I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that this is one of the most exciting collections of wines I have ever tasted in Germany. The reasons are varied and numerous, but they all spring from the heart and skill of one person:  winemaker and estate owner Simone Adams.

Simone is a young winemaker with a husband and two small children, running a 10ha farm she took over when her dad passed away in 2010. Her vineyards all lie in Ingelheim in the far northern Rheinhessen where a mix of flat and gently rolling vineyards of clay and limestone enjoy a cool microclimate tempered by the Rhein river, just 5km away. The village sits in the “knee” of the valley, protected from rain and inclement weather. Interestingly, the vineyards are on east-west facing slopes, not north-south ones, which benefits air circulation.

Simone works biodynamically in vineyards which never saw fleurbereinegung, the nationwide reorganization of German wine growing areas which in recent decades has uprooted many old vines and historic parcels elsewhere. Her oldest vines are 40-45 years old, and the emphasis is on Burgundian varieties—Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay(1.5ha), and most importantly Spatburgunder, a.k.a. Pinot Noir, planted on 5ha representing 50% of her production.

The winemaking is simple and patterned after traditional Burgundy:  natural fermentations in steel, maturation in big barrels for the village wines and barriques for the single site ones, 12-18 months of aging on the lees, no fining, no filtering, and only a modest dose of SO2 added at bottling. There is no gutswein here, only wines of terroir.

Why are the offerings at AdamsWein so special? Because these are wines that feel GROWN not made, imbued with an incredible sense of life, elegant in structure, almost minimalist in form, yet teeming with vital energies. The Chardonnays with their firm spines and incandescent fruit snap the taster to attention. The Pinots put one’s cerebral cortex in overdrive, insisting on a “here-and-now” moment, posing questions and inviting speculation. The fruit is ripe – a new norm for German Pinot in our generation—but these are cool climate wines all the way, bracing and satisfying to drink. There is little doubt they will age beautifully.

When I tasted through Simone’s line-up in April of this year, I looked at her and said, “you remind me of Claude de Nicolay and her work at Chandon de Brialles.” I was trying to say that both the woman and her wines appeared relaxed, confident, totally in tune with their place, elegant in style and “natural” in the best sense with no need of make-up or pretense. She knew what I meant, smiled happily and thanked me; Claude is one of her heroes.

Taste the wines of Simone Adams and I hope that you will feel as I did that these bottles open a new chapter in German winemaking.