Heerkretz Riesling – 2021

Heerkretz Riesling vom Porphyr, a single-vineyard wine from Rheinhessen

The 2021 Steitz Heerkretz Riesling is a dry single-vineyard wine from the Steitz winery in Rheinhessen, grown on weathered porphyry in one of the region's highest altitudes. Not your average Riesling, but a powerful, mineral-driven premium wine that earned 92 points from the Vinum Riesling Champion.

Steitz Heerkretz Riesling 2021 is a mineral-rich single-vineyard wine from the Steitz estate, sourced from the Heerkretz site in Rheinhessen. Grown at an altitude of approximately 250 meters on volcanic porphyry soil, this Riesling displays tension, salinity, and a distinctive character. Take your time and use a large glass, and it will reveal its true potential.

Citrus, flint, and wet stone

Notes of citrus, herbal hints, and the scent of wet stone slowly rise from the glass. On the palate, the Heerkretz Riesling shows great intensity, with its magnificent acidity providing liveliness. It is well worth giving the wine a few minutes to breathe in the glass.

Complex aromas of grapefruit, lemon zest, sea buckthorn, and bergamot meet cool exotic notes, smoky flint, fine herbal spice, and an intense salinity. This Riesling is stringent, elegant, and multi-layered; powerful yet refined—a wine with real depth.

Pairs with fish, lemon, and salty dishes

The Heerkretz Riesling is a perfect match for delicate fish dishes and anything that benefits from acidity and salt. It complements bold, fresh flavors without losing its elegance and effortlessly stands up to spicy meals as well.

It belongs with pasta in a lemon-salmon sauce, couscous with preserved lemon and corn-fed chicken, or cod in an herb-egg crust with young potatoes. Serve at 11 to 12 degrees in a large glass. If you would like to explore more of the Porphyr line, try the Riesling vom Porphyr or browse our collection of German white wines.

The Heerkretz single vineyard at 250 meters

The Heerkretz site sits at an elevation of about 250 meters—one of the highest points in Rheinhessen—and is shielded from heavy rain by the Donnersberg mountain. Here, the vines grow on volcanic porphyry soil, where the weathered topsoil dries out quickly.

The vines are forced to drive their roots deep, and the cool winds ensure long, acid-preserving ripening phases; the cooler the nights, the fresher and saltier the Riesling. This is what gives the wine its bite and mineral tension. The winery’s 14 hectares are distributed around Stein-Bockenheim, Siefersheim, and Fürfeld.

For the Heerkretz Riesling, the grapes are selected, hand-picked, and after a slow fermentation, aged 100 percent in traditional large wooden barrels on the lees. "Straightforward, unpretentious, and authentic," says Christian Steitz of his wines, and that is exactly what you taste in this single-vineyard bottling. To discover more, you can find other wines from the Steitz estate here.

Worth cellaring a bottle

This single-vineyard wine needs time and a large glass; serve at 11 to 12 degrees. It is already a delight to drink, but a few more years in the cellar will do it good. If you like, set a bottle aside and try it again in a few years, when it will reveal even more of its depth. A single-vineyard wine that deserves special evenings and rewards patience with character.

Riesling – a wine and its values

• Origin: Wine from Germany
• Region: Rheinhessen
• Single vineyard: Heerkretz
• Grape variety: Riesling
• 12% vol alcohol
• 7.5 g/l acidity
• 2.1 g/l residual sugar