Review: Leitz, Pinot Noir Rosé Brut

Weingut Leitz is a German wine producer, based in the Rheingau region, I’ve been following for a number of years and I’m consistently impressed with their wines. They are also becoming one of the best known producers in the region.

The Leitz family estate was taken over by Johannes Leitz in 1985. At the time they only had 2.6 hectares of vineyards, but have expanded that to over 115 hectares today. Those vineyards are in one of the most enchanting and beautiful locations, in the westernmost part of the Rheingau in the Rüdesheim am Rhein area. This is an area with steep slopes overlooking the Rhine River at the confluence with the Nahe. Remnants of ancient castles pepper the hillsides throughout this region. It’s an absolutely stunning place to visit and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Not only is the setting beautiful, but many of the wines produced here are stunning. The region is most known for Riesling, which is the most prevalent grape variety here. There isn’t a lot of pinot noir grown in this area, but there is some. The vines for this sparkler are from the Johannisberg appellation, which is just northeast of Rüdesheim.

The grapes for this wine are de-stemmed and macerated for 3 hours before undergoing a gentle pressing. This gives the wine a light copper/rose coloring, which is appropriate for pinot noir rosé brut like this.

The primary fermentation is a long, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks — just as Riesling from this region would be fermented. The secondary fermentation is done in pressurized stainless steel tanks.

While many inexpensive sparklers are produced as non-vintage wines, I like that they put a vintage to this wine.

The nose is pleasant with lemon, cranberry and a slight yeast aroma. It has a good mouthfeel with plenty of bubbles. There’s a nice brightness on the palate, with lemon, cranberry and granny smith apple flavors. The finish is beautiful with a vibrant tanginess and a touch of salinity. This is a really nice sparkling rosé.

Wine: Leitz, Pinot Noir Rosé Brut
Varieties: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 11.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $25.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.