Sacred ground in the hands of Jakob Schneider: A new player in Hermannshohle

7/7/2008 -

(The Hermannshohle vineyard)

Many German wine lovers are familiar with the scared terroir that is Hermannshohle, and thus of course with its top interpreter, Helmut Donnhoff. It is like the relationship between Musigny and Comte de Vogue. When you think of Musigny you think of Comte de Vogue and when you think of Hermannshohle you think of Helmut Donnhoff. The vineyard is a steep hillside, and the soil is mostly comprised of slate, porphyry, melaphyre, and sometimes all of these elements jumbled together in one mass of some nasty Hermannshohle rock. Terry Thiese thinks that "NO SINGLE WINE IN THE WORLD IS AS COMPLEX AS DONNHOFFS BEST FROM HERMANNSHOHLE." The caps are Terry's. It's a grand declaration and one I usually agree with when I'm drinking the wine, but when I'm not tasting it I could argue for Montrachet from Ramonet, Chevalier-Ramonet from Niellon, or Scharzhofberger from Egon Muller. The point is that this is sacred ground, and now in 2007 Schneider has made wines deserving of the label.

I absolutely adore this vineyard and am always looking for new interpretations, but the only non-Donnhoff bottling that was somewhat good was the Mathern 2004 Hermannshohle Spatlese. I've tasted Schneider's wines every year at the big Terry Thiese event and there always seems to be something missing. So I stop by the table this year and there is a young man pouring. I assume this is the "new" generation that has taken over and: wowzas! These wines floored me. This was Hermannshohle in all of its glory. Rich and mineral with utmost elegance and purity. Spicy, complex and with uncommon depth. I was absolutely stunned at how good this wine was. Schneider owns the biggest part of Hermmanshohle, and the oldest vines, and you can taste it in the sappy and generous finish. Just an incredible Spatlese. And if that's not good enough for you there is the Auslese from the same vineyard - it's the spatlese ratcheted up a bit in intensity. There is some botrytis here but it is very clean and as Terry says in his 2008 German catalogue, "atmospheric", which is the perfect word to describe this wine.

This is my pick of the value in Terry's book of the 2007 vintage. I loved the wines so much I booked an appointment to visit the Jakob Schneider estate in August. These wines are incredible values considering where the price of Donnhoff's Hermannshohle is heading - and that they offer a great interpretation of this sacred ground. German wine lovers and novices are urged to pick up some bottles for now and later.