11th July, 2016 by Darren Smith
1. Christophe Thörle – Weingut Thörle, Rheinhessen
Christophe and his brother, Johannes, have managed the 16th-century Thörle estate in Saulheim since 2006.
Weingut Thörle is in the northern part of Rheinhessen. With vineyards on fine clay, limestone, iron-rich sandy loam, flint and schist soils and, unusually for the region, benefitting from a bit of altitude (120-240m), the Thörles produce wines with characteristic depth and mineral elegance.
All vineyard management is now undertaken organically with biodynamics the end goal. The brothers work meticulously: 110 vineyard parcels are all fermented separately. Fermentation is spontaneous, which Christophe is convinced amplifies the sapid, saline character of the wines.
The Thörles’ Rieslings from the prized Hölle, Probstey and Schlossberg vineyards are marvels – as are the Spätburgunders from Hölle and Probstey.
Having taken over a decade ago, these brothers have been around for a while, but they are still young and have a long way to go. On the evidence so far, in their hands, Rheinhessen’s credentials for producing world-class Riesling and Spätburgunder seems assured.
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