Seehof "Rosé" Pinot Noir, Rheinhessen, Germany 2022

FROM VOM BODEN

THE WINE: This is one of the most popular rosés we offer BECAUSE IT IS AWESOME. In this region, limestone reigns supreme, not slate. Verily, Pinot Noir is very at home and Florian’s rosé highlights the transparent, crystal-clear freshness of great Pinot rosé, at an absurd price because it’s, well, German, and NOT from Provence.

THE PRODUCER: Florian Fauth, who has continued over the last decade to make wines of clarity and balance, has assumed an surprisingly radical stance. Florian’s good-natured quality, his ease, his sense of proportion and his firm grip on what’s really important: you can see this, you can taste this, in the wines. It’s not that the wines don’t have ambition – far from it. Rather, it just feels like the wines are content in being really good, or in being great, or in being whatever it is they are… without having to shout about it.

For the wines of the Rheinhessen, the key is limestone. This is what gives the wines their glycerin-induced sexiness. This is also what gives them the flair of acidity, a presence strong enough to counter the lavish extract and to keep the wines from feeling gooey or too heavy. It’s a delicate balance, to be honest, but when you nail it… well, it’s impressive.

At this moment I don’t know of an estate that makes a more profound “basic” estate wine than Florian at Seehof. The wines, both the dry and off-dry, are crystalline and pure with buoyant fruit and plenty of energy. For the money, you just can’t find anything better.