994 in 2021, production of all four red wines now ranges between 900 and 2,000 bottles each. The Bürgel can also be seen on the label as a yellow area, capturing the view over the winery’s garden. The vineyard is classified as a “Große Lage” (Grand Cru) by the VDP, and the vines grow on east-facing limestone and clay soils, making it one of the cooler sites in Rheinhessen thanks to its orientation. Of course, slope gradients in Rheinhessen are measured in smaller increments than in other regions. Jan farms the vineyards organically and ferments the Bürgel with just under a third whole clusters. The wine is then matured for 14 months in barrique. 2021 was not a warm year, but the 11.5% alcohol that ended up in the bottle is still quite lean, even for 2021.
For the first few minutes, “lean” also fits what you smell, there’s not much there. Good things need air. Then cherries appear, mashed berries, and a spicy, slightly smoky note reminiscent of the scent of spices being dry-roasted in a pan, just before they start to release their full aroma. For the low alcohol, the wine has become surprisingly intense on the nose, and the acidity is less pronounced than I would have expected. It’s juicy, with berries that taste more underripe than mushy on the palate. Right now, I prefer smelling the glass to drinking, which, once again, earns me puzzled looks from across the table.
On the second evening, we only manage a small tasting sip for organizational reasons. A bike ride can really get into your bones, and more than a tasting sip didn’t seem like a good idea given the suspected negative effects on recovery. But that one sip has made clear progress. There’s immediately more depth to the wine, more fruit, lots of cherry, earth, a touch of ethereal notes, and black pepper. All of that pushes the spice and smoke into the background. I’m looking forward to the third evening, much more than to the inevitable sore muscles.
On the third evening, alongside the cherry, there’s now red currant, and the spice is fully present. The underripeness of the berries has completely disappeared from the palate. The wine is incredibly juicy, with structure and spice all the way to the back of the tongue. Now it’s really good, and day three takes the clear lead. The wine needed those two days, and I’m actually a bit grateful for the sore muscles, since thanks to them, most of the bottle remained, so tonight we can really dig in. Otherwise, I might have blamed the slightly underripe structure and the thin start on the low alcohol and perhaps an early harvest, rather than on the lack of oxygen contact or time in the bottle. And I’m not sure the wine would have even shown up here on the blog then. The more you pull the wine across your tongue, the more texture it develops, and the more cherry juice lingers. There’s no underripeness left. Of course, it’s still lean, that’s intentional and will always be its style. But now, nothing is missing. If these three days are a preview of the coming years, as I often assume, then once again the recommendation is to either bring plenty of time or wait a few years. It will be worth it.