On a cold but sunny weekend in March, I found myself in the tranquil seclusion of the historic chambers of Kloster Marienthal in the Ahr Valley (pictured below) to take part in the unveiling of one of the few remaining treasures of wine shrouded by obscurity. This was only the second gathering of the almost secret order of worshippers of Frühburgunder.
Not too many years ago Frühburgunder, once quite a popular and widely planted mutation of Pinot Noir in Germany, seemed to be heading for total oblivion. Viral infections of the existing clones, and a tendency towards coulure and small...