Nahe Producers

Gut Hermannsberg is a 30-hectare estate between the Nahe villages of Niederhausen and Schloßböckelheim. The estate’s history dates to 1902 when it was initially built as the “Königlich-Preussische Weinbaudomäne” (Royal Prussian Wine Estate) and remained under state ownership for its first 100 years. Under private ownership, the property became the Gutsverwaltung Niederhausen-Schlossböckelhim before its acquisition in 2009 by Jens Reidel and Dr. Christine Dinse. They renamed it “Gut Hermannsberg” after the steep monopole site on the Nahe river. The new owners installed a new team, namely cellarmaster Karsten Peter, who is quickly elevating the estate’s reputation to one of the best wine producers in Germany. All 30 hectares are VDP.Grosse Lage. In addition to the monopollage Hermannsberg, there’s the outstanding Kupfergrube (copper mine), Bastei, Felsenberg, Steinberg, Rotenberg, and Rossel (a Gewann and another monopole). The Kupfergrube, by the way, did not exist during German wine's pre-war, pre-prohibition peak of popularity. It was later created by the State Domäne after clearing a steep hillside of scrub and brush. Steep, southern exposures on volcanic soils give these wines, especially Kupfergrube, an intense and smoky character. Under Karsten Peter, winemaking is low intervention, and vinifications occur in stainless steel tanks and Halbstück. I was fortunate to be invited to the estate’s Jubiläumsjahr celebration in August 2019, where an incredible vertical dating back to the 1914 vintage was opened and tasted. 

Wines tasted the the “Kupfergrube Vertikale,” Gut Hermannsberg Jubiläumsjahr celebration, 30 August 2019: 

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 1914

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 1923

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 1933

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Spätlese trocken Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 1949

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 1958

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube Auslese 1969

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Spätlese Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 1979

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Niederhausen-Schloßböckelheim Riesling Beerenauslese Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 1996

Gutsverwaltung Niederhausen-Schlossböckelhim Niederhausen-Riesling Auslese Schloßböckelheim Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube 2005

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2009

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2010

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2011

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2012

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2013

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2014

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2015

Gut Hermannsberg Riesling Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube GG 2016

“We are always the first in the Nahe to harvest,” says Britta Korrell, then adds, “and always the last.” It takes seven weeks to harvest all of Weingut Korrell’s 32 hectares which stretch 20 kilometers along the Nahe river, from their home village of Bosenheim (near Bad Kreuznach in the lower Nahe to Waldböckelheim in the upper Nahe. Along the way, tributaries, irregular topography, and 400 million years of tumultuous geological activity make Germany’s Nahe difficult for some to pin down. On the one hand, lower Nahe can produce fine Burgunder varieties, and its dry Rieslings can show power and texture. Prädikatswein from middle Nahe villages like Niederhausen is undoubtedly some of Germany’s finest. Then, in the upper Nahe, a Riesling trocken from Schloßböckelheim might be linear, steely, and intense. “We have the nickname’ das Probiertstub’chen’,” says Britta, “because Nahe is the tasting room of Germany.” Kreuznacher Paradies is where the winery began after WWII. Martin Korrell’s family comes from Spain, where they picked up the Lion crest on all of Karrell’s labels. Martin’s father began in the Paradies in the 1960s, growing grapes and selling mainly to private clients. Martin was still amidst his studies and had just returned from an internship in Australia in 1999 to find his father in a wheelchair after a fall. Martin, age 19, would have to take charge of the harvest. The Korrells own 9.5 hectares of the 20-hectare Paradies, a steep and prominent hill overlooking Bad Kreuznach with limestone, muschelkalk on the upper slopes, and clay in the lower section. Climate, soil, and old vines combine to make Paradies Riesling a wine of deep concentration, fine structure, and layered many times over with flavor. Paradies is Korrell’s jewel among a treasure chest of grand crus. “Riesling is the first thing for us,” says Britta. Weissburgunder and Spätburgunder are also quite good here with their lower Nahe home base. The focus is on dry wines, and unless you find yourself in a few specific areas in Germany, off-dry or sweet Prädikatsweine are made when vintage conditions allow for it. Martin is a very controlled winemaker and prefers spontaneous fermentation if it starts within the first 30 hours. It helps explain the unusually intricate complexity of the Gutswein (estate) Riesling trocken and the exceptional “von den Ersten Lagen” bottling. I love this wine because it combines three exceptional sites in Schloßböckelheim (including grand cru Felsenberg) with the famous Traiser Rotenfels into a delicate and salty whole. It says something about this wine when it stands out among grand crus like Dellchen, Kirschheck, Klamm, and Paradies, all produced side-by-side in Korrell’s cellar.