Wines from and with a personality
MEDDERSHEIM, GERMANY ♦ April 2010. It was Harald Hexamer, young winegrower from the Nahe, who tempted us during Prowein to visit his terroir. How? With his enthusiasm and excellent wines.
We first met Harald during the Prowein fair in Düsseldorf, edition 2009. He welcomed us among his fellow wine personalities from “Simply Wine”, a group of young, enthusiast winegrowers who share expertise and innovative ideas across various German wine regions.
The passionate young wine maker took over the family vineyards in Meddersheim in 1999. Meanwhile he expanded the surface from 5 to nearly 15 ha, with holdings in the following sites: Altenberg and Rheingrafenberg (Meddersheim), Marbach (Sobernheim), as well as In den Felsen and Königsfels(Schloßböckelheim). The area is planted with an impressive diversity of varieties: Riesling (majority), a significant delegation of the Pinot family (Spätburgunder, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder and Frühburgunder), Müller-Thurgau, and in some small quantities a set of more “exotic” varieties as Gewürztraminer, Domina and Sauvignon Blanc. My all-time favourite and queen of the white varieties, Riesling, is the protagonist in the Hexamer vineyards.
According to Harald, quality is a vital competitive factor. And quality begins in the vineyard. Even if this means a lot of work throughout the entire year: training and pruning the vines, foliage thinning, as well as harvesting the grapes by hand and as selectively as possible.
The focus on quality continues in the cellar. White wines ferment on home-selected yeasts and age in stainless steel tanks. Red wines are aged in wooden barrels or small oak casks (barriques).
We were immediately impressed by his elegant wines. Harald thinks that a wine should have its own character. A statement we gladly share. And indeed, each glass we tasted, reflected remarkably its cépage and terroir. A terroir he proudly presented at the fair via some samples. Interesting!
Delightful whites as well as red wines, of which a good many may be characterised as 
full, juicy and with fruity notes. The Rieslings are concentrated and elegant, again divinely marked with typical Nahe fruit. What is more, Hexamer’s wines have a very good value for money.
In short, a name to remember! Let it be your little secret in the Nahe. A secret that you will want to keep to yourself.
Bevine
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