Mittelrhein
2019-2020: A Misunderstood Region Shows Its Mettle

BY DAVID SCHILDKNECHT | JULY 28, 2022With only a small number of well-known
estates, it is easy to overlook the viticultural significance of one of
Germany’s most popular tourist destinations. That would be an unfortunate
mistake.&nbsp;Mittelrhein's producers are turning out high quality wines that showcase a wide variety of styles.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1658939883207-Wolfsh%C3%B6hle+2_copy2.JPG">The Ratzenbergers craft one of the
region’s consistently finest dry wines from these steep slate-rich slopes in Bacharach’s
Wolfshöhle. Beating the Heat Germany’s second-smallest official
wine region is also its most northerly other than those of former East Germany,
and so it’s often mistakenly thought to feature a relatively cool climate by
Riesling standards. But the most prominent slate slopes here are heat traps,
and recent developments vividly reflect the challenges posed by global warming.
When Florian Weingart planted one such spot with Pinot Noir early this century,
it was in large part because he felt the slope in question would be too warm to
yield consistently balanced Riesling. Since then, he has struggled to keep that
Pinot Noir from significantly exceeding 14% alcohol.

Similarly, there is no more renowned
Mittelrhein Riesling site than the Josts’ near-monopole Bacharacher Hahn. The
Hahn Kabinett, their estate’s virtual flagship for a quarter-century, is now
unachievable in warmer years, and a substantial section of Hahn nearest the
River Rhein has recently been converted to Pinot Noir (which the Josts have
been growing in their Rheingau vineyards for generations). Meanwhile, trials
with Syrah are ongoing; I cover one of them (at Weingut Sturm in the
Mittelrhein’s northern half) in this report.

Fortunately, there is a wealth of
cooler side valleys to explore and exploit, some incorporating once-famous
sites, like Oberdiebach’s Schloss Fürstenberg, subject to a massive
redevelopment by the Ratzenbergers, a family whose reputation was made with
Rieslings from a parallel side valley that leads into Bacharach. And, while
these represent something of an exception to the region’s steep slate rule,
gentle terrain at the highest elevations, notably including a stretch known as
Matthias Weingarten high up above the Hahn, has recently proven its ability to
generate genuine Kabinett.

Unsurprisingly then, the hot, dry
summers of 2019 and 2020 proved a challenge in many of the most exposed,
especially south- and southwest-facing Mittelrhein sites, while deliciously
demonstrating the potential of side valleys and high plateaus, not to mention
the value of deeper water-holding fine particulate matter or underground
springs. That said, the Josts managed a lovely 2020 Bacharacher Hahn Kabinett –
though that site is among the few in Germany with the advantage of irrigation.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1658940182675-Hahn_copy2.JPG">The Jost family’s iconic Hahn, a
portion of which is now in Pinot Noir, can still deliver their once-signature
Riesling Kabinett provided the weather permits, which in 2020, despite heat and
drought, it did. Diverse Voices... If Too Few of Them The misconception that Riesling
struggles to ripen in the Mittelrhein has often been reinforced by a belief
that this presumed difficulty helps account for the region’s steady and
continuing decline in vine acreage, which had already begun in the early 20th
century. In truth, the primary cause is the sheer difficulty, and considerable
danger, of cultivating such steep, rocky slopes in an economically sustainable
way. And this has been compounded by the increasing frequency of hot, dry
summers. At least the diminutive Mittelrhein escaped the Mosel’s fate during
West Germany’s “economic miracle” years of becoming associated with cheap wines
from vine crossings planted on nugatory sites and soils. This region’s 65%
Riesling (10% is Pinot Noir) puts its share of that grape ahead of the Mosel’s
and behind only the Rheingau’s. Today, however, there can be no doubt that the
Mittelrhein would benefit from an influx of outsiders and first-generation wine
growers such as now abound in numerous other German growing regions.&nbsp;

Like their much more numerous Saar
counterparts, those Mittelrhein estates conspicuous for the high quality of
their wines reflect a remarkable diversity of styles. Sample a couple of
Rieslings each from those whose wines are represented in the US &nbsp;– trocken (both full-bodied and light, some
harboring just 10–11% alcohol), halbtrocken (well-represented, unlike in so
many portfolios from other regions) and sweet – and you’ll experience a pretty
representative cross-section of what German growers are currently achieving
with Riesling.

In keeping with my own advice, I aim to
explore the Mittelrhein a bit more intensively in the near future, and I had
hoped for the inclusion of one more estate than ended up being covered in this
report. Rumors have regularly circulated in recent years concerning the possible
sale of the Bacharach estate of Friedrich Bastian, including its island
vineyard monopole. The estate’s current owner-namesake, a professional opera
singer, whose father for a decade during the waning 20th century was the chairman
of the Mittelrhein VDP, did not respond when I tried to set up an appointment,
and I subsequently learned that the estate has lost its VDP membership,
bringing the VDP’s current Mittelrhein roster to just four. This includes – in
addition to Jost, Matthias Müller, and Ratzenberger, covered in this report –
the Oberwesel estate of Lanius Knab, where I am long overdue for a visit, and
whose wines seem to have been unavailable in the US for many years.

With the exception of a few 2019s from
Weingart previously tasted stateside, the wines in this report were tasted on
site in November 2021. Conventions regarding nomenclature and scoring are those
followed in my previous reports: wines tasted only prior to bottling are rated
with a point spread, and tasting notes on wines rated 86 points or lower are included
solely at my discretion.© 2022, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/rheingau-and-mittelrhein-2018s-mixed-riesling-results-apr-2021">Rheingau and Mittelrhein 2018s: Mixed Riesling Results</a>, David Schildknecht, April 2021 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/rheingau-and-mittelrhein-riesling-rising-to-2017-s-challenges-aug-2019">Rheingau and Mittelrhein Riesling: Rising to 2017’s Challenges</a>, David Schildknecht, August 2019 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/rheingau-and-mittelrhein-riesling-2016-stress-test-jul-2018">Rheingau and Mittelrhein Riesling 2016: Stress Test</a>,&nbsp;David Schildknecht, July 2018<div><div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2015-rheingau-and-mittelrhein-riesling-excellence-from-those-who-demand-it-sep-2017">2015 Rheingau and Mittelrhein Riesling: Excellence from Those Who Demand It</a>,&nbsp;David Schildknecht, September 2017</div></div>

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