Weingut Rings Das Kreuz Réserve Rotweincuvée 2018

Weingut Rings Das Kreuz Réserve Rotweincuvée 2018 is a powerful, Bordelais-style red from one of Germany’s most exciting modern estates. Crafted from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the famed “Das Kreuz” site in the Pfalz, it brings together New World ripeness with Old World structure and precision. This limited Réserve bottling is a benchmark example of how serious, age‑worthy Cabernet blends from Germany can be.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2018 Das Kreuz Réserve shows a deep, almost opaque ruby core with violet reflections, hinting at both concentration and youth. The nose is expressive yet refined, opening with blackcurrant and ripe blackberry, followed by notes of dark cherry, graphite, cedar, tobacco leaf and a touch of dried herbs and pepper from the Cabernet Franc. Subtle hints of cocoa, roasted coffee and sweet spice from élevage in quality oak barriques add extra layers of complexity. On the palate, this is full-bodied and tightly structured, with a firm but polished tannin backbone and a vibrant, well-integrated acidity that keeps the generous fruit in balance. Flavours of cassis, black cherry and ripe plum mingle with notes of pencil shavings, cigar box, bay leaf and a savoury, almost mineral edge that speaks of its Pfalz origins. The finish is long, focused and slightly saline, promising further development with time. While already enjoyable with proper aeration, the 2018 vintage has excellent aging potential and should evolve beautifully over the next 10–15 years, gaining even more nuance and harmony.

Production
Das Kreuz Réserve comes from select parcels in the limestone- and sandstone‑rich soils around Freinsheim and Kallstadt in the northern Pfalz, a relatively warm and dry zone that is particularly well suited to late-ripening Bordeaux varieties. The vineyards are farmed with great attention to detail, with low yields and mostly manual work to ensure optimal fruit quality and physiological ripeness. Harvest is done by hand, with strict selection of bunches in the vineyard and again in the cellar. The grapes are destemmed and fermented in small tanks or open vats, with careful extraction through gentle pump-overs or punch-downs. After alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, the wine is matured for an extended period in predominantly French oak barriques (a portion new, the rest second or third fill), allowing the tannins to integrate and the wine to gain depth and complexity before being bottled with minimal intervention.

Food & Serving
This structured, Cabernet-driven cuvée calls for hearty, flavourful dishes. It pairs beautifully with dry-aged ribeye, roast lamb with rosemary, beef short ribs, venison, and other game, as well as rich stews and braised dishes. It also works well alongside mature hard cheeses like Comté or aged Gouda and charcuterie with earthy accompaniments. Serve at 16–18 °C; if the wine is too warm, its alcohol and oak will dominate, so a slight chill from cellar temperature is ideal. Decanting for 1–2 hours is strongly recommended in its youth to allow the fruit to open and the tannins to soften; older bottles can be decanted more gently to separate sediment and should be enjoyed within a few hours.

Producer
Weingut Rings is a family-run estate in Freinsheim, in the northern Pfalz, that has rapidly risen to the top echelon of German wineries over the past two decades. Founded as a mixed farm and transformed into a quality-focused wine estate by brothers Steffen and Andreas Rings, the winery is now renowned for both its precise Rieslings and its remarkably ambitious red wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Bordeaux-style blends. Rings has been instrumental in demonstrating the potential of the Pfalz for serious, terroir-driven Cabernet-based wines, with sites like Das Kreuz gaining a reputation among collectors and sommeliers alike. Membership in Germany’s VDP association and consistently strong reviews from leading wine critics have cemented Weingut Rings’ status as one of the region’s most dynamic and innovative producers.

We deliver within 2 - 6 business days. You can choose whether it should be to a parcel shop or home delivery. Free delivery to both parcel shops and your front door. Our store partners primarily use GLS, DPD, UPS and DHL for deliveries. We cover deliveries to the majority of countries in Europe.