Sachsen: Beauty Awakened

Sachsen

Sachsen sits above the 51st parallel in former east Germany and is one of Europe’s most northerly wine-growing areas. It’s 493 hectares of vines along the Elbe produces just 0.3% of all German wine. 77.7 hectares are grown on Steillage, steeply terraced vineyards with inclines greater than 30%. Most of these old terraces are between Dresden and Meissen and the wine town Radebeul which lies in the region’s heart. The continental climate means cold winters and early spring frost pose a constant threat. 1570 hours of sunshine during the relatively short growing season, coupled with substantial diurnal temperature shifts between day and night, give Sachsen wines their uniquely pure and mineral identity. Sachsen wines are, by and large, dry and rarely exceed 12.5% alcohol. Its climate dictates a distinctive grape mix focusing on early-ripening white varieties like Müller-Thurgau, Scheurebe, Baccus, and Goldriesling and winter hardy varieties like Riesling. Around 18% of its vines are red, and recent tastings confirm that Spätburgunder has high potential in a region benefiting from warming temperatures.

Viticulture was first documented here in 1161, and vineyard expansion along the Elbe peaked in the 16th century with 5000 hectares before the 30 years war. After Phylloxera and two World Wars, just 60 hectares remained. From 1955 to 1990, Sachsen expanded from 200 to over 1000 hectares. One reason for this expansion is that wine became a valuable commodity to trade for other goods the under the Deutsche Democratische Republik. It also became a rare source of wealth for those lucky enough to own a few rows of vines. During the DDR, Dresden’s professional class might have also been weekend Winzers, tending to their collectivized vineyards and staying in their small Häuschen before returning to city jobs on Monday morning. Even today, 96% of Sachsen’s vineyards are tended by Kleinwinzern, each with less than 200 m2 of vines. Since reunification, land under vine has declined, but wine quality has improved as new plant material replaces the old, vine training modernizes, and winemaking skill continues its upgrade.

The current Sachsen winemakers are dedicated, ambitious, and Geisenheim-trained, churning out excellent wines of chiseled mineral precision. The classic Sachsen estate is the Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth, with its (now) well-tended terraces and immaculate palace grounds. Wackerbarth produces the full range of Sachsen varieties and is a significant producer of wines from Radebeuler Goldener Wagen, one of Sachsen’s 22 Einzellagen and certainly one of its best. There are currently three VDP-member estates in Sachsen: Schloss Proschwitz, Klaus Zimmerling, and its newest member Martin Schwarz. The local population consumes most of the wine, and when I find the occasional Sachsen outside of the region, it’s usually Schloss Proschwitz. Its 100 hectares near Meissen belong to Dr. Georg Prinz zur Lippe, who resuscitated Proschwitz after reunification.

Proschwitz has built itself a reputation for minerally Spätburgunder, and other Sachsen producers are as well. A Pinot by Master of Wine Janek Schumann was beautifully made with seamless oak integration and a straight and mineral profile. Another standout Pinot came from Friedrich Aust in Radebeul. Aust’s cellar is undergoing a significant renovation, and dinner enjoyed amid construction took nothing away from a memorable 2018 Spätburgunder, an achievement of purity, lightness, and aroma. Having just tasted a single Martin Schwarz wine at the time of this writing, his Crossover is a serious white wine blend with an almost Friulian-like balance of flavor and texture. Finally, I must mention Klaus Zimmerling, whose organically-farmed wines I came to know while taking a language course in Dresden some years ago. The Zimmerling wines are instantly recognizable with artful labels and sold in 50cl bottles. I’ve not had the opportunity to ask, but I assume the small size might have something to do with his philosophy for low yields. Klaus Zimmerling wines are serious, ripe, and textured.