In the Nahe region, we visited 3 wineries on the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTorus (2015): Hexamer, Kruger-Rumpf and Hermannsberg. This posting covers the visit of Weingut Hexamer. We did a tasting in the tasting room of Weingut Hexamer. Harald and Petra Hexamer were our hosts.
Weingut Hexamer
Weingut Hexamer is a family-owned and run winery in Meddersheim in the Nahe region. The vineyard area totals 23 hectares in Meddersheim, Schlossböckelheim and Sobernheim. The family name, Hexamer, dates back centuries in Germany and has a history of winemaking; however, it was not until the late 1990’s when the Hexamer family began producing commercially, i.e. when Harald Hexamer and his wife Petra took over.
Riesling accounts for 60 percent and Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Frühburgunder, Müller-Thurgau and Spätburgunder for most of the remainder.
Weingut Hexamer in the Terry Theise/ Skurnik Portfolio
In the US, Weingut Hexamer is relatively well known among the friends of German wine. It has a bit the reputation of producing “Dönnhoff wines at much lower prices”.
Terry Theise: Harald Hexamer’s dedication is seen both in his work in the vineyards and in the cellars. Hexamer holds 7.5 hectares in the Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg, a steep south-east facing slope of red sandstone with deposits of quartzite, which is known for producing especially small berries. Hexamer often harvests riper grapes from another site (Marbach) but the wines of Rheingrafenberg grapes are “more filigree and better-structured.” Schlossböckelheimer In den Felsen (“In the Rocks”) is a small vineyard at 6.5 hectares, of which the Hexamer’s own 4.5. The vineyard is markedly steep (70º) with south facing slopes composed of rocky porphyry and produces wines characterized by softer acidity and a subtle smokiness.
Hexamer’s meticulous work in the vineyard is marked by pruning to control yields (“often six to eight bunches per wine”) and hand-harvesting. The grapes are picked exclusively by hand and fermented very cold (below 12 degrees celsius) with cooling utilized only when necessary – “but we often pick so late we bring naturally cold fruit — below 10 degrees — back to the winery.”
Hexamer handles the wine as little as possible: no dosage is used, inoculations are made only with native yeasts, and all wines are whole-cluster pressed. 95% of all Rieslings at Hexamer are made in stainless steel and racked only once, three to six weeks after fermentation is complete. The wines are bottled early to preserve their vigor. For the Burgundian varieties, Harald constructed his own barrels in Meddersheim using oak from the Hunsrück forest seasoned for 5 years. When tasting the wines, one sees the purity of the vineyards, the intensity of minerality and remarkable clarity. Hexamer’s wines are balanced in the ultraviolet spectrum; they’re steely, acid-driven, clean and transparent.
Tasting
2014 Weingut Hexamer Weisburgunder trocken
2014 Weingut Hexamer Riesling trocken “Eisendelle auf der Südseite” Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg
2014 Weingut Hexamer Riesling trocken Schlossböckelheimer Königsfels
2013 Weingut Hexamer Riesling No 1 trocken Schlossböckelheimer In den Felsen
2014 Weingut Hexamer Riesling No 1 trocken Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg
2014 Weingut Hexamer Grauburgunder “Porphyr”
2011 Weingut Hexamer Spätburgunder Rotwein trocken
2011 Weingut Hexamer Spätburgunder No 1 Rotwein trocken
Bye-bye
Thank you very much Petra and Harald Hexamer for a wonderful tasting.
Lunch at Hermannshöhle - Restaurant Weck in Niederhausen
After the visit of Weingut Hexamer, we drove to Niederhausen and had a light lunch at Hermannshöhle - Restaurant Weck.
Postings on the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015) (Posted and Forthcoming)
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Fall Tours by ombiasy WineTours 2015 - A Very Special Treat: Experience Harvest Time !
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