2011 Wagner-Stempel

This has become a must visit for me these days as I was enchanted my first visit with the beautiful yet wild character of the Heerkretz. Maybe my favorite vineyard to walk around in in Germany. Oliver Mueller also assure that we will spend minimum 1.5 hours in the vineyard and I beg of my readers to take a visit to the estate in picturesque Siefersheim and have Oliver take you into the vineyards. Really a remarkable experience. With his knowledge of seemingly every vine and subsoil one can learn a lot and soak in the grandeur of the Heerkretz.

This year was no different as we wandered around the Hollberg and Heerkretz for hours, while also going to the town over and visiting a rock quarry that is all porphyry. These are also the same soils that dominate the Nahe and there is more similarity between the Nahe and this part of the Rheinhessen than Siefersheim has with the Rheinessen.

After the vineyard we went back to the estate to taste. The 2011's are the best I have ever tasted from this rock star estate. I was troubled by the quality of the 2010 basic wines but in 2011 they zoomed past my expectations and were by far the best set of gutsweine I have had from Wagner-Stempel.  The Silvaner was bracing and acidic yet ripe and juicy. Really high-toned aromas with intense fruit which is a bit unusual for Silvaner, but I was not complaining. The Weissburgunder was so clean and fresh as were all of the estate wines. Vivid pear and apple fruit along with juicy and fresh acids. Great mineral tension. The Riesling is super intensely mineral and just comes alive in the mouth with great aromatics. The style of Schuerebe at Wagner-Stempel is the style I kill for. Blackcurrant and grapefruit with a rich and complex vibe in the mouth and rocking acids. Everybody in Germany makes a Sauvignon Blanc these days. Not sure why, but they say demand is high and it is typically the first wine to sell out at the estate. The Wagner-Stempel one was the best I tasted along with one at Lauer. I cannot emphasize enough how great these basic wines are. You cannot go wrong with any of them.

Next up was the middle level wines or 1er Cru's as I like to call them. The Siefersheimer Riesling "Vom Porphyry" which is the so called business card of the estate. Incredibly juicy and fruity version this year. Outrageous complexity already. Will age. The Silvaner has some wood influence and comes off a bit creamy. Loads of apricots and again another very fruity example of Silvaner. The Weissburgunder Siefersheim also has some wood influence but loads of gobby apple and pear fruit. Like apple strudel in a bottle. Real awesome concentration and purity and brilliant use of oak.

Oliver Mueller in his favorite place. 

Now onto the GG's and this year Hollberg was a big surprise. Super mineral and complex with lovely ripeness. Really amazing finish that kept going and going. I was stunned by this wine and on this day it showed better than Heerkretz. I still think Heerkretz is the better site and wine but not on this day. We then tasted 4 vintages of Heerkretz. The 2008 was showing some secondary aromas and had a leathery, complex and apricot nose. Very elegant palate. I'd drink now and for the next 10 years. The 2009 was brutally shut down. Long and dense but mad closed. The 2010 was mineral, ripp and utterly profoundly complex. Mind-numbingly complex. Still a touch less closed than the 2009. The 2011 had deep fruit on the nose with tremendous spice. Very long. Very elegant and all GG here. Opened as it aerated but seemed shut. A great little vertical as I really "got" Heerkretz.

Porphyry quarry in town next to Siefersheim

What a visit and I cannot emphasize enough what truly brilliant wines are made in the sleepy town of Siefersheim. Any time you see a bottle of Wagner-Stempel you should just buy it because it will be of the highest possible quality and most importantly the manic attention to detail in the vineyards is also represented in each bottle that bears the Wagner Stempel name.