Meyer Näkel

Sisters Meike and Dörte Näkel are the 5th generation at this pioneering Ahr Valley winery who, despite unprecedented challenges, are making some of the most compelling Pinot Noir in Germany. The name Meyer Näkel goes back to the marriage of grandparents Paula Meyer and Willibald Näkel who, in 1950, joined their respective pub and winery together to form the estate. At the time, they cultivated an area of just 1.5 hectares, yet were able to make a small name for themselves because Willibald’s production of dry red wines represented thoroughly pioneering work. During the post-War years, and for some decades afterwards, German wine was simply always sweet. This was a time when there were lots of tourists, and the product of the valley was Liebfraumilch-style mass production, with lots of sweet rosé and sweet red wines. 'People used to drink the red wine warm,' says Meike.

Their father, Werner, who worked as a high-school teacher of physical education and math, took over the estate in 1982. He went to Burgundy and brought back barriques, and he went into the vineyards and dropped half the crop. 'He was seen as crazy,' says Meike. 'No one at the time was thinking of quality production.' In 1989 Werner won a prize for his 1987 vintage. Step by step, Meyer Näkel progressed. Together with wife Claudia, Werner gradually expanded the wine estate to its current size, and got involved in numerous other initiatives and projects. Werner worked very early on to ensure that his two daughters, Meike and Dörte, could follow in his footsteps. Both sisters initially completed training as vintners, then went on to study for a degree in wine cultivation in Geisenheim before gradually taking over the operation of the wine estate.

Meike and Dörte maintain the Meyer-Näkel estate’s focus on quality red wine. “As the 5th generation, we live the tradition of winegrowing in our family. During that time, viticulture and cellar management have undergone massive changes. Today we have great technical possibilities for cultivating our steep slopes, but our work in the cellar is still very much handcraft,” Dörte shares. They strive to make the terroir of their steep Ahr slopes tangible in their mineral-laden wines. Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully selected, and the work in the cellar focuses exclusively on gently preserving this high level of quality.

Like many wineries in the Ahr, Meyer-Näkel focuses mainly on Pinot Noir (or as it’s known locally, Spätburgunder). The deep valley of craggy rocks along the Ahr River perfectly positions vines to catch as much sunlight as possible, providing additional warmth and sun exposure in one of Germany’s most northerly winegrowing regions. The unique microclimate is reflected in Meyer-Näkel’s red wines – fruitiness and full body in the foreground, and a slight herbaceousness and minerality on the palate. The estate also produces Frühburgunder, a mutation of Pinot Noir that was considered extinct until the 1970’s but successfully revived. Frühburgunder has many similar properties to Pinot Noir but matures earlier and typically produces softer wines with lower acidity.

The 2021 Flood

In July 2021, Meike & Dörte sustained catastrophic damage caused by the flooding in the Ahr Valley. The torrential downpour and summary floodwaters ravaged not only the winery and tasting room of Meyer-Näkel, but the entire Ahr Valley. The clean-up would have seemed insurmountable if it weren’t for the help and comradery provided to them by nearly every major winemaking team in Germany. Hans & Valentin Rebholz, Katharina Prüm, Klaus Peter Keller, Friedrich Becker, Cornelius Donnhoff, Dorothee Zilliken, and Oliver Haag are just a few of the superstars who aided in the recovery efforts.

Thick brown mud covered everything. Most of the barrels were gone, and the majority of the equipment was ruined. Additionally, they thought that all of the 2018 vintage had been destroyed, until Hans Rebholz opened a side door in the winery, which revealed the entire US allocation of the 2018 Blue Slate Pinot Noir. The bottles were all washed and labeled and we were THRILLED to be able to offer some of the last Meyer Näkel Pinot Noir in the world last year. Now we feel incredibly fortunate that that the sisters have been able to recover from this natural disaster and get production back on track. And the new releases are singing!