Summary
The Emrich-Schönleber estate in Monzingen is today one of the best-known and highest-rated addresses on the Nahe. On around 20 hectares – mostly Riesling – it produces uncompromisingly precise, filigree wines from the great sites of the upper Nahe valley. What makes the estate unmistakable is its signature: crystal-clear, mineral-driven Rieslings that range from dry Grosses Gewächs to noble-sweet Prädikat wines and are celebrated for their delicacy and ability to age. Father and son, Werner and Frank Schönleber, have taken the estate to the very top of the German wine world together – crowned in 2024 with the title of „Winemaker of the Year".
History
The estate's roots go back a long way: the winegrowing family has farmed vines in Monzingen since around the middle of the 18th century. For many generations it remained a solid but rather regionally known estate in the upper Nahe valley.
The decisive leap to the German top tier is owed to Werner Schönleber, who consistently focused the estate on quality, invested in the best sites and reduced yields in favour of precision and expression. Around 1994 the estate was admitted to the VDP – proof of its rapidly growing reputation. Since 2005 his son Frank Schönleber has been in the business and has taken over responsibility for the vineyards and the cellar step by step. Father and son run the estate together today and have further cemented Emrich-Schönleber's standing as one of Germany's leading addresses.
Location & Terroir
Emrich-Schönleber lies in Monzingen in the upper Nahe valley – a region between the Rhine and the Mosel that is known for mineral, cool and precise white wines. The climate is comparatively dry and sunny; the sheltered valley setting ensures balanced ripening conditions and long growing seasons that give the Rieslings their delicacy and tension.
Above all it is the geological variety of the top sites that shapes the wines. The Monzinger Halenberg is shot through with blue slate and quartzite and produces taut, deep and long-lived Rieslings; it is regarded as one of the best sites on the entire Nahe. The neighbouring Frühlingsplätzchen, on sandy, weathered soils, delivers somewhat more approachable, aromatically fine wines. This small-scale diversity allows the estate to draw an unmistakable character out of each site.
Style & Philosophy
Emrich-Schönleber's style is geared towards precision and delicacy. The Rieslings are crystal-clear, mineral and full of tension – never loud or overblown, but of a filigree, almost weightless elegance. Careful work in the vineyard, rigorous selection and gentle handling in the cellar are central; the expression of each individual site is always in the foreground.
The range runs from approachable, dry estate Rieslings through village wines to the Grosses Gewächs from Halenberg and Frühlingsplätzchen. Alongside these come noble-sweet Prädikat wines – Spätlese and Auslese of great finesse that rank among the most sought-after in the region. The programme is rounded out by Grauburgunder and Weißburgunder, which are gaining increasing importance on the Nahe.
Notable vineyards & wines
The range is clearly tiered: from approachable estate wines through village wines to the Grosses Gewächs from the best sites. The estate's most famous vineyards and wines include:
- Monzinger Halenberg (VDP.Grosse Lage) – blue slate and quartzite; regarded as one of the best sites on the Nahe
- Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen (VDP.Grosse Lage) – aromatically fine and elegant
- Niederberg (VDP.Erste Lage) – precise and mineral
- Riesling Grosses Gewächs from Halenberg and Frühlingsplätzchen – the estate's flagships
- Halgans – the approachable entry-level estate Riesling
These wines regularly rank among the highest-rated Rieslings in Germany.
Awards
For years Emrich-Schönleber has been collecting top marks in the leading wine guides: around 4.5 out of 5 grapes at Gault&Millau and roughly 5 stars at Eichelmann are the rule. The high point came in 2024, when Werner and Frank Schönleber were named „Winemaker of the Year" by Gault&Millau. The estate has long been part of the front rank of Germany's top producers and has done much to shape the Nahe's reputation as a source of filigree, mineral top Rieslings.