Forgeurac, alias Uwe Lange and Marco Pfliehinger, are based in St. Leon-Rot in northern Baden, not far from Heidelberg. Their cellar is situated underneath the village blacksmith’s, hence the ‘forge’ in Forgeurac. (By the way, I once had a job interview in St. Leon-Rot. Nothing to do with wine. It didn’t go very well. The job wasn’t for me, so that’s ok.)

Lange and Pfliehinger farm vineyards along the entire length of Baden, with plots in the Kraichgau district, in the Bühlertal valley, and in Markgräflerland on Jurassic limestone soils near Efringen-Kirchen. They also have holdings across the way in Württemberg (Weinsberg, to be precise).

This is their entry-level Pinot, sourced from younger vines and from plots other than those used for the duo’s single-vineyard bottlings. Medium to deep ruby in appearance. Chalky undertones and dark, small berries on the nose (blackcurrant, blackberry). There’s a hint of juniper too. The forest fruit whiff becomes sweeter after a day or so. Very nice. Creamy mouthfeel with much of the aforementioned fruit, albeit with more of a herbal twist. The tannins are balanced between fine-grained and grippy, affording good drinkability as well as tension and freshness. Personally, I tend to be more of a fan of juicy, bright, ‘feminine’ Pinots with red-fruit characteristics, but this dark-fruited Spätburgunder is very serious and very good. I should probably try a couple of their more expensive wines before too long.