WongAmat by Jan Raumland – Euphancholie Cuvée No. 2

The WongAmat by Jan Raumland – Euphancholie Cuvée No. 2 is not a wine that conforms to the conventions of vintage-based thinking. It is the result of a deliberate choice to use the solera method, a maturation system originating in sherry production, whereby only a portion of the cuvée is bottled each year and topped up with the new vintage. This produces a wine that transcends vintages and grape varieties and, even in its youth, possesses a depth and approachability that a classic Bordeaux blend only achieves after many years in the cellar.

The name: a neologism combining ‘euphoria’ and ‘melancholy’

The name ‘Euphancholie’ is a neologism that Jan Raumland borrowed from Benedict Wells’ novel *Hard Land *. It combines the concepts of euphoria and melancholy into a single, dazzling state. The novel begins with the sentence ‘That summer, I fell in love and my mother died’ – an emotional simultaneity of exuberant joy and profound contemplation, which served as inspiration for Jan’s cuvée. It is this emotional space that the wine captures in the glass: a blend of subtle maturity, delicate freshness and balanced depth, which comes across as neither loud nor heavy.

The origin: a mosaic of old vines and family reserves

The cuvée is a carefully composed mosaic of different plots and grape varieties. The foundation is the so-called ‘Family Reserve’, a wine also known from the Keller family’s Christmas hampers and sourced from vines situated around the Raumland estate in Flörsheim-Dalsheim. Another component is a small plot of just 600 square metres with old Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Kriegsheimer Rosengarten, which Jan Raumland was able to acquire in 2021. The blend is rounded off with a proportion of Pinot Noir from the Bürgel and Rosengarten vineyards, which are not included in the prestigious single-vineyard bottlings. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir is unusual for a German red wine and gives the cuvée its unique character.

The Solera method: continuity rather than vintage

At the heart of Euphancholie lies Solera ageing. Each year, only around 30 per cent of the volume is bottled; the rest remains in the cask and is topped up with the new vintage. This creates a continuous link from year to year, giving the wine a gently developed maturity and complexity without it losing the lively freshness that is so characteristic of Jan Raumland’s wines. The base of the current bottling dates back to the 2019 vintage, meaning the wine can already look back on an impressive history spanning several years.

The sensory profile: a Cabernet that dances like a Pinot

The tasting notes for this wine are remarkably unanimous in their description of an unusual light-footedness. On the nose, there are cool red berry fruits – sour cherry, blackberry and a hint of rose petal – which come across as wonderfully lively and intense, whilst remainingjuicy and very slightly smoky. As the wine is exposed to more oxygen, the aromas take on a darker character, and a refined spiciness shines through on the finish .

On the palate, the wine is slender and light-footed, with a polished, refined acidity that is more reminiscent of a Pinot Noir than a Cabernet blend. This elegance, which is exceptional for a Cabernet blend, prompted one taster to make the apt remark that, when tasted blind, this wine ‘doesn’t necessarily bring Cabernet to mind; it’s far too seductive for that’ – a wine definitely more suited to Pinot lovers than to Bordeaux fans. The tannins are perfectly integrated and fine-grained; the wine comes across as light and unpretentious.

Reviews and Classification

The ratings for the Euphancholie Cuvée No. 2 are still limited in number, but paint a clear picture. On CellarTracker, the wine is rated at 87 points, with one taster describing it as ‘very light and easy to drink’, with dark berries and mushrooms as the dominant aromas, but expressing doubts about its potential for significant development. This somewhat reserved rating contrasts with the enthusiastic tasting notes from retailers, who describe the wine as ‘powerful’ and ‘truly first-class’. This discrepancy is characteristic of a wine that deliberately goes against the grain: It is not a powerhouse that immediately wins over every critic, but a delicate, seductive wine that only reveals its qualities on second glance – and which, as one taster on La Passion du Vin remarked, is above all one thing: fresh, mouth-watering and an ideal accompaniment to an aperitif.

Conclusion: A wine of subtle nuances and great emotion

The WongAmat Euphancholie Cuvée No. 2 is not a wine that pushes itself into the limelight. It is the result of a visionary decision to adopt the solera method, an unusual blend of grape varieties and the persistent craftsmanship of a winemaker who has used his formative years at Emrich-Schönleber and Klaus-Peter Keller to develop his own distinctive style. The wine embodies the emotional tension of its name: the lightness and joy of a Pinot Noir, combined with the depth and spice of a Cabernet – a euphoria born of melancholy. For lovers of delicate, cool-climate red wines, it is a revelation; for fans of powerful Bordeaux blends, a fascinating challenge. In any case, it is quiet yet compelling proof that the new generation of German winemakers has the courage to forge their own path.