We had a very nice visit to the winery of Dr.Heger on September 17th 2010. After a sighseeing in the Ihringer Winklerberg we went back to the winery for a visit and tasting. Joachim Heger runs today not only one, but three different wineries. The Dr.Heger-label is the classical with vineyards in Kaiserstuhl with top wines from Ihringer Winklerberg and Achkarrer Schlossberg. Under the Weinhaus Joachim Heger comes a wider range of wines from both Kaiserstuhl and Tuniberg. The third is Weingut Fischer in Nimburg-Bottingen just east of Kaiserstuhl where there also is a separate winery.
There were several very well made varietal-wines from these wineries. Under the Dr.Heger-name came the more serious stuff. The tasting of Ihringer Winklerberg and Achkarrer Schlossberg really proved the different character that these two great vineyards make. The Winklerberg is the elegant and delicate of the two. Achkarrer Schlossberg more typical volcanic and a darker wilder thing. For the Winklerberg it is a problem with it's huge size. After the 1971 wine law it is a total of 120 not very uniform hektars. So you can easily find wines with the name Winklerberg without this vineyards excellent characteristics.
First picture shows the town of Ihringen with the Fohrenberg in the foreground and the flat land of Tuniberg in the background.
Next is the einzellage of Ihringer Winklerberg. Third picture shows Achkarrer Schlossberg.
At the end of the visit at the winery we had an extensive tasting. Here are the notes. We started with tasting one wine from Weingut Fischer and three from Weinhaus Joachim Heger. Where not noted, the rest of the wines are from Dr.Heger.
Sauvignon blanc 2009, Weingut Fischer
Aromatic sauvignon blanc. Leafy with hints of gooseberries. Dry, aromatic and pure sauvignon blanc in the mouth. Bright and typical grapey aromatics. Lots of gooseberries. Fine acidity. Crisp finish. Very nice simple sauvignon blanc.
Cuvee Fidelius 2009, Weinhaus Joachim Heger
From Weissburgunder, silvaner, gewürztraminer, sauvignon blanc. Aromatic, slightly leafy character. Some roses and litchi. Light in the mouth. Some fatness. A little anonymous fruit. Not so clear. But fine and simple fruitiness. Good acidity and refreshing character. Fair quality.
Oktav Weissburgunder kabinett trocken 2009, Weinhaus Joachim Heger
Pretty weissburgunder on the nose with good intensity. Mineral, white fruits, leafs. Light and refreshing character in the mouth. Quite good body. Simple and pure weissburgunder with a light minerality. Good acidity and length. A little more structure here. Good.
Oktav Riesling kabinett trocken 2009, Weinhaus Joachim Heger
Flowery nose. Simple riesling. Clean, fresh and light riesling in the mouth. Simple flowery fruit. Fine body and refreshing taste. But seems a tad simpler and more anonymous than the weissburgunder. Good.
Ihringer Winklerberg Silvaner*** spätlese trocken 2009
Silvaner is a speciality from the Winklerberg with a long history. On the nose this shows quite ripe and intense silvaner-notes. Fine greenish, leafy notes. Some pear. Minerality. Powerful silvaner in the mouth. Some fatness. Lots of minerality, almost salty feeling. Some pear and riper notes. Medium acidity. Lightly bitterness on the finish that is typical of the grape. High alcohol, a little noticable. Good length. Very good silvaner. Unfortunately this grape is not allowed as grosses gewächs in Baden.
Ihringer Winklerberg Weissburgunder spätlese trocken 2009
40% of the juice aged in large barrels, the rest in steel. Pretty nose. Typical. White fruits, leafs. Not that ripe notes for this vintage. Still fullbodied in the mouth. Lots of fruit. Leafy notes. Some minerality. Good acidity and length. Very fine weissburgunder, slightly cooler than normal for the area and this vintage.
Ihringer Winklerberg Weissburgunder*** grosses gewächs 2009
From the parcel "Gras im Ofen". Light oak on the nose. Leafs and minerality. More depth here. Powerful in the mouth. Some oak. Very fine minerality. Better depth. Also a bit riper in style. Medium acidity. High alcohol on the finish. Very good weissburgunder. The best from Dr.Heger.
Ihringer Winklerberg Weissburgunder spätlese trocken 2008
A lot cooler style due to the vintage. More stoney character on the nose. Lighter and more refreshing in the mouth. Cool fruit. Stoney, mineral style. Fine acidity and refreshing finish. Good length. Another very good weissburgunder. Qualitatively speaking on the same level as the 09.
Ihringer Winklerberg grauburgunder*** grosses gewächs 2009
Pretty grauburgunder on the nose. Hints of banana, minerality. Powerful and typically fatter in the mouth. Pretty balanced grauburgunder. Mineral and lightly bananaish fruit. Fine acidity. Some alcohol showing on the finish. Good.
Achkarrer Schlossberg riesling*** grosses gewächs 2008
Pretty nose. Lightly ripe riesling for this vintage. Flowery, mineral. Darker notes. Medium bodied in the mouth. Quite light and crisp style. Good intensity. Salty minerality. Dry and acidic on the finish. Very good Baden riesling.
Achkarrer Schlossberg riesling*** grosses gewächs 2009
Great nose. Riper notes. More sweet flowers. Dark mineral notes. Fullbodied and pretty Baden-riesling in the mouth. Flowery, mineral fruit. Good concentration. Round and pretty style with fine acidity. Rounder than the '08. Good length. Great riesling from Baden and the best I tasted in Kaiserstuhl.
Achkarrer Schlossberg grauburgunder*** grosses gewächs 2009
9 months in new barriques. Leafs and typical banana on the nose. A background of oak-notes like caramel and dark toasted bread. Fullbodied and concentrated grauburgunder in the mouth. Lots of fruit. Some butterscotch-notes from the oak. Fine mineral depth. Salty style. This has the fruit and concentration to handle the oak. Give it a little time to integrate better. Fine acidity and mineral finish. Very good.
Ihringer Winklerberg Chardonnay*** spätlese trocken 2009
9 months in new barriques. The nose shows minerality, oak and nuts. Fullbodied in the mouth. Quite obvious oak, but well-balanced. Fine minerality. Different minerality than what you normally expect in a chardonnay. Hints of nuts. A very fine acidity for this grape. Refreshing and citrusy finish. Good length. A very fine chardonnay from Kaiserstuhl. Would be interesting in a blind-tasting.
Blauer spätburgunder trocken 2008, Weinhaus Joachim Heger
Dark berries. Some toast. Carmel-notes on the nose. Quite fullbodied spätburgunder in the mouth. Quite warm style. Lots of red berries. Good concentration. A bit one-dimensional. Fine acidity. Tight finish with some tannins showing.
Ihringer Winklerberg spätburgunder trocken MIMUS 2007
18 months in barriques. 50% new, 50% 1 year old. Nose shows dark berries, anise. Tight and structured spätburgunder with dark berried fruit. Some oak. Young style. Good acidity. Tight finish. Some tannins showing. Fine, but lacking a little minerality and depth.
Ihringer Winklerberg spätburgunder*** grosses gewächs 2007
This is a lot more elegant than the MIMUS. Finer red berried nose. Florality. Fullbodied spätburgunder in the mouth. Yet elegant and fine fruit. Red berries, florality. Some oak. Great depth typical of this grape. Good acidity. The finish shows a lot of tannins. Quite hard style. Oak-tannins from the oak is showing here. Very good.
Achkarrer Schlossberg spätburgunder*** grosses gewächs 2008
More anise, tar and dark minerality on the nose. Hints of dark berries, volcanic soil. Tight and structured wine in the mouth. Tougher and more muscular spätburgunder. Darker berries, tar and volcanic minerality. Good acidity. Tighter finish and again showing some hardness and oak-tannin. Very good.
Ihringer Winklerberg Häuslerboden spätburgunder 2008
This is the top selection from Winklerberg in 2008 from the parcel Häuslerboden. There is only 3 barrels of this and Dr.Heger has decided to bottle this on it's own. As there is only allowed to have one grosses gewächs-selection from one einzellage, it is yet not deceided what the labelling will be. Upon tasting this one easily sees why they would like to bottle this on it's own. It is a great Kaiserstuhler spätburgunder. Great depth on the nose. Intense. Dark berries, sweet fruits. Anise and minerality. Florality. Powerful and highly concentrated spätburgunder in the mouth. Lots of power. Yet it remains elegant and cool. Young fruits. Lots of red and darker berries. Fine florality and depth. Good acidity. Structured wine. Lots of tannins on the finish with again the same touch of hardness and bitterness. Althoguh less obvious here. Look out for this when it is released.
Ihringer Winklerberg Scheurebe kabinett 2009
So to wines with residual sugars. This is from vines planted in 1951. 10% alc/vol. Tropical nose with hints of peppermint. Clean and fruity in the mouth. Some sweetness, but quite crisp style with good acidity. Some dry-extract on the finish. Good and refreshing style, but easy-going wine.
Ihringer Winklerberg Chardonnay auslese 2008
Spontaneous fermentation. Aged in new wood. 99 g/L residual sugar. Light hints of banana, tropical fruits. Some coffee-notes and wood. Sweet, clean and fruity in the mouth. A bit simple and neutral fruit. Touch of wood. Some coffee. Sweetish wine with good acidity for this grape. Fine.
Ihringer Winklerberg Ruländer beerenauslese 2008
162 Oechsle. 50/50 Steel and new wood. Yellow colour. Botrytis on the nose. Light leafs and tropical elements. Fullbodied beerenauslese. Lots of fruit, some botrytis. Some oak. This is a bit on the rustic side with woody and botrytised notes. Fine acidity and length. Impressive for it’s structure and weight, but more good than great.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting notes: Sep-10
