von blauem Schiefer

von blauem Schiefer (of blue slate)

The ocean floor ends

in a clear mountain stream

and slowly comes to peace 

Name

Blue slate is a rarity for us. We find it in the places where the Fahrberg and Weißenberg sites come together, in the neighboring town of Kobern. The hillside here is dark and blue, with a smooth surface reminiscent of slate tablets. In the local dialect we call the hillside ‘faul’ (rotten), because it weathers very quickly due to its high share of clay. Good for the soil — bad for the vineyard walls. Many of these, typically built 200 years ago during the Prussian boom following Napoleon, are at this point collapsed, even as some walls in neighboring parcels, built from slate with quartzite, are still standing. Drawing on the clayey hills of these vineyards, our vines sublimate a cool and highly distinctive mineral structure into the glass. In our differentiation of “Schieferterrassen,” we have declared the wine from this ERSTE LAGE to be “von blauem Schiefer.”

Facts

Geological definition: Devonian, younger layers from the Laubach hillside. Blue slate with strong clay content and brownish coloration. The slow oxidation of the iron in the stones, a process that is currently evident, testifies to the fact that this sediment accumulated under anaerobic conditions and hence is maritime, not continental, in origin. We cultivate two parcels here, totaling 0.5 ha. Orientation: SSE, elevation 75 - 180 m, slope 100 to 150%, average age of vines: approx. 45 years. Both parcels are classified by us as “ERSTE LAGE.” 

The wines are exclusively vinified with wild yeasts in wooden barrels and absolutely no addition of enzymes or fining agents. They are produced dry and age on the lees into summer.

Reviews

"Taut and yeasty with hints of tobacco and stone fruit aromas and accents of citrus fruits, dark berries and a significant minerality. Tautly woven, savory fruit notes with vegetal and delicately spicy accents, tremendous earthy-spicy minerality, delicate, lively acidity, good concentration and length, a touch of pepper, plenty of grip, tart and juicy with a spicy finish." wein-plus ▄ “If any bottle should convince a doubter, this is it: Heymann-Löwenstein von blauem Schiefer. It is just so concentrated, mineral-laden, exciting and dry.” Jancis Robinson ▄ “My choice is the 'von blauem Schiefer', which deliciously combines the flavour of apple and spice with that of the slate on which the grapes were grown.” The Telegraph, London

Kirchberg

feral saxophones improvise

Wine> from blue slate

Foto Galerie - click and slide

von blauem Schiefer
(of blue slate)

The ocean floor ends

in a clear mountain stream

and slowly comes to peace 


Name

Blue slate is a rarity for us. We find it in the places where the Fahrberg and Weißenberg sites come together, in the neighboring town of Kobern. The hillside here is dark and blue, with a smooth surface reminiscent of slate tablets. In the local dialect we call the hillside ‘faul’ (rotten), because it weathers very quickly due to its high share of clay. Good for the soil — bad for the vineyard walls. Many of these, typically built 200 years ago during the Prussian boom following Napoleon, are at this point collapsed, even as some walls in neighboring parcels, built from slate with quartzite, are still standing. Drawing on the clayey hills of these vineyards, our vines sublimate a cool and highly distinctive mineral structure into the glass. In our differentiation of “Schieferterrassen,” we have declared the wine from this ERSTE LAGE to be “von blauem Schiefer.”

Facts

Geological definition: Devonian, younger layers from the Laubach hillside. Blue slate with strong clay content and brownish coloration. The slow oxidation of the iron in the stones, a process that is currently evident, testifies to the fact that this sediment accumulated under anaerobic conditions and hence is maritime, not continental, in origin. We cultivate two parcels here, totaling 0.5 ha. Orientation: SSE, elevation 75 - 180 m, slope 100 to 150%, average age of vines: approx. 45 years. Both parcels are classified by us as “ERSTE LAGE.” 

The wines are exclusively vinified with wild yeasts in wooden barrels and absolutely no addition of enzymes or fining agents. They are produced dry and age on the lees into summer.

Reviews

"Taut and yeasty with hints of tobacco and stone fruit aromas and accents of citrus fruits, dark berries and a significant minerality. Tautly woven, savory fruit notes with vegetal and delicately spicy accents, tremendous earthy-spicy minerality, delicate, lively acidity, good concentration and length, a touch of pepper, plenty of grip, tart and juicy with a spicy finish." wein-plus ▄ “If any bottle should convince a doubter, this is it: Heymann-Löwenstein von blauem Schiefer. It is just so concentrated, mineral-laden, exciting and dry.” Jancis Robinson ▄ “My choice is the 'von blauem Schiefer', which deliciously combines the flavour of apple and spice with that of the slate on which the grapes were grown.” The Telegraph, London

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