9/5/25 - 

The new release of wines from Lukas Hammelmann just arrived to New York and last week I was able to taste through the whole lineup, to say I was blown away could possibly be an understatement. It doesn't happen too often that you see a winemaker excel at making both white and red wines, but Lukas takes this a step further. He has mastered the growing of three different varietals (Riesling, Chardonnay, and Spätburgunder) that end up as both sparkling and still! Every single one of his wines has incredible energy, focus, and sense of place. 
That sense of place leads you to the the cold, flat, wind-swept Rhein basin of the Pfalz to a town called Zeiskam. If this sounds a little lackluster, that's because this area of the region is actually more commonly home to potatoes and onions. After working in wine during the 2000s, Lukas decided to head home and created his own label in 2016. He started working 5 hectares organically (without certification) between Zeiskam and the neighboring village of Hochstadt. It has now been a few years of having Lukas' wines in New York, and the buzz just keeps growing. I am sure that once you try one (or all of his lineup) you will just keep coming back for more.      

As fantastic as each wine was from the tasting, we have narrowed the selections down to some of our favorites! Featured today we have the first major sparkling wine release from Lukas in the form of  Spätburgunder Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature. Upon first glance you would never have guessed that he hasn't been making sparkling wines for years! There is a duo of Chardonnays, the village level 'Z' and Roter Berg Grand Cru. The former reminded me of a Chablis in style while the latter could have been cos playing as village or even 1er Cru Meursault. There is a trio of some  Spätburgunder, the Caesslin Blanc de Noirs a super delicious, easy drinking light white. With the 2023 vintage of  Spätburgunder, Lukas decided to declassify the village level to his 'vom loess' and the Grand Cru Roter Berg into the village level 'H' both showcase pure red fruits with fine tannins and incredible energy. Rounding out this offer are three Rieslings, village 'H' and then two Grand Crus: Klostergarten and Wilhelm Friedrich! 
The differentiation of H and Z on his village level wines show if the wine comes from Hochstadt or Zeiskam. Hochstadt is known for its limestone soils while Zeiskam contains sandstone with loess and loam. Villages and soils aside, the wines of Lukas Hammelmann are special. From an area of land that is known for potatoes and onions comes some of the best Riesling, Spätburgunder, and Chardonnay that Germany has to offer!
 
If you would like to read more on Lukas, our friend Stephen at Vom Boden has an incredible write up about him here. 
 
-Hanna Krilov Cohen

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