Hermannsberg GG gets five years in the cellar

Many wines are ready to drink just a few months after the harvest. However, those that grow in particularly barren and demanding vineyard sites need several years before they can really show their full potential and develop their expressive complexity. ‘Retailers, restaurateurs & consumers nowadays do not typically have the appropriate cellaring facilities to give these wines the time they need,’ says Achim Kirchner, sales manager & executive director at Gut Hermannsberg, with a touch of regret. ‘If we want these wines to develop & exhibit their full potential, we have to hold them back at the estate until we consider them ready.’

Like the Riesling from the Kupfergrube, the Hermannsberg Grosses Gewächs will now be now matured for five years at Gut Hermannsberg before being released to the market. ‘Adopting the new rhythm will require a period of transition,’ explains managing director Jasper Reidel. Partial quantities have been held back from the past five vintages in order to ease the adjustment. When the 2016 Hermannsberg is offered in September of this year, it will be as a re-release. The 2020 Hermannsberg GG will only be initially released to the market after five years of maturation in the cellar: namely in 2025.

Niederhäuser Hermannsberg

The steep Hermannsberg, which towers majestically over the Nahe River, is an extraordinary vineyard. ‘The name dates back to Roman times, derived from the patron god Hermes, protector of all messengers and travellers, and is probably a reference to an ancient place of worship,’ writes owner Dr Christine Dinse in the estate’s official chronicle, for which she meticulously researched and documented the property’s eventful history. In 2009 she acquired the estate together with Jens Reidel and renamed the former ‘Royal Prussian Winegrowing Domain’ after its monopole vineyard, christening it Gut Hermannsberg.

Gut Hermannsberg cultivates some 5.5 hectares on this magnificent site, the surface of which is composed of slate covered with a layer of loess. While Kupfergrube – with its volcanic soil – always seems lush and powerful, Riesling from Hermannsberg is rather cool and reserved in its youth. ‘There are only a few connoisseurs who recognise the great potential behind the sometimes almost contrary nature of the wine. The Hermannsberg has hidden talents that only reveal themselves with maturity. Then it becomes incredibly complex and profound. You miss out on the true greatness of this wine if you drink it too young,’ explains Karsten Peter.

The 2016 Hermannsberg GG has already completed its obligatory period of maturation in the cellar, and has emerged notably impressive for its tremendous precision, depth and an almost silky elegance.

The wine is available from 1 September for 45 Euros directly from the estate via email: [email protected]