German red wine: It’s become an obsession at SommSelect, because with each new vintage, the land of perfumed, high-acid Riesling is increasingly becoming a treasure-trove of finessed, well-balanced reds. Germany is not only the world’s third-largest Pinot Noir producer but is home to an assortment of unique local varieties that are attracting ever-more attention. Chief among these, in our opinion, is Lemberger, which is known as Blaufränkisch in Austria and Kékfrankos in Hungary. We’ve featured myriad renditions of this dark-hued cultivar from all three countries, and what these wines share is a surprising lift and lilt despite their typically inky appearance. This 2017 is plump, silky, and satisfying but also displays some nice aromatic nuance following a few years of bottle age. It is both easy to drink and worthy of contemplation—a rare feat!

Lemberger is Württemberg’s “calling card” red—even more so than Pinot Noir, which is more readily associated with neighboring Baden. The wine is fermented using a percentage of intact whole bunches, followed by aging for seven months in used French oak barriques. It’s a testament to the balance of this 2017 that it still displays lots of youthful fruit and energy. Deep ruby leaning to purple/black, with scents of blackberry, pomegranate, grilled herbs, violets, licorice, warm spice, and underbrush. Saturated color notwithstanding, it clocks in as medium-bodied and full of energy, with fine, silky tannins and a very lifted feel. There’s a unique quality to the acidity of Blaufränkisch reds—they’re bright and fresh but also softly contoured rather than sharp-edged. It’s a neat trick. This is a quite-elegant red with lots of savory notes for pairing with beef, BBQ, or root vegetables/mushrooms.