Thus was born Pinot Noix, named partly as a nod to his project’s idiosyncratic origins, but also incorporating the literal fact that on Hofberg, hazelnut trees, wild chestnuts, and aromatic herbs crowd the terraces, lending a unique biodiversity that feeds both vine and wine. The vineyards are farmed organically, with a rigorous focus on biodiversity, soil vitality, and plant balance. Low yields are not a choice but a consequence of this demanding site—vines here work hard, digging deep into fractured slate to produce berries of uncommon intensity and structure.

In the cellar, Twardowski works with meticulous restraint. Vinification involves gentle pressing of whole cluster, combined with destemmed grapes that are crushed lightly - just enough to facilitate pumping over. Early pigeages are more assertive to encourage extraction, then dialled back during a 20-day maceration to preserve the finesse of the tannins. Élevage takes place over 18 to 24 months in custom-selected Burgundian barriques, sourced not just from artisan coopers, but even the old barrels from Burgundian producers of the calibre of DRC and Rousseau. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and released only when Daniel deems them ready. This is not winemaking by recipe—it is a slow, empirical process rooted in observation, trust, and taste.

Daniel Twardowski’s Pinot Noix was the first estate in over a century in the Mosel to focus exclusively on red wine, and their ability to unlock and express the previously untapped potential of this challenging terroir is nothing short of a revelation. Sumptuous, mineral, quietly powerful, these are Pinots of cerebral beauty and intense emotional resonance. They are Pinots which are not only redefining the apex of what is possible in Germany, but also filling our ache for the classically restrained, elegant, crunchy and soulful Burgundies of the pre-climate change past. They are incredibly hard to come by and, unfortunately, far too scarce for our own good.