Axel Neiss: "Cool Climate"-Winemaker in Northern Palatinate

Axel Neiss finds perfect conditions in the unique combination of climate and soil on the very top, the Northern end of Germany's wine road: "The perfect climate has moved from the great historic sites of the Mittelhaardt to us in the north in the past few years, enabling us to achieve our goal of excellent and traditional wines in Palatinate style". Furthermore, the altitude of the Neisschen vineyards in Kindenheim and Bockenheim are responsible for the "cool climate", that winemakers in the whole world are looking for.The massive amount of  chalk stones in the vineyards gives the wines a typical and recognizable style and guarantees the sustainability of Axel's wines.

Philosophy of Axel Neiss: The uncompromising quality-oriented work in the vineyard and cellar to bring the bottle to manifest in a distinctive customer (Photo: WG Neiss / Andreas Durst)

Thus, it is no conincidence that the Gault Millau WineGuide 2011 praises the Palatinate winemaker and his "brilliantly clear and acid-rich Riesling wines, his good work of white burgundy wines as well as structured red burgundy wines".

The bottom line is: "He definitely deserves the third grape". In addition, Gault Millau reinforces the top results of the 2009 Riesling Burgweg (91 points), which was made from 40-year-old grapes and the 2008 Pinot Noir Glockenseil (90 points)".

The Pinot Noir Glockenseil, which came from the Kindenheim site Vogelsang and which was matured for 18 months in barriques made of French oak, is the one that almost left all other top wines looking weak at the German Red Wine Prize of the magazine Vinum. Basically a good reward for Axel Neiss's patience: It was only in the vintage 2007 that the small grapes of the 1999-planted French Pinot Noir-clones were exactly as he had imagined and that is when he grew the wine separately. "I'm really looking forward to future vintages", the polite vintner says about his future.(red.yoopress)