When you think of Pinot Noir, you probably think of Burgundy in France, or maybe Oregon, Washington, or California in this country. Maybe New Zealand? But Germany probably doesn’t spring to mind. It didn’t to me, at least. 

But last week my wife and I were enjoying yet another excellent dinner at Weller’s Bistro in Layton when Jan Weller, the owner, turned us onto a really tasty Pinot Noir from his native country of Germany. 

It’s called Weingut Messmer Pinot Noir Rotwein Trocken and the vintage we enjoyed was from 2016. Frankly, I was happily surprised at how much both my wife and I loved this wine. It’s on the lighter side, very well-balanced, and very ripe – not a big bombastic Pinot from say, Sonoma – with raspberry and cherry flavors, along with hints of vanilla and chocolate. It’s very fruity but dry and earthy. 

Founded by Herbert Messmer in 1960 and still active at his family winery, his son Gregor Messmer took over the winery in 1984. Martin Messmer handles most of the business affairs at the Messmer Winery these days. 

The folks at Messmer Winery had this to say about the terroir of their wines and winemaker Gregor Messmer. “Nestled in the forested slopes of the Haardt Mountains in the southern Pfalz, Messmer has so much soil diversity among his grand cru sites that he chooses to label his wines by terroir along with corresponding vineyard names. These include the Erste Lage Schäwer, the only slate vineyard south of the Nahe, whose Devonian slate is similar to the ‘schiefer’ of the Mosel. The Erste Lage Michelsberg is a rare granite/schist soil that contributes a high mineral note to its wines. Additionally, Messmerr has Riesling planted on buntsandstein, the brown sandstone typical to this part of the Pfalz.”

Jan Weller brought Weingut Messmer Pinot Noir Rotwein Trocken to Utah by special order, so you’ll need to enjoy this fine wine at Weller’s Bistro like we did. Trust me, you’ll love both the wine and the cuisine at Weller’s. 

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THIS CONTENT IS FROM UTAH BITES NEWSLETTER.

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Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.

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