Baden Region

Wines

Dr. Heger Estate

Baden, Germany

Dr. Max Heger, a country doctor in Ihringen, with patients throughout the Kaiserstuhl area pursued such hobbies as bee keeping and breeding pigeons while also developing a love for wine. This love for wine became very real when in 1935 he started to accumulate portions of the Vorderer Winklerberg, today the Ihringer Winklerberg, the best sun trap amongst all the vineyards in Germany. Eighteen acres in this top site became the foundation of the Dr. Heger estate.

In the steep Winklerberg Dr. Heger built massive support walls which to this day are still intact.

A number of his patients exchanged work in the vineyards for outstanding medical bills. One and a half acres in the superb Achkarrer Schlossberg and 3.5 acres, outside the Kaiserstuhl area, in the Freiburger Schlossberg, formerly known as Rebgut Sonnenberg, round out the estate.

In the early days of the estate, wine villages in the Kaiserstuhl area were quite poor. Production from the Elbling was sold to the Rheingau and Mosel as blending wine. The formation of a grower's association and activities of private estates such as Stigler and Dr. Heger soon established Ihringen as a place for good Baden wines. In 1949 Dr. Heger's son Wolfgang, after completing his studies in Geisenheim, began to seriously build a reputation for the estate. His wines from the Silvaner, Ruländer (Pinot Gris), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Riesling, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and other varieties soon were in great demand by many of the area's fine restaurants.

A particularly important customer is the presidential office in Bonn that often serves Dr. Heger wines at state receptions. Former president Walter Scheel is a friend and good customer. For their accomplishments both Dr. Heger and Wolfgang Heger received the distinguished service cross from the German government. Joachim, the second generation of Heger's to study in Geisenheim, took over the reigns in 1982. After his first vintage he totally eliminated the use of Suessreserve. Joachim is a great fan of Riesling, which is planted in all three sites. It is fascinating to compare Riesling from the three vineyards: Freiburger Schlossberg (lively, nervy penetrating Riesling), Achkarrer Schlossberg (more forward, showy with lots of body and soil character), Ihringer Winklerberg (finer, more elegant requiring more time).

60% of the wines are fermented in the traditional oak barrels. Riesling and Silvaner are made in stainless steel tanks. 90% of the wines are fermented dry. With the Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) the best barrels are selected for new oak (Barrique).

Joachim's cellar work is very reductive. During the harvest he pays particular attention to acidity and that the grapes are healthy. Mustweights are hardly ever a problem and often in so called great vintages the great Baden sites trap too much heat. Even in a poor year such as 1984 mustweights in the Winklerberg were in excess of 100 Öchsle (approximately 24 Brix). 70% of the vines are planted in very steeply sloping vineyards and the soil is mostly volcanic.

In 1986 Joachim Heger started a second estate, Weinhaus Heger. The vines are in the Thuniberg area and are under long-term lease contracts to Heger and are maintained by Weinhaus Heger. The wines are vinified with the same care in the cellars of Dr. Heger. They are mostly of the Pinot variety, that is Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Pinot Noir Blanc (Weissherbst). The wines always offer great value.