For many years, Rheinhessen was a wine region that was not in the front row when it came to premium wines in Germany. And Germany was not in the front row when it came to red premium wines in the world. Both has changed dramatically in recent years.
As to Rheinhessen, the undisputed leaders of that development are Klaus Peter Keller and Philip Wittmann. Close behind the leading duo is a group of mostly young and ambitious winemakers who also produce outstanding wines. Two of them are the Thoerle brothers Johannes and Christoph at the family-owned Weingut Thoerle in the town of Saulheim, assisted by their parents Rudolf and Ute.
As to red wine, 30 years ago, German red wine accounted for only about 15 percent of German wine output. Today, we are well over 35 percent. And not only the vineyard area planted with red grapes has expanded dramatically, but also the quality has improved considerably. Today, German red wine can compete with any red wine in the world, I believe. As a result, German red wines are increasingly appearing in the international wine market. Of course, given its location, they tend to be not like the fruity red wines we know from warmer countries, but lean and more elegant, with a lot of finesse. One of the wineries that now produces award winning red wines in Germany is Weingut Thoerle.
See:
The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance
Surprising the World with their Pinot Noir: Johannes and Christoph Thoerle, Winzerhof Thoerle, Rheinhessen, Germany
A tasting at Weingut Thoerle was one of the highlights of the 2013 German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy PR and WineTours, organized and headed by Annette Schiller. The tasting was led by Christoph Thoerle. Johannes Thoerle joined us towards the end.
See:
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
See:
The Wines of Up and Coming Winzerhof Thoerle, Rheinhessen
Weingut Thoerle
Weingut Thoerle is a family owned and operated winery in Rheinhessen in the town of Saulheim, with Johannes Thoerle in the driver seat, when it comes to wine making, and brother Christoph leading on the marketing and sale side. Parents Rudolf and Ute continue to be involved, father Rudolph in the wine cellar and mother Ute in sales and marketing. The family owns 15 hectares in the Hoelle, Schlossberg and Probstey vineyards in the Saulheim wine region.
A few years ago I wrote a posting about Weingut Thoerle under the title: "The Wines of Up and Coming Winzerhof Thoerle, Rheinhessen." Indeed, Weingut Thoerle is a rapidly rising wine producer. Take, as an example, the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland, Germany’s leading wine guide. In the 2011 guide, they were awarded the third grape; in the year before, they had received the second grape. 4 years earlier they had not even been mentioned in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland. In an extremely short period of time, Weingut Thoerle went from nowhere to 3 grapes.
Tim Atkin organized a Pinot Noir “Germany Versus Rest of World” Tasting in London in October 2011, at which the German wines performed extremely well: 7 of the top 13 wines of the 40 Pinot Noirs from around the world were German Spaetburgunder wines. This tasting has a good chance of becoming a miles post in the ongoing process of international recognition of Germany as a producer of premium red wines. The best ranked German Pinot Noir was the 2008 Weingut Thörle Spätburgunder Hölle; it was ranked #3 overall and #1 of the German Pinot Noirs.
Tasting with Christoph
Weingut Thoerle has moved away from the traditional German wine classification and has adopted the VDP approach. Basically, all dry wines are labeled as QbA (Qualitaetswein besonderer Anbaugebiete) wines. The level of quality is then expressed by the terroir principle; the narrower the specification, the higher the quality of the wine is. There are 3 quality levels:
Lagenweine – the best wines from one of the three vineyards of Thoerle: Hoelle, Schlossberg and Probstley, with the winemaker, village, vineyard and grape variety indicated on the label.
Ortsweine - the quality level below Lagenwein, with the winemaker, village and the grape variety indicated on the label; there is no vineyard indicated.
Gutsweine – the quality level below Ortsweine, with only the winemaker and the grape variety indicated on the label; this would also include the so-called Literwein, the reasonably priced wine for daily consumption, the kind of house wine.
Because we were a bit late, we did not have the chance to visit the impressive wine cellar. “We have old “Stueckfaesser” and “Halbstueckfaesser” as well as 90 barrique barrels” said Christoph. Apart from the Gutsweine, all Weingut Thoerle wines are spontaneously fermented. Also, we did not have a chance to take a look at the vineyards. “Most people think that the vineyards of Saulheim are flat and dull. This is wrong. Between our vineyards there is a Hoehenunterschied of up to 100 meters and we also have different soil types” said Johannes, when he joined us at the tasting.
Pictures: In the Wine Cellar with Christoph and Father Rudolph Thoerle during a Previous Visit What we Tasted
2012 Saulheim Riesling Kalkstein
2012 Saulheim Weissburgunder Muschelkalk
2012 Saulheim Chardonnay Muschelkalk
2011 Hoelle Riesling
2011 Probstey Pinot Noir
2011 Hoelle Pinot Noir
2008 Hoelle Pinot Noir
This is the wine that won at the Tim Atkins tasting: “I wanted to make a Pinot Noir that expresses the climating conditions of Germany – not a thick, juicy wine, but an elegant, Burgundian cool climate Pinot Noir” said Johannes. “The grapes come from the Hoelle vineyard parcel we bought a few years ago. The vineyard was planted 35 years ago. The grapes were harvested a sugar content of 95 to 98 Oechsle. We tried to let the grapes not become overly ripe.” Christoph added.
Weingut Thoerle Wines in the US
Thoerle wines are imported into the US by Ingenium Wines: “Ingenium Wines is a national importer based in Huntsville, AL. We focus on small production European wineries that overdeliver on value at very reasonable price points. Every wine in our portfolio is important to us and we take great pride in representing these wines.”
Here are the wines that are currently on offer in the US.
2011 Pinot Gris
Vinification: After very a very selective harvest the grapes were lightly squeezed and sat in the cellar for 20 hours in its juice. 92% were raised in stainless steel tanks and 8% in barrique. The juice fermented for 6 weeks with natural yeast. After 4 months of sur lies the wine was bottled.
Tasting notes: On the nose the wine reveals yellow and exotic fruits. The wine is creamy with fantastic minerality. It has a very long finish.
2011 Riesling
Vinification: After very a very selective harvest the grapes were lightly squeezed and sat in the cellar for 16 hours in its juice. The juice fermented for 6 weeks with natural yeast. After 4 months of sur lies the wine was bottled.
Tasting notes: Herbal on the nose with aromas of peach, apples and citrus. The wine has great almost salty minerality. A very serious, dry Riesling.
2011 Pinot Blanc
Vinfication: After very a very selective harvest the grapes were lightly squeezed and sat in the cellar for 18 hours in its juice. 94% were raised in stainless steel tanks and 6% in barrique. The juice fermented for 6 weeks with natural yeast. After 4 months of sur lies the wine was bottled.
Tasting notes: On the nose yellow fruits, citrus and apples. Great acidity with a creamy touch.
2011 Riesling Limestone
Vinification: After sorting the grapes several times the grapes were lightly squeezed and sat in the cellar for 24 hours in its juice. 75% were raised in stainless steel tanks and 25% in barrique. The juice fermented for 6 weeks with natural yeast. After 6 months of sur lies the wine was bottled.
Tasting note: On the nose the wine reveals ripe apricots and peaches. The wine is herby and creamy with beautiful minerality and a long finish.
Will Lyons, Wall Street Journal, included this wine in his recent selection of "three elegant wines" - "for everyday drinking": "When it's at its best, German Riesling can compete with any wine in the world. This is an exceptional example, with a floral-, perhaps apricot, flavoured nose. Sharp and dry, with a long, saline crispiness."
schiller-wine: Related Postings (German Wine and Culture Tour 2013 by ombiasy PR and WineTours):
Ombiasy Wine Tours: Wine and Culture Tour to Germany Coming up in August 2013
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
Weingut Pawis in the Saale Unstrut Region - A Profile, Germany
Impromptu Winetasting with Alexander Jung, Weingut Jakob Jung, Erbach, Rheingau, Germany
Ernst Loosen Presented his Wines at Weingut Dr. Loosen, Bernkastel-Kues, Mosel Valley, Germany
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany
The World Meets at Weingut Weegmueller, Pfalz, Germany
Tasting with Johannes and Christoph Thoerle, Weingut Thoerle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen, Germany
Impressions from the Mainz Wine Market 2013, Germany
schiller-wine: Related Postings
The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance
Surprising the World with their Pinot Noir: Johannes and Christoph Thoerle, Winzerhof Thoerle, Rheinhessen, Germany
The Wines of Up and Coming Winzerhof Thoerle, Rheinhessen