It’s striking how quickly certain places in the wine world come into focus. Baden Pinot Noir has long had its devotees, but Wasenhaus reimagined the region's pedigree and introduced it to a new generation of wine lovers.

As their star rose—and with it, scarcity—we wanted to fully understand the work before the opportunity was lost to popularity. In 2021, when it was clear they were moving into must-have territory, importer Stephen Bitterolf sat our team down to walk through the terroirs and the work behind them.

We opened the shop late and spent the morning around a table, examining maps and digging into what makes the lineup so special. It was a defining session that still shapes how we taste these wines.

With the 2023s arriving, we can share that context. The new releases—including their first sparkling—land alongside a rare parcel of back-vintage bottles we’ve secured through a longtime customer. It’s a chance to explore Wasenhaus in depth, together.

Some quick context on the estate: Wasenhaus is the work of Christoph Wolber and Alexander Götze, Germans who met during their decade+ of work in Beaune. That era for them is filled with a startling list of names: Pierre Morey, Leflaive, Comte Armand, de Montille, Bernhard van Berg, Domaine de la Vougeraie – experiences which gave them the confidence to come back to Baden refreshingly unafraid of wood, and working with whole clusters.

The wines are so firmly Baden in their clarity and high thread count, while packed with insight from Burgundy's greatest.

Everything is labeled as Landwein, and with such a sweeping range landing all at once, we've decided to break it down through the lens of which cuvées are soil-specific vs. site-specific. And if you really want to go deep, importer vom Boden has an incredible Google Earth tour here.

BLENDED WINES

Wasenhaus makes a few cuvées blended across many sites (and in the case of their sparkling, vintages!) – incredibly unique, holistic expressions of Baden:

NV Burgunder Sekt Brut Nature
Christoph and Alex have been quietly hard at work refining their sparkling wine methods, finally releasing this first cuvée. A blend of '17, '19 and '21, it's lean and airy; driven by limestone soils and with no dosage. 80% Spätburgunder, 20% Weissburgunder. Disgorged August 2024.

2022 'Grand Ordinaire'
A 100% whole bunch, 100% carbonic bottling of Spätburgunder. Pure Baden fruit tempered by time in barrique, it's uniquely layered and delicious. The most recent '24 bottling sold immediately upon release; but we do have the cellared '22 available.

2020, 2021 and 2022 Spätburgunder
A blend of sites from mostly sandy and loess soils. Destemming varies by vintage based on phenolic ripeness; open-top fermented and aged in French oak for 1.5-2 years. 2023 sold upon release but back vintages are available:

SOIL STUDIES

With such distinct loess, volcanic and limestone soils, these wines are blended across plots to show the purest character of Baden's soils:

2022 and 2023 Weissburgunder
Weissburgunder from a mix of plots planted on loess soil, south of Staufen. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in barrel, followed by a year in barrel and an additional 1/2 year in stainless steel, all on the lees.

2022 and 2023 Chardonnay
Chardonnay from a mix of plots planted on loess soil on the edge of the Black Forest (south of Staufen and Kaiserstuhl). Like the Weissburgunder, this is whole cluster pressed and fermented in barrel, followed by a year in barrel and additional 1/2 year in stainless steel, all on the lees.

2020, 2022 and 2023 Spätburgunder 'Vulkan'
One of their most iconic cuvées, entirely from sites planted in the Kaiserstuhl's distinct volcanic soils. Only 10% whole clusters included here, open-top fermented and aged 14 months in used barrels. A sensual Pinot.

2022 and 2023 Spätburgunder 'Kalk'
The counterpoint to Vulkan, this is also a blend of plots but all from limestone soils in Markgraeflerland. Many of the vines are 40+ years old, allowing for 40% whole cluster inclusion. Open-top fermented and aged 16 months in used barrels. Distinctly limestone-driven, brisk Pinot.

VINEYARD STUDIES

The most focused wines, from parcels in some of Baden's greatest sites – these cuvées are especially dialed in to working with German and French clones:

2023 Weissburgunder 'Bellen'
Weissburgunder from steep, western-oriented slopes with limestone and clay soils in Kirchhofen where many of the vines are 50+ years old. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in barrel, aged a year in barrel and an additional 1/2 year in stainless steel, all on the lees.

2023 Weissburgunder 'Möhlin'
Weissburgunder from steep, southeastern facing slops in an old limestone terrace vineyard planted in the 1950s above Möhlin creek. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in used French oak, aged a year in barrel and an additional 1/2 year in stainless steel, all on the lees.

2022 and 2023 Chardonnay 'Hohlen'
Chardonnay from a steep, western-oriented slope with limestone and clay soils in Zunzinger Rosenberg vineyard. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in barrel, aged a year in barrel and another 1/2 year in stainless steel, all on the lees. Structured, minty, limestone-driven Chardonnay.

2023 Chardonnay 'Filzen'
Chardonnay from steep, western-oriented slopes with limestone and clay soils in Kirchhofen. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in a single 600L barrel, aged a year in barrel and an additional 1/2 year in stainless steel, all on the lees. A more aromatic counterpoint to 'Hohlen.'

2023 Spätburgunder 'Bellen'
Spätburgunder from steep, western-oriented slopes with limestone and clay soils across Kirchhofen and Pfaffenweiler, planted to French and German clones. The German clones are left whole cluster (old vines and larger grapes), accounting for 40% of the fermentation, which is partially carbonic and partially open-top. Aged in used French oak for 16 months.

2022 and 2023 Spätburgunder 'Kanzel'
Spätburgunder from cooler eastern-oriented slopes with limestone and clay soils in the Ehrenstetter Olberg. 50/50 French and German clones, with the German clones left whole cluster for fermentation (as with Bellen), partially carbonic and partially open-top fermented. Aged in used French oak for 16 months. A particularly serious vintage for this cuvée.

2023 Spätburgunder 'Möhlin'
Spätburgunder from limestone and clay soils on the southeastern-facing slopes of Ehrenstetter Olberg. A warmer site mostly planted to German clones, fermented with 2/3 whole clusters and (as Bellen and Kanzel) with some partial carbonic maceration. Aged in French oak for 16 months.

2023 Spätburgunder 'Hohlen'
Spätburgunder from limestone and clay soils on the southwest-facing slopes of Zunzinger Rosenberg. Planted to mostly German clones, half of the plot was densely planted in the 1960s. All of this allows for fermentation with 90% whole clusters included, like the other Spätburgunders undergoing partial carbonic maceration. Aged in used French oak for 16 months. Elegant but structured, quintessentially German Pinot Noir.

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