Max KilburgPinot Noir Ohligsberg 2021 (750ml)

Kilburg’s Pinot Noir – the first time this bottle has been offered in the U.S. – represents in a way something very familiar to him as well as something very foreign. The comparisons between Riesling and Pinot Noir are so common they are almost clichéd. There is a similar delicacy, a similar transparency. Many have called Pinot Noir the “red Riesling,” though in my tastings, to be honest, Pinot Noir rarely achieves the elegance of Riesling… though it’s possible I’m slightly biased.

All this to say Kilburg’s Pinot Noir is different. While Max has been working with Pinot Noir his entire life – in fact the parcel of Pinot Noir in the Ohligsberg was planted first by his father in the mid-1980s – he is still finding his style. He is a huge fan of Fourrier, with the estate’s ability to combine a certain elegance with a textural, generous fruit. He’s also, of course, very interested in the Mosel Pinot Noirs of his mentor, Julian Haart, as well as those of Daniel Twardowski.

In 2021 Kilburg made only two barrels of Pinot Noir. This was a cool vintage and so ripening the Pinot Noir was not easy. He completely destemmed the fruit (again because of the cool vintage), but did a longer maceration to give the wine more texture and depth.

Indeed, this is not a shy Pinot Noir.

While it has that signature cool-climate compactness, a certain arrow-like cut on the palate, there is plenty of material here, with an expansive mid-palate of dark fruit, black cherry, even cassis all edged by an intricate layer of spice, from thyme to sandalwood and smoke. There is plenty of structure here as well, with powerful tannins that provide plenty of grip. With a good decant, this is a pleasure to drink now, though this is a wine that will age 5 to 10 years and longer, with some ease.

With this offer, the story of Mosel Pinot Noir only gets deeper.