Eva Fricke

This dynamic young grower farms 13 hectares of vines centred on the super-steep and stony slopes of the western Rheingau. In a region that has promised so much but often failed to deliver, the diamond-cut quality and pure, elegant style of Eva’s dry Rieslings have given the great—and visually stunning—terroir of this region a potent shot in the arm.

Eva was winemaker at Leitz for seven years before making the first vintage of her own wine in 2006 from a parcel of old vines on the mineral hillside of the imposing Lorcher Krone vineyard. In 2011 Fricke struck out on her own, heading west to an area previously considered problematic due to its sheer, stony slopes and cool, shady aspect. With the recent increasingly warmer vintages, Eva identified new possibilities: a unique terroir (where the rocky vineyards are saturated in slate and quartzite) and a plethora of old vines to work with.

With a Burgundian-style grower sensibility, Eva has managed to re-invigorate Rheingau’s neglected west end. Not only has she set about painstakingly hand-rearing historic plots on these sheer slopes, the viticulture is certified organic, with biodynamic preparations used where possible—a style of hands-on viticulture that was previously considered futile on such hillsides. It’s a back-breaking, terroir-centric approach that has resulted in some exhilarating releases.

Eva’s holy grail is to capture her site’s potential balance between ripeness, salinity and acidity. Her transparent, ever-evolving winemaking approach includes wild yeast fermentation, long, slow pressing and plenty of time on lees, always geared to capture the mineral personality and trademark salinity of the region, without ever compromising on terroir-driven fruit expression.