germany: the mosel

Nulla lectus ante, consequat et ex eget, feugiat tincidunt metus. Donec ac fringilla turpis.

The dr. hermann estate

The weingut is located in the town of Ürzig, where the family has been involved in winemaking for several centuries. The wine estate as it is now was created in 1967 when Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben’s property was sub-divided. Rudy Hermann took over the estate from his father in 1974 and his son Christian joined him as the winemaker in 2001.

The vineyard area totals 7.5 hectares, with vineyards in Herrenberg and Treppchen (stairs) in Erden, Würzgarten in Ürzig, Försterlay in Lösnich, as well as Rosenberg (Kinheim) and Prälat in Erden.
The Ürziger Würzgarten and Prälat vineyards are amongst the most highly regarded in the area. Dr Hermann vineyards are all situated on the exceptionally steep slopes along the Mosel River with a unique exposure and micro-climate. The Erdener Treppchen vineyard is made of gray schist, Ürziger Würzgarten has a red sandstone soil while the Prälat, situated between the two, is visibly at the meeting point of these two types of soil and the earth color is a mixture of red and dark gray. This blend of soil is reflected in the wine which shows characteristics from the two other vineyards. The Erdener Prälat covers 4 acres of vineyards and ranks as one of the best of the Mosel’s steep vineyards. The vineyard is extremely steep and the vines are up to 100 years old.
Each vineyard has its own specificity.
The Würzgarten brings the spiciness to the wine while Treppchen carries more weight. The Prälat is the balance between the two, it brings the best of both, and because the Pralat facs south, the wines have more ripeness and highter sweetness levels.

The vines are ancient, with some of the Pralat vines over 100 years old. Yields are correspongingly low, and the concentration of both fruit and mineral components is extraordinary.

The vineyards are farmed sustainably and the work is all done by hand. The work in the vineyards is particularly challenging considering that the slopes are nearly vertical. Harvest is carried out carefully with several selective pickings and the fruit is hand sorted.

Gentle pressing is followed by a long fermentation process of six to twelve weeks in stainless steel tanks, with the wines maturing on the lees with no oxygen contact.

The wines are carefully bottled in cold cellars and show a bit of spritz when young, a tribute to the care in winemaking at this estatee. With time, the wines evolve into lucious, golden bottles of nectar, worthy of the finest meals and pairings.

Detail 3

Aenean eu justo sed elit dignissim aliquam. Nulla lectus ante, consequat et ex eget, feugiat tincidunt metus.

Detail 4

Fusce at massa nec sapien auctor gravida in in tellus. Vivamus sit amet semper lacus, in mollis libero.