The Mertz family has been farming in the Rheinhessen village of Eckelsheim since the late eighteenth century, but it is under the current leadership of Sina Mertz that the estate has truly found its modern voice. After studying oenology and completing internships in Chile and California, Sina took the helm in 2016 with a clear vision: to craft precise, terroir-driven wines that reflect the unique geology of her home. Her most prized site is the Kirchberg, a vineyard situated just outside the village where the ruins of a small church stand atop a hill. What makes this site extraordinary is its soil—a rare vein of volcanic porphyry rock embedded with fossilized marine life. This distinct terroir imparts a striking, stony minerality to the Riesling grown here, setting it apart from the more common limestone and loess soils of the region.

The 2023 vintage in Germany was a year of extremes, demanding meticulous work in the vineyards to navigate a hot, dry summer followed by late-season rains. For dry Riesling, however, the vintage yielded wines of exceptional purity, tension, and poise. Sina’s approach to the Kirchberg Riesling Trocken is designed to capture this energy. The grapes are harvested by hand from organically farmed vines and fermented in stainless steel to preserve their vibrant aromatics. The wine then matures briefly in new oak—just enough to round out the edges without masking the fruit. The result is a brilliantly focused dry Riesling, where notes of Meyer lemon, green apple, and pear are anchored by a profound, chalky minerality and a laser-like acidity.