Eva Fricke, a young estate in Eltville, founded in 2011, is a testament to the determination and vision of its founder. Fricke grew up in Bremen, far away from any vines, but a visit to a South African winery set her mind on viticulture. She then trained in Geisenheim, Bordeaux, Spain, and Australia and worked for J.B. Becker and Josef Leitz in the Rheingau before setting out on her own – with vineyards that were still very much unsung Lorch. Today, she also has sites in Eltville and Kiedrich. She made her first wine in 2006 and started her own estate in 2011. Today, she farms 18 hectares. Fricke had been in organic certification since 2016, but new acquisitions meant that 2021 was the first vintage certified organic. Biodynamic practices have been employed in the Lorch vineyards since 2017, and they have since been extended to more of her estate, even though there is no desire for certification. “We want to work with awareness, activate soil life, make our own compost and compost tea. In 2022, we used less than one kilo of copper,” Fricke says. She has also made her own massal Riesling selection from old vines in the Lorcher Schlossberg, Seligmacher and Krone. Most of her plantings are Riesling with a tiny amount of Silvaner and Pinot Noir. The latter is made into Sekt. Fricke’s take on Riesling are intuitive expression of site and season, never tied to analytical values but using residual sweetness to great effect, enhancing fruit and walking a delicious balance. Her single-site wines are great and lasting monuments to the Rheingau – she is amongst those who put Lorch back on the Rheignau map. In 2022, Fricke picked late in September whenever there was a break in the rain, which meant sorting, but her wines are clear-cut and most expressive. During my visit, I tasted the 2022 Rieslings. - By Anne Krebiehl MW, August 2023