10/5/26 - 

I will be honest, I am quite over the idea that I need to compare German Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to Burgundy in order to get people to try them. But, if you are like me and are tired of watching the prices rise in Burgundy and are looking for high quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to drink this fall and for years to come, look no further than the wines of Simone Adams of AdamsWein.

Located in the Ingelheim, a village at the northern reaches of the Rheinhessen, Simone is producing some of the most delicious, thoughtful Pinots and Chardonnays in Germany. Simone took over her family estate in 2010 after her father's passing and has since taken the vineyards and wines to new heights. By 2017 her 10 hectares of vines were all farmed organically, and she became fully biodynamic in 2020. The terroir here is unique as the soils are limestone weathering rock that was formed about 50 million years ago. Simone describes how, "we do not arbitrarily divide our vineyards into parcels, but look for the optimal match between different limestone concentrations and the resulting perfect interaction between our favoured grape varieties and their habitat. For us, the first priority is to transfer the fascinating esprit of the Ingelheim terroir to our wines as authentically and vividly as possible, so that the geological internal differentiation further enhances the drinking pleasure of our wines. Some might dismiss this as obsession with details. But if, like us, you want to create individual wines with their own unique style, excellence in all respects is essential."

Simone's wines are made in a fairly traditional Burgundian manner, natural fermentation in steel, village wines are aged in big barrels and single site wines in barriques, all aged on the lees for 12-18 months with no fining, no filtering and a small amount of SO2 at bottling. Additionally, as you move up in the range of Pinot Noirs, an increased amount of whole cluster is utilized. Her Pinot Noirs are full of energy with beautiful bright red fruits, and as you move through her lineup the wines become increasingly elegant and show more structure. Simone's white wines contain incredible texture with strong mineral backbone and perfectly integrated acidity. Across both colors, the wines all contain an incredible purity and finesse while just being delicious wines to drink. These are wines that pair excellent with seafood and light poultry but don't require food to be enjoyed.   

I, and many of you, got to meet Simone when she was visiting New York this past June and saw first hand just how fabulous her wines are. We hosted her at the shop for a tasting that was one of the more crowded ones to date. 

-Hanna Krilov Cohen

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