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Joh. Bapt. Schäfer

In 2002, Sebastian Schäfer took over his parental estate in Rümmelsheim, which had been bottling its own wine rather than selling in bulk since 1921. Schäfer had been working alongside his father for a while, and the 1997 vintage was the first he made on his own. At the time, there were just four hectares of vineyard. He is one of the lesser-known Riesling names in the Nahe, undeservedly so since his wines are clear-cut, precise and vibrant. Today, Schäfer farms eight hectares, 60% of which are planted to Riesling, only in sites classified as Grosse and Erste Lagen. The rest are Pinot varieties, some Scheurebe and Chardonnay. Schäfer has four main sites. Dorsheimer Pittermännchen, a south-facing conglomerate of Devonian slate, rhyolite, pebbles and quartzite, and Dorsheimer Goldloch, a south-to-southwest-facing site of loam and pebbles on Permian rhyolite. Burg Layer Schlossberg on Devonian slate mixed with clay and the Rümmelsheimer Steinköpfchen, as the name suggests, is a stony site of pebble, slate debris and some quartzite, elevated and cooler. The estate wines are fermented with cultured yeasts, and spontaneously, everything upwards, as well as Kabinett, which is processed both in stainless steel and used oak. Schäfer loves Kabinett, using only the most gently pressed and free-run juice. All his wines are racy and clear-cut. Schäfer finished his 2022 Riesling harvest on 12 October. As of the 2022 vintage, the wines have a sustainability certification from fair’n’green. During my visit, I also a handful of older vintages that Schäfer was keen to show.

From 2022 Rheinhessen & Nahe: Rain in the Nick of Time (Sep 2023) by Anne Krebiehl MW

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2022 Riesling

Color: White

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