Dreissigacker Legenden

Dreissigacker Legenden

Calling a wine "legends" has nothing to do with being addicted to self-praise. No. Quite the opposite. It is a thankful bow. Legenden is a series that honours personalities who have accompanied or inspired me along the way. A tribute to mentors, icons, heroes and cult figures. Like Klaus Keller, the winemaking legend from Rheinhessen, to whom I dedicated our first Legenden top wine, the 2014 vintage.

According to Wikipedia, a living legend is a person who is considered to have had a particularly remarkable life story during his or her lifetime. A legend, however, is also a literary genre closely related to the fairy tale and the legend. In other words, a glorifying narrative. That is exactly what I want to try to do with my wines: To give them a character that ultimately tells its very own story.

Jochen Dreissigacker

Exceptional: from the grapes to the ripeness

The fully ripe grapes of this exceptional and outstanding Riesling come from the oldest vines of the Dreissigacker winery, which Jochen Dreissigacker's grandfather had already planted. Deeply rooted on limestone-marl soils in Rheinhessen. And from the best sites, such as the Geyersberg. Harvested by hand and carefully placed in boxes. As once stomped with feet. Then the berries macerate and are pressed with a touch of pressure. Next, the wine is allowed to relax, sediment and finally ferment spontaneously. The barrel filled to the top, the Riesling is left on its natural lees for a year to zero residual sugar. It is then allowed to mature for another two years in the magnum bottle.

Pure and unadulterated. No influence, no wine treatment.

2017 Legenden Riesling  – Jancis Robinson

I had already heard about the outstanding skills of this woman, an internationally known, celebrated and feared wine critic. But nothing could have prepared me for what an inspiration she would become for me when I met Jancis Robinson in 2008 and had the privilege of tasting my Rieslings with her. In her kitchen in London. Together we tasted the wines and developed new ideas that were borne by the combined passion and enthusiasm for Riesling. And her enthusiasm for Dreissigacker wines, as the subsequent article showed. To this day, I am grateful for the inspiration and motivation in the pursuit of the perfect wine that Jancis gave me.

She is - for me - a true legend. 

2015 Legenden Riesling – Herbert Seckler

What a quality fanatic, what a man of pleasure!
Driven by the idea of always creating happiness, Herbert Seckler "emigrated" from the Swabian Ostalb to the Frisian island of Sylt, where he created his Sansibar, an incomparable place of well-being. The rest is history. The restaurant legend, who was named "Restaurateur of the Year" by Gault-Millau, doesn't really like terms like "gourmet temple" or "celebrity host" and doesn't care much about small talk and social glamour. Absolutely down-to-earth and constantly working on the perfect culinary experience - that's how I felt about my first encounter with him when my esteemed colleague Markus Schneider introduced him to me. Impressed and inspired by Herbert's enthusiasm for wine, I already had the idea on the way back how I could fulfil his special wish - a cuvée of Silvaner and Chardonnay. In the meantime, there are five wines that we have conceived together for the Sansibar. In addition, his clever impulses and constant exchange have had a decisive influence on the development and orientation of the winery. I also owe him the knowledge to fulfil wishes. Those of others. And my own.

Thank you, Herbert!

2014 Legenden Riesling – Klaus Keller

One who loves what he does - a quality pioneer, a perfectionist. This is how I got to know and appreciate Klaus Keller during my apprenticeship years at the beginning of the millennium. Back then, he was the newly crowned "Winemaker of the Year". And ten years later, he is still the only "Winemaker of the Decade" - and he still is today. Fanatical, highly creative and yet a man who loves seclusion. One to whom all these awards mean little. Just like the fact that today's reputation of Rheinhessen as a wine region is also due to him. Or, for example, the concept of yield reduction, which used to seem like a foreign word and today, thanks to him, is a synonym for quality in viticulture. It's all smoke and mirrors for him. He is much more interested in training and passing on his knowledge and skills, whether to the generation of tomorrow or to his son, to whom he has deliberately given precedence. Klaus Keller shows us what is really important: good, hard work in the vineyard.
No more, no less

OAK COOLER FOR SPECIAL WINES

Made in Rheinhessen by a regional carpenter in an exclusive and small edition.
Put together, the two oak elements form a perfect cocoon for the Legend magnum bottle. Each half on its own serves as a matching wine cooler for each "small" Dreissigacker wine bottle. Awarded the Reddot Designaward 2019, the oak wine cooler is a special eye-catcher for special wine moments!

Cooler upon request