Dreissigacker

Dreissigacker farms six single vineyards around Bechtheim and Westhofen. The Bechtheim sites are sunny almost year-round, giving warmth and ripe fruit. The cooler Westhofen sites ripen slowly, producing tense, mineral Rieslings.

The single vineyards read like a map of Rheinhessen's best ground:

• Geyersberg — one of the region's warmest sites, on weathered limestone.

• Hasensprung — heavy clay and very slow ripening for concentrated, spicy wines.

• Rosengarten — loess and limestone, rich in ripe fruit with length.

• Aulerde — clay marl and loess, combining Westhofen minerality with ripeness, aged in large oak casks.

• Kirchspiel — limestone bedrock giving finesse and elegance that grows with every year in bottle.

• Morstein — limestone subsoil and a singular minerality; the estate's pinnacle.

The estate completed its conversion to biodynamic farming in 2019, and it's certified organic and vegan. They make their own compost on the estate from vine cuttings, cattle manure, grape pomace, and soil, and use biodynamic preparations in place of mineral fertilizer. The goal is healthy, living soils that come through in the glass. The winery is built so that wine moves by gravity alone — no pumping — so it reaches the bottle as undisturbed as possible.