Rheinhessen Producers

Johannes likes to say, “half of my heart is for Riesling, half of my heart is for Pinot Noir.” Today, the Spätburgunder is more Burgundian, lighter, and fresher, with a more nuanced use of oak. Johannes Gröhl and his sister Franziska are the 13th generation of Gröhls to grow and produce wine in Weinolsheim since 1625. The village of Weinolsheim is a short, 10-minute drive southwest of Nierstein and the famous Roter Hang, where some of Germany’s finest vineyards cling to the steep red slope facing the Rhein. The Roter Hang is where you’ll find the majority of Gröhl’s vineyards, including the famous Riesling sites of Pettenthal, Ölberg, and an important Spätburgunder vineyard on the other side of Nierstein, Hölle. Vinum magazine has nominated Weingut Gröhl for their 2022 Winemaker of the Year award, and it’s easy to see why. While the quality and fame of the vineyards are the first things to grab your attention at this estate, Weingut Gröhl stands out as an innovative and modernizing producer driven by a new generation of talent and energy. The vineyards concentrate on the Nierstein Roter Hang sites of Pettenthal, Ölberg, and Hölle, and south of Nierstein in Oppenheim with Sackträger and Herrenberg. Their 25 hectares include vineyards in Dalheim and Weinolsheim, meaning Johannes Gröhl has an assortment of microclimates and soils to produce a diverse range of wines. Despite the estate’s long history, these 25 hectares were assembled in short order by the parents of Johannes and Franziska, Eckehart and Angela. Because of their many siblings, they had just 2.5 hectares when they took over in 1994. Under their stewardship, Weingut Gröhl slowly grew, and was better known as a source of Spätburgunder before gaining more Riesling sites on the Roter Hang. Johannes likes to say, “half of my heart is for Riesling, half of my heart is for Pinot Noir.” The winery produces 30% red wine today. Perhaps the biggest change instituted by the young siblings is the conversion to organic farming and a renewed dedication to old clonal material and massal selection for replanting. Organic, for Johannes Gröhl, is the only way forward in a changing climate, and he believes cuttings from old plants (sometimes 100 years old) give their vines resistance to vine maladies and diseases. Another thing to note is the stylistic change in the wines, which has slowly taken hold since Johannes started working in the cellar alongside his father in 2018. “You could say the Pinots were more Germanic,” says Johannes of the Pinots in the past. Today, the Spätburgunder is more Burgundian, lighter, and fresher, with a more nuanced use of oak and around 20-30% whole clusters included in the fermentation. And the Rieslings are superbly made with a balance of delicacy, concentrated firmness, and structure.

Visiting Kai Schätzel for the first time at his winery in Nierstein, it didn’t take long to realize that this was my kind of producer. Uncompromising and crystal-clear in his approach, Schätzel reminded me of some of my favorite winemakers, like Rudi Pichler in Austria’s Wachau or Andreas Nicolussi-Leck at Stroblhof in Italy’s Südtirol. Questions are answered directly, and without hesitation, philosophies are well-considered and communicated efficiently, and the evolution of ideas is always possible but only after deep introspection. While sharing definiteness of purpose, where Kai Schätzel veers apart from someone like Rudi Pichler is in the cellar. Pichler knows his approach is the best for his wines, and so does Schätzel. Both would be right, but the resulting wine styles couldn’t be more different. Kai Schätzel was born in 1979 and took over in 2007. Since then, change has come rapidly to this winery which can trace its founding back to 1350, making it one of the oldest family-owned wine estates in Rheinhessen. Despite having incredible vineyard holdings on the Roter Hang, including the grand crus of Pettenthal, Hipping, and Ölberg, previous generations of Schätzel were not so interested in getting maximum quality from these sites. Schätzel shifted the farming towards organic and later biodynamic and implemented a unique canopy management regime to mitigate the effects of climate change and delay sugar accumulation. Vineyards are dry-farmed, and the vines looked stressed when visiting there on a very hot and dry August day in 2022. Still, Schätzel remains committed to dry-farming, citing environmental concerns and the intensity of character he can achieve from his low-yielding old vines on the Roter Hang. Kai Schätzel has developed a unique style in the cellar, producing wines with less alcohol, more salty minerality, and a cutting and distinctive flavor profile. A VDP member since 2015, his dry Grosses Gewächs have received high critical praise, but 35% of the production is dedicated to featherweight and barely sweet, Kabinetts from outstanding parcels. He prefers a reductive winemaking approach, adding minimal sulfur at bottling for wines like Kabinett and leaving it out altogether for some dry wines, including a sulfur-free Pettental GG, which is simply a jaw-dropper of a great dry German Riesling. His 800-year-old cellar lies below the streets of Nierstein, and following a brief maceration on skins, the wines ferment spontaneously in Stück and Halbstück barrels. A new modern cellar was under construction in August 2022, and in true Kai Schätzel form, the minimalist concrete design is intended to serve many generations of Schätzel wines into the future. 

Brothers Johannes and Christoph Thörle have been steadily transforming their multigenerational estate since taking over in 2006 to become one of Rheinhessen’s leading wine producers. Weingut Thörle is today certified organic and practices biodynamics. Thörle achieves sensational ratings from critics for its laser-focused dry Rieslings and Spätburgunder, which rank among Germany’s best. The village of Saulheim lies in Rheinhessen’s northern interior, within the Nierstein district, one of Rheinhessen’s three Bereiche.  Saulheim is about a 20-minute drive west of the Rheinfront with its famous red slope (the Roter Hang). Saulheim is where brothers Johannes and Christoph Thörle have been steadily transforming their multigenerational estate since taking over in 2006 into one of Rheinhessen’s leading wine producers. The previous generation, Rudolf and Uta Thörle, recognized the potential of Saulheim’s limestone soils and began to plant more Riesling and Pinot Noir in the hills around Saulheim. With their sons taking the mantle, Weingut Thörle is today certified organic and practicing biodynamic. Amid Thörle’s 28 hectares are three vineyards that would qualify as grand cru among Germany’s wine elite. These are Saulheimer’s Schlossberg, Probstey, and Hölle. Schlossberg is the coolest of the three, with deep clay and limestone marl soils, and gives the most elegant Riesling of the estate. Probstey is south-facing with exposed limestone at the vineyard’s heart. Voluminous complex Riesling and Silvaner are the results of Probstey’s sun and soil. Hölle, as the name suggests, warms up quickly and is wind-protected. The ground of Hölle is calcareous clay loam giving opulent Riesling and Spätburgunder while retaining precise acidity and an intense mineral impression. Johannes Thörle insists upon spontaneous fermentation and vinification in stainless steel tanks and aging in oak ranging from traditional large Stückfass to tonneau to Burgundian pièce, depending on the wine. Spätburgunder is fully destemmed, and after the Gutswein, most of the reds see a small percentage of new oak. While Riesling and Spätburgunder are the main varieties at Weingut Thörle, Silvaner, Sauvignon Blanc, and Burgundian varieties are all excellent here. For all the attention (and sensational ratings from critics like Stuart Pigott) the Thörle Rieslings and Pinots have gotten, Silvaner should not be overlooked here; the Probstey Silvaner is incredibly salty and smoky. There’s also an impressive Chardonnay reserve, planted in 1993, shortly after the variety was first permitted in Rheinhessen.