Maxime Open 2024 - Day 1
In Rheinhessen, you can also travel from winery to winery by bus and taste a lot of wine: Our first day at the Maxime Open 2024 on the Rhine front. Today we visit Weinolsheim and Nierstein.
If all transfers work as smoothly as this one, then traveling by train is indeed much more relaxing than struggling through construction sites and traffic jams by car. A train station right in the first town of the tour is a welcome change compared to previous years on the Mosel. But let’s start from the beginning. We’ve grown quite fond of the annual tour along the Mosel. Taking the bus from winery to winery, tasting and chatting with the winemakers while seeing where what you’re drinking comes from has its own unique charm. Two years ago, I noticed the first edition of the Maxime Open on social media. The same experience, just in Rheinhessen instead of the Mosel. It didn’t take much convincing, and a bit of variety is always welcome. Last year, the timing didn’t work out, but this year it did, so last weekend we hopped from winery to winery around Nierstein on the Rhine front. Maxime Open is organized by Maxime Herkunft Rheinhessen, an association of over 100 wineries in the region. Nearly 60 of them participated as hosts or guests in this round of Maxime Open. The event works so that you buy your ticket, which allows you to use the bus between wineries and taste the wines of the host winery and the guest wineries at each stop. This time, a glass is included in the ticket price, which accompanies you through the tasting and then goes home with you. On the Mosel, in recent years, there was always a glass provided by the winery that you returned upon leaving. I prefer the variant without a personal glass, even though I understand why everyone gets their own. It significantly reduces logistics and the effort of washing glasses. Still, a glass that gets progressively dirtier is not very nice. We luckily didn’t have to find out what happens if a glass doesn’t survive the tasting.
Nierstein, with its rail connection, is the start and end point of this tour. Because past experiences have shown that this makes the winemaker stations there rather poor starting points for us, our plan for this Saturday is to take the first bus directly to Weinolsheim and start there. About 15 minutes before the actual opening, we exchange digital tickets for wristbands and stand at the bus stop. And then we wait. The first bus arrives later than expected and then in a convenient double pack. Both buses are almost empty. This brings me to a very important note. This post is just one perspective on the event. Other people may have different experiences. We somehow managed to swim ahead of the bigger wave through the round. Almost all day, we’ll think there’s too little going on for a Saturday. From many conversations in the evening and on Sunday, it seems the larger crowd was behind us, waiting in lines for the digital-analog exchange or the day ticket, to then start in Nierstein. They should have boarded the empty buses. Moreover, what applied in previous years for the Mosel articles also applies here: The visit is primarily a vacation, and despite a significantly smaller program compared to the Mosel, it’s impossible to taste every wine or visit every winery here too. We managed to visit every station, at least. If a stand remains unvisited, it’s probably because a bus came into view. So what isn’t mentioned here didn’t necessarily fail to impress us. We might not have even tried it.
We skip Schwabsburg and Dexheim to see them again in part 2 of this report, and start in Weinolsheim at the Manz station. If you’re in the area, you should definitely stop by just for the building alone. The winery has set up an impressive vinotheque here. The terrace with its seemingly endless view over vines and fields makes for an impressive start to the weekend. With wine, we start with Milch, and the Rosé Juliane 23 is an equally good start in the glass. Structured, fine fruit, very dry and serious. I like it. The Blanc de Noirs 23 with its slightly disordered stinker has a hard time following that. We’re here for the Chardonnay anyway. The Valentin 23 is a good start, very fresh, fruity, a bit too bitter at the back. The Im Blauarsch 21 spends a year in wood and a year in the bottle. Dense, intense, still a bit closed, but then opens up quickly. It has real power and tension on the tongue and is very long-lasting. Very strong. The Nonnengarten Reserve 22 is reductive, even more closed and with quite a bit of wood on the tongue. Lots of potential. The Orange Grauer Burgunder 22 has a structure to lie down in. Berry and caramel. Strong. Also, the fact that it’s simply called Orange as a skin-fermented white wine. I don’t know how often we’ve heard “This is our natural wine.” Just say what it is, it’s easier for everyone. Next, Achenbach. A contender for the best labels of the weekend. I like the whale on top, a hint at the primordial sea (Urmeer). The Weißburgunder Urmeer 23 is juicy, melty with lots of apple. Vulkangestein 23 Riesling with reductive stink, lots of flint, then melon. The Heerkretz 20 is much softer, without reduction and very intense in a gentle way with lots of spice. Strong. The Scheurebe 23 Feinherb struggles a bit as a summer terrace wine after the previous wines. The Beck Heidesheimer Hof winery had a matured additional bottle with each wine. That alone is quite charming. The Weißburgunder Stadecker Horn 21 matures in wood. It has creamy pressure, little fruit, and lives entirely on its structure. The 2019 bottle confirms this, as it’s even creamier and spicier. I like it a lot. The Stadecker Horn Riesling 22 is still wild and disordered with lots of tension and some beer yeast. The wine from 2008 has a different name but is the predecessor. Wine law stuff. You don’t have to understand it and it’s no longer for sale anyway. The wine has honey, some butter, and fine fruit. Matured yes, but I wouldn’t have guessed 2008. Like the Horn Riesling, the Elsheimer Marhans 22 is still very young. Also with a lot of zing. I much prefer the 2017 version. Mineral, stony, fine creaminess, and lots of core fruit. Let it age! At Manz, a contrast program first. The Sauvignon Blanc Kalkstein 23 with lots of passion fruit and even more cassis on the tongue pleases the better half very much. The Pettenthal 21 Riesling is a bit restrained on the nose with herbs and some yellow fruit. The structure is superb, very long, with lots of grip at the back. Weinolsheimer Kehr 21 with even more grip and bite but also more fruit. At Karl May, the Osthofen Riesling 23 is quite reductive with lots of herbs. The year more time in the Goldberg 22 is good. It feels more sorted with lots of red and green apple and a structure to chew on. Great wine. The two Weißburgunder can only lose afterward, and that’s probably not fair to them. But that’s how it goes in such a tasting. The Geyersberg Pinot 21 seems to be all fruit at first. Then a reductive stink comes, some forest floor, and more and more structure, which then remains as creamy cherry on the tongue. Great. Greetings to the elderly lady by the way who stomped over, holding out her glass, demanding Karl May. With her came a cloud of perfume that buried everything else. Maybe it was indeed irrelevant what was poured for her. Impossible to smell anything else. Luckily, I don’t deal with people in my day to day life. Steitz presents the first sparkling wine of our day. Pinot Brut Nature with lots of tension, density, and fine berry fruit. Heerkretz 21 still has a decent load of reduction, lots of tension, and a great mouthfeel. After so much punch, the Sonnenberg 22 Chardonnay has a hard time again. A rather quiet wine that deserves the stage alone.
We change stations on foot. Whoever thought it clever to spray arrows on each side of the street at a traffic light, both pointing to the center, without any additional arrows, exactly matches my sense of humor. Fortunately, Weinolsheim isn’t too big, and we find our destination. Despite the drizzle, the wine cellar with Eppelmann in it is almost empty. We start with two sparkling wines not on the menu. The Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature is very good, with lots of brioche and a taut pull. Then we try three Chardonnays: Terra F 22, fermented in wood and aged on full lees in wood, with fine yellow fruit and some wood influence. The Alte Reben 22, with the same aging process but from older vines, has significantly more pressure, more creaminess, and overall more substance. Blume Chardonnay 22 is still young, with a lot of pull, fine structure, and plenty of core fruit. The same goes for the three Pinot Noirs: Terra F Pinot 21 with a slight stink, some animal stall, cherry, and stone, an excellent entry. With Alte Reben 21, someone, as with the Chardonnay, has turned up the same tune louder. Bockstein 21 Pinot has lots of acidity, grip, density, and wonderful fruit. A brilliant wine for laying down, though not a bargain. Nevertheless, or perhaps because they had these wines, Eppelmann is a highlight and will remain so. The Blush Rosé Pinot 23 from Wasem Doppelstück is initially not to my taste but then becomes quite delicious, a perfect wine for the balcony. The Elsheimer Weissburgunder 22 is very creamy, with core fruit and beeswax, excellent. The two Einzylinder wines are a homage to Grandpa’s tractor: the white with pear and lots of structure, a bit rough after the Weissburgunder but still good, the red would be perfect with food like lentils. We are hungry now.
After a small food break, we realize that while a lot of the day has passed, we haven’t done as much tasting yet as we would have liked. We start skipping more wines, or else we won’t manage to visit all the stations. Also, for the first time, we notice the tasting room is getting fuller. Not as packed as Mythos-Mosel-Saturday, but that is a good thing as we can chat without just holding out our glasses. Wagner-Stempel is a favorite of mine, thanks to Christoph Raffelt’s wine socialization. The estate wines are great, I especially love the Scheurebe 23. The Porphyr 23 starts quietly but then shows structure and length, proving why it’s a reliable choice every year. The Chardonnay Reserve 22 relies more on mouthfeel than its currently wood-dominated, reserved nose. The Cabernet Blanc 23 from Huff-Doll is the first PiWi of the day, with passion fruit and green pepper, a hit with my better half, but not for me. The Scheurebe is a similar story. The Silvaner Horrweil 23 wins me over with its creamy, bright fruit and fine velvet texture. Very beautiful. The many people at the bus stop outside suggest the bus hasn’t been by for a while and will arrive soon, so we join them.
The best view of the weekend comes from the Raddeck station high above Nierstein. The view of Nierstein, the Rhine, and the Roter Hang behind is fantastic, even under cloudy skies. This stop is worth it even without Maxime Open. We start at Bischel with the Riesling Gutswein 23, which is reductive at first and then so juicy you can hardly keep up. The fruity acidity is brilliant, setting the stage for the Goldberg 1G 23 Riesling, which offers lots of pull and texture, compensating for its slightly disorganized nose after just two weeks in the bottle. The Weißburgunder 23 is the best entry-level Weißburgunder of the day: crisp, taut, straightforward. The Weißburgunder Chardonnay 23, with 40% Chardonnay and 60% Weißburgunder, is darker in aroma, with 15% new wood evident. Like the previous wines, it has excellent texture. The Silvaner Bergen 21 steps it up, with something ripe in the nose, endless length, starting with structure, then wood, then salted caramel in the mouth, and many herbs. Incredibly dense and intense, one of the weekend’s best wines. The Rieslings from Steinmühle are still quite reductive, but I like the Riesling Dittelsheim 23 with its lean stone and spice. The Riesling Saulheim 23 from Thörle is less reductive but still hard to grasp, though I like it. The 2018 Hölle is beautifully aged, very fresh with great fruit and pull. The Riesling Roter Hang 23 from host Raddeck is juicy with herbal spice, while the Orbel feels similar but better. Proving that single-vineyard wines often do take it up a notch. Which is good.
Time is running out, and because my watch complains about too little movement, we start walking toward the town center. Naturally, the bus comes our way at the beginning of our route, with another one close behind. At least we get an approving “You’re here too” from a couple who likely passed us on the bus and whom we meet at the next station at Strub 1710. The Grünfränkisch Zeitensprung 23 from Sander is a structured wine with some core fruit and lots of texture. Intriguing and a candidate for re-tasting a whole bottle. The Weißburgunder 23 also has structure and stands up well against Bischel’s wine. The Riesling Mettenheimer Löss 23 is smoother, with acidity but no reduction, and somehow gentler. The Chardonnay Amphore 22 is, as the name suggests, aged in 500-liter amphorae and very hard to grasp, with little fruit and a different texture than other wines today: creamy, somewhat yellow, but very unique. An excellent wine. This is where the crowd catches up to us a bit, and the station fills up, leading us to end the day somewhat randomly. Here are the highlights that stayed with me: Mett & Weidenbach Pinot Noir Rosé Brut is delicious. The 20 Frühburgunder is a lot but very good in that. Strub Grüner Veltliner 23 is a varietal exotic, herbaceous, taut, and fitting well here. The DinoRaw Riesling, with destemmed berries on full lees, is clean, juicy, and quite tasty. And it has one of those labels people next to us tried just because of its look, which I totally understand. Brüder Dr. Becker have a great Souvignier Gris with only 12% alcohol, which can be much higher with this variety, with great structure and freshness. The Falkenberg 21 Riesling has so much pull and stone that it makes it into the day’s highlights. And right before closing, we finish the day at the station closest to our hotel with a Saar Riesling Kabi from WillemsWillems. A day without Kabi isn’t complete, after all.
That’s it for the first day. A surprising but somehow logical realization came early on: while my drinking self loves the diversity of wines here compared to the Riesling-dominated Mosel, my tasting self finds it problematic. Everything starts to blur faster because my head and tongue constantly have to adjust, causing fatigue much quicker. When the brain expects Riesling, it’s easier to detect nuances. With Silvaner, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot, and mixed vintages, it becomes exhausting, and if you’re not careful, everything starts to taste the same. Also, the depth of vintages is broader here. In Mosel, I only noted if something wasn’t the current vintage. Here, it’s all over the place, likely because many white wines first age in wooden barrels too, making it hard to judge 2023. I also feel reduction hits you more here than in Mosel, where most wines are reductive to some degree, making it less noticeable. Still, I love the diversity of wines you can taste at Maxime Open. Chatting with producers while drinking their wines is always fantastic. A small conclusion will follow after the second day’s report, but for now, this is the end of the first day.
