In the utmost southern part of the German Palatine, a stone's throw from the French border, lies the small wine village of Schweigen. It is famous for its "Deutsches Weintor", the gate that marks the beginning (or the end) of the "Deutsche Weinstrasse". It owes its good reputation to its very able wine producers, who cunningly exploit the chalky terroir to produce very mineral and fruit oriented wines.
The wine farm of Friedrich Becker comprises some 15 acres, of which half is located in France. It is there, on the rich chalk and marl ground of Wissembourg, that the Spätburgunder (or Pinot Noir) vines of the house are grown. Becker's Spätburgunders are highly esteemed in Germany and he is generally considered as one of the best German red wine producers. During every step of the wine making process, the Beckers (senior and junior are called Friedrich) apply the highest quality standards: when selecting the soil for a specific grape, when pruning the vines in summer, during the fermentation of the wine and the ripening in the cellar. All this to create wines that are an incomparable expression of grape and terroir.
In the eighties Becker was renowned for forsaking on the production of sweet wines, at that time no less than an act of rebellion in Germany. Here lies the origin of the labels of the "Weingut", which refer to the tale of de La Fontaine (or is it Aesopus?): "The grapes are sour."
In 2006 Fritz Becker was proclaimed "Aufsteiger des Jahres" by Gault-Millay. For him this constitutes a new start and not a finishing point. Having spent twenty years to learn to make excellent Pinot Noir, he is convinced that there is still a lot of progress to be made. Once asked how one makes good red wine, Becker senior answered: "Mit dem Bauch" (with the stomach). So it should be no surprise that some wine connoisseurs assert Becker's wines as "emotional". How does an "emotional" wine taste? Why not try?

The "B" stands for "barrique". As the Beckers focus on fruit, "barrique" does not mean: excess of (French) oak. (The oak comes from the Palatine.) A ruby red. A marvelous nose of raspberry, cherries, leather, a hint of chocolate, very mineral too. In the flavour perfectly round fruit supported by a fleshy structure. This wine has a finesse and a length that leave you speechless. German red wine? Ja bitte...

In Wissembourg, just across the French border, Fritz Becker has acquired a "château", known by the name St. Paul. It is a former fortification of the abbey of Wissembourg. Here is grown on (for the time being) half an acre the top Pinot Noir of the house. At a depth of 20 cm a layer of "löss" and marl commences. This is a Pinot Noir that challenges the best Burgundies and that is sometimes described as "pure sensuality". Vintage 2004 got a score of 92 by Gault-Millau.