David Bowler, Kevin Tunney and Gab Bowler in Von Hovel’s tasting room this past August, which also houses one of the most impressive cork screw collections we’ve ever seen! Photo credit: David Mcduff
Producer Snapshot: Weingut von Hövel
Baron Eberhard “Adt” von Kunow is the owner and proprietor of the small but wonderful von Hovel estate. He made the wines there from 1973 to 2010; however, after a debilitating stroke (from which we are pleased to report he has largely recovered), his son Maximilian (the 7th generation) took charge of the winemaking. Max runs the estate along increasingly organic methods, and like many in his generation, also seeks to create great dry wines. But von Hovel remains a haven for the hauntingly delicate style of fruity Rieslings unique to the Saar river valley, the coolest growing area in Germany. These are crystalline, low alcohol wines from the “old school,” teeming with minerals and flowers in their youth, and often “petrolly” in their later years. They represent some of the finest values in the Rudi Wiest portfolio.
The von Hövel estate has ownership in the following vineyards; all planted 100% to Riesling:
Oberemmeler Hütte – (17.5 Acres) a monopole of the estate – very light soil, weathered slate, it produces some of the most delicate, subtle, yet steely Rieslings in Germany.
Scharzhofberg – (7.5 acres) deeper, heavier soil, strong weathered grey slate with high proportion of rocks and gravel (70%), it produces more masculine wines
Oberemmeler Rosenberg – the estate owns over 6 acres of the “filet” piece also known as the Rosenkamm, which has many old vine scattered throughout. For example, the 2011 Riesling Estate Spätlese “R” was selected from only those old vines with a yield of only 10hl/ha!
Kanzemer Hörecker – (barely 1 acre) monopole – one of the smallest yet greatest vineyards in the Saar, grey green slate with a proportion clay and red soil.
The estate also owns small portions of the heavy soiled Oberemmeler Karlsberg.
The von Hövel estate produces 5,000 cs and is a founding member of the Mosel VDP. Adt von Kunow was for many years the auctioneer for the annual VDP auction in Trier.
The following wines are currently available in the NY, NJ and PA markets through David Bowler Wine:
Von Hovel Kabinett Estate 2011: Plump, easy-going and friendly, like a puppy that wants to play with you and your food. Sourced from across von Hovel’s 13ha+ of estate holdings, it offers peaches, floral notes and a whiff of slate with the gentle sweetness typical of 2011 Kabs.
Von Hovel Kabinett Oberemmeler Hutte 2008: Perfectly mature, perfectly balanced, perfectly delicious Riesling from this estate’s famous monopole vineyard. The 2008 has a lively, frisky quality with a palate as clean as glass. Orchard fruits and the beginnings of a petrol nose create the signature bouquet of this wine. A miraculous 8% alcohol fulfills Adt von Kunow’s mission to cleave to the traditional Mosel style of fruity, low alcohol Rieslings. A rare opportunity to taste Mosel Kab from a grand cru vineyard at its apogee of drinkability.
Von Hovel Kabinett Oberemmeler Hutte 2012: Springy and precisely mineral-driven with gorgeous yellow plum fruit and some exotic character. Approximately 55-60g RS, a vivid 8.5g acid and 94 degrees oechsle (practically Auslese ripeness)! How does this remain so light and ethereal in the mouth with those numbers? This is benchmark Saar wine from a great year, a bottling with a long future and a glorious present.
Von Hovel Kabinett Scharzhofberger 2008: Heavier soils than found in the Hutte make von Hovel’s Scharzhofberg bottlings typically more fruity and rounded with a flashier style. That works out great in a cool, acid-driven year like 2008—the wine is really showing beautifully now that it has shed some of its baby fat. The minerality here is subtle but layered clearly beneath the fruit. A beautiful lobster wine or pairing for any intense, buttery, flavorsome fish.
Von Hovel Spatlese Dry “R” 2012: A connoisseur’s choice. One risks sounding pompous saying that, but the fact is, this is a big, crunchy, bone-dry wine in a developing stage, teeming with perfumey aromatics like rose hips and talcum, and structured in a clean and refreshing style like cold mineral water with a slice of lemon. The giveaway of the terroir is the incredibly dense, almost tactile sense of slate that coats the mouth at the finish—and JUST WON’T LET GO! An attention-grabbing wine that displays Max von Kunow’s promise as a young winemaker who wants to explore the potential of dry wines at his estate. There are only 7cs of this wine total for New York and New Jersey.
