Wagner-Stempel

  Dynamic young vintner making weighty, sensational Nahe-like porphyry-wines, already among the very best in Rheinhessen, and certain to be THE next superstar-estate in the region.

The estate is 12.5 hectares, in the westernmost district of Rheinhessen, near Bernhard. Soils vary, but there’s a significant vein of porphyry like the great soils of the Nahe (which is just a hop skip & jump over the hill), and there are times I think the world’s greatest rieslings grow on volcanic soil in general and porphyry in particular. And young Mr. Wagner has baskets of various soils in his tasting room, and has all his riesling-comprising 50% of his vineyards- planted on porphyry.

The land is steeper here than in much of the Rheinhessen, and Wagner does 95% of his harvest by hand. Most musts are clarified by gravity, though some are fermented as-is. His basic-quality wines are made in stainless steel, but like many young vintners he’s leaning toward more old oak for the top rieslings. Similarly he ferments with cultured yeasts for the basic wines and with natural yeasts for the best rieslings. Most wines sit on the gross lees till February. All of this reveals a characteristic degree of thoughtfulness and flexibility for a young quality-minded vintner.

The 2008 vintage was one of Terry Theise's favorites. He says, "Wagner-Stempel is the superstar no-longer-emerging in the Rheinhessen, and you heard it hear first. Actually, you heard it three years ago here first."

•Vineyard area: 13 hectares
•Annual production: 7,000 cases
•Top sites: Siefersheimer Höllberg and
Heerkretz
•Soil types: Volcanic material (porphyry and
melaphyre)
•Grape varieties: 50% Riesling, 25% Burgunder,
15% Silvaner, 10% Spätburgunder