Summary
Weingut Nelles in Heimersheim is one of the oldest wine estates in Germany – and one of the defining addresses of the small red wine region of the Ahr. As early as 1479, a certain Peter Nelis is recorded as the tenant of a vineyard on the Landskrone; the Nelles family has been growing vines here ever since. Today Thomas Nelles and his son, cellar master Philip Nelles, run the estate with around 8 to 9 hectares of mostly steep slate slopes. The focus is on Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), complemented by the Ahr speciality Frühburgunder and a little Riesling. The estate was a VDP member of the first hour on the Ahr and became known above all for its barrique-aged B line, which twice produced the best red wine in Germany.
History
The history of the estate goes back further than that of almost any other German producer. In 1479 a Peter Nelis appears in the records of Landskron castle: as the tenant of a vineyard, he paid his rent to the lords of the castle. That very vineyard on the Landskrone still belongs to the estate today – a rare case of more than 500 years of continuity in one place.
For many generations Nelles remained a classic family business in Heimersheim, the easternmost wine village of the Ahr. The leap to the top of the region came under Thomas Nelles. He consistently focused on quality over quantity, aged his top Spätburgunder in barrique and in 1994 was one of the co-founders of the VDP Ahr chapter – a milestone that placed the small region on a par with the big names of German wine.
The next generation has since joined: son Philip Nelles is responsible for the wines as cellar master and was recognised in 2015 as one of the best young winemakers in Germany. Father and son run the estate together today – including a hotel and restaurant that make the winery a destination in the Ahr valley.
Location & Terroir
Heimersheim lies in the lower Ahr valley, shortly before the river flows into the Rhine. The estate's vineyards are concentrated in Heimersheim with the Landskrone, Burggarten and Kapellenberg sites, and in neighbouring Bad Neuenahr with Sonnenberg and Schieferlay. Four of them – Burggarten, Landskrone, Schieferlay and Sonnenberg – are classified as VDP.Große Lagen (grand cru sites).
The terroir is typical Ahr: slate, plus greywacke and, in the flatter parts, loess-loam. The high slate walls of the steep slopes store warmth during the day and release it to the vines at night – the reason why great red wines can ripen at all in this northerly valley. The narrow, sheltered valley acts like a heat reservoir, while the altitude and proximity to the Rhine provide enough coolness for the Pinots to keep their freshness.
A large part of the area lies on steep hillside sites that largely have to be worked by hand. That means a lot of effort, but also low yields and small, concentrated berries – the basis for the density of the Nelles wines.
Style & Philosophy
At Nelles, the guiding idea is to bring the terroir of the vineyard into the bottle. Philip Nelles describes his work as controlled non-intervention: quality is created in the vineyard through ripe, healthy grapes, and in the cellar as little as possible is interfered with. The red wines preferably mature in wooden casks – the top wines in barrique, without the oak masking the fine fruit of the Spätburgunder.
The estate works sustainably and is certified under the Fair'n Green standard, which takes ecological as well as social and economic criteria into account.
Stylistically, the wines are classic, elegant Ahr Pinots: red-berry fruit, fine silky tannins, a noticeable slate minerality and a good dose of freshness. The B line – named after barrique codes such as B-52 and B-48 – forms the top of the range and shows how much depth and ageing potential Spätburgunder from the Ahr can develop. Alongside the reds, a Blanc de Noir is also made from the Spätburgunder grapes, and Riesling and Grauburgunder provide small white wine additions. The estate also has a flagship Spätburgunder called 1 AHR.
Notable Sites & Wines
The top wines come from the estate's four classified grand cru sites:
- Heimersheimer Landskrone – the historic site of origin from 1479, below the ruins of Landskron castle
- Heimersheimer Burggarten – steep slate site, source of powerful Spätburgunder
- Bad Neuenahrer Sonnenberg – warm, sunny site right by the spa town
- Bad Neuenahrer Schieferlay – the name says it all: pure slate
Among the best-known wines are:
- Spätburgunder B-52 – the classic of the B line, aged in barrique
- Spätburgunder B-48 Großes Gewächs – dense, long-lived single-vineyard wine
- Großes Gewächs wines from Burggarten, Landskrone, Sonnenberg and Schieferlay
- Frühburgunder – the early-ripening, velvety variant of Pinot Noir that is at home on the Ahr
- Blanc de Noir – Spätburgunder pressed as a white, a fresh summer wine
- 1 AHR – the estate's flagship
Awards
The first big bang came with the 1997 Spätburgunder B-52, which was named best German red wine in 2000 – at a time when German reds were still hardly taken seriously internationally. Ten years later the estate repeated the feat: the B-48 Großes Gewächs was named the best red wine of 2010 in Germany.
In 2015 Philip Nelles was counted among the best young winemakers in Germany – a sign that the generational change has succeeded. As a co-founder of the VDP Ahr and with four grand cru sites, Nelles is firmly part of the leading group of the Ahr valley today and proof that more than 500 years of tradition and modern red wine culture are no contradiction.
