Wagner-Stempel Riesling Heerkretz 2017

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

From the Winery:

The HEERKRETZ is the Grand Cru with the firmest grip on the palate. The wine shows tremendous herbs and spices, and leaves a grainy mouth-feel carried by minerality and phenolics. A wine that comes alive particularly through its structure, and does not rely only on its smell to enchant. The first impression on the nose shows smoky aromas. After swirling the wine around for a while, and when the wine warms up slightly, one notes added aromas of menthol, eucalyptus, clear apple, apricots, wild herbs and camomile flowers. This wine, too, is a little lighter in body than in the previous vintage.
On the palate one notes that, just as with the “Melaphyr” communal wine, that it is supported less by fruit extract and more by salty mineral notes and iodine. In total, it has less of an acid bite, and less oak aromas than the previous vintage wine, the HEERKRETZ is a classy Riesling that perfectly reflects both the vineyard site and the vintage.

About Wagner-Stemple 

Daniel Wagner is known in Germany as Mr Riesling. It’s a richly deserved moniker. Siefersheim is located in the extreme west of the German region known as Rheinhessen, just a few kilometres south of the town of Bad Kreuznach, amidst a landscape of steep hills of volcanic origin, interspersed with heath, untouched brooks and small streams, old stone quarries and overgrown walls built of rocks, the gateway to the region known as the “Rheinhessische Schweiz” (Switzerland of Rheinhessen).

The foundation for the Wagner estate was laid in 1845, with earlier generations shaping what was originally a classic mixed farming operation into a widely renowned wine estate, and leading the Höllberg and Heerkretz vineyard sites to supra-regional importance in the early decades of the 20th century.

The fruits of Daniel’s passion for wine are evident each year in a range of wines characterized by clarity and freshness on the one hand, challenging, complex and concentrated on the other hand. An original style, as confirmed by critics, and acceptance into the elite circle of premium wine producers in 2004, as well as the awarding “Newcomer of the Year” by Gerhard Eichelmann and the wine critics of the Gault Millau WineGuide are a clear indication that the wines made by Daniel Wagner are something special indeed.

The Rheinhessen

Deep within a valley of gently rolling hills, bordered by the Nahe River and the Rhine rivers, lies the region of Rheinhessen. Germany’s largest wine growing region by area is a land of varying climates and geography. Many different types of grapes, both red and white, are planted, producing medium-bodied wine that is delicately fragrant. Some of the finest white wines in Germany are produced among the Rheinterrassen – the vineyards on gentle slopes directly facing the Rhine near the town of Nierstein. Celebrated Riesling author Stuart Pigott calls this “the dream factory of dry German white wine”.

The German VDP has an excellent interactive map covering the wine growing regions of Germany. Clink on the Map to go to the live version.

Tips for Drinking these Wines

🌡Temp: 8-10°C. If they’re in the fridge let them warm a little. Start cold and experiment. You’ll find they become more expressive as they warm up.

De-gassing: Many Rieslings are bottled with a significant amount of dissolved CO₂. It has the effect of helping protect the wine from oxygen in bottle and allowing it to stay fresher for longer. It’s a common practice world wide, typically seen in young Semillon from the Hunter too. I find it masks the aromas and flavours of wine. It’s easily removed by pouring a small glass from the bottle then replacing the screwcap or putting your hand over the top of the bottle, giving it a vigorous shake, allowing the foam to settle and then releasing the pressure by undoing the screw cap or removing your hand. Once is usually enough, go again if you think it needs it. Added bonus is the introduction of oxygen to the wine helping it open up and start to show itself in the glass a little earlier.

⏳Time: I love trying good wines stand alone, with food, and, often the next day. It gives them the chance to shine and ensures you don’t miss a good wine through impatience or fail to bring out it’s best by not marrying them to food. These young Rieslings will open up and be more expressive with a bit of time in the glass.

🕯Cellaring: Riesling, when young has a raw attractiveness to it, age it and you’ll see it go through several phases of development. After a few years the youthful primary characters subside, the wine comes together, more sophisticated aromas and flavours develop. After 10 years what we call secondary characters associated with ageing wines start to develop and layer in, creating complexity, they become adults. The good ones will continue to age beautifully for decades.

Food Match: These are incredibly versatile wines, in Australia, we love drinking them with fresh vibrant Asian food, they great with seafood, but can easily go toe to toe with chicken, pork and mid-weight pasta. Riesling and cheese work particularly well together! The little bit of fat balanced by the acid and the salt of bringing out the flavours beautifully.