Rheinhessen Region

Wines

Gunderloch Estate

Rheinhessen, Germany

In 1890 the banker Carl Gunderloch purchased the "Gunderloch" manor house in Nackenheim. He also purchased property in the Rothenberg and Engelsberg vineyards which still constitutes the nucleus of the Gunderloch estate. As the story goes, he used to trek from Gundersblum, his place of birth, to his bank in Mainz. On these daily journeys he carefully observed how the sun played off the hills along the Rhein Terrace. Based on these observations he purchased vineyard property that appeared to collect sunlight most efficiently. Today the estate, as a result of these shrewd acquisitions, owns unquestionably the best vineyards in Nackenheim. Hans Jorison, a very knowledgeable German vineyard and wine classification specialist, rated the Gunderloch's Nackenheimer Rothenberg, as one of only three grand cru A vineyards in all of Rheinhessen.

In 1920 Carl Gunderloch transferred the estate to his granddaughter Elisabeth Usinger and her husband Dr. Franz Usinger. They managed the estate till 1965 when their son Carl Otto took over after having assisted his parents since 1945. In 1969 he added a winebar where the estate's wines could be enjoyed with or without regional dishes from the Rheinhessen area. Today the estate is managed by Carl Otto's oldest daughter Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger and her husband, a viticultural engineer, Fritz Hasselbach. He brought two top Niersteiner vineyards, Hipping and Pettenthal, to add to the estate's holdings.

Fritz Hasselbach is a highly accredited winemaker. In 2002 the Winespectator Magazine celebrated him as the only winemaker ever to have received a perfect 100 points score for not only one, but three of his wines. The 1992, 1996 and 2001 Riesling TBA, Nackenheimer Rothenberg were each awarded with 100 points.

The Gunderloch estate also has an interesting tie to the German dramatist Carl Zuckmaier. Zuckmaier, who became a Hollywood screenwriter, was born in Nackenheim and a friend of Carl Gunderloch. Zuckmaier not only wrote the screenplay for the film "The Blue Angel", but also the plays "The Captain from Koepenick" and "The Devils General". He also used the Gunderloch estate for the setting, and Carl Gunderloch as the main character for his very first play "Der froehliche Weinberg" (the jolly vineyard). In this play Zuckmaier renamed Carl Gunderloch "Jean Baptiste" which is where the brand name used on the Gunderloch "Jean Baptiste" Kabinett is borrowed from.

The estate has over 28 acres of vineyards. In Nackenheim almost a monopole position in the Rothenberg (65% of the estate's holdings) which is planted to Riesling, the Engelsberg with Riesling, Silvaner, Ruländer and Gewürztraminer and the Schmitts Kapellchen planted to Scheurebe and Müller-Thurgau. In Nierstein there are holdings in the Pettenthal and Hipping both planted to Riesling and the Paterberg with Ruländer and Müller-Thurgau.

The breakdown by varietal is 80% Riesling, 10% Silvaner, 5% Müller-Thurgau and the remaining 5%: Ruländer, Kerner, Scheurebe and Gewürztraminer.

The average yield is held to 45 hl/ha, amongst the lowest in Germany, and results in wines of high extract and quality. The cellar work is accomplished with a minimum amount of handling and very reductive in style. Minimum ripeness for the various quality levels is significantly above the requirements of the German wine law. The wines are never deacidified and in high acid vintages bottling is often delayed to allow the wines to harmonize and soften. The Rieslings from the Rothenberg and the Silvaners from the Engelsberg are some of the finest in Rheinhessen and Germany. They are full, elegant wines that often have a steely acid bite. It is easy to think you are drinking a Spätlese, when in actuality the wine is a Kabinett. Another specialty of the estate are dry styled Ruländer Auslese's which are finer than top Alsatian Pinot Gris, but have equal weight.

The Gunderloch Estate is a member of the Rheinhessen VDP.