Location and classification
Hockenmühle is an officially registered single-vineyard site in the municipal district of Ockenheim in the Bingen area. It belongs to the larger site of St. Rochuskapelle in Rheinhessen and covers 44.2 hectares.
Soil
As a soil type, marl and pararendzina have been documented. The soils consist of calcareous loams and sands, linked to deposits of the Tertiary Sea. The soil profile is described as a deep, calcareous clay soil with a high proportion of clays capable of swelling. It shows limited permeability to water and air, a high nutrient content, strong calcareousness, a medium capacity for warming and difficult root penetration.
Grape varieties and wine styles
Riesling, Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau are grown in Hockenmühle. In addition, Weißburgunder and Gewürztraminer have been documented in wines bearing the site name. The documented wine styles include dry Riesling as well as dry Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner wines. A Riesling from the 2022 vintage is described with citrus and green apple aromas, fresh acidity and a mineral character. A Müller-Thurgau and/or Silvaner from the 2023 vintage shows peach and apricot aromas, fresh acidity and a juicy fruit profile. The documented Gewürztraminer is a sweet white wine.
Name and vinification
The site name is attested for the year 1348 as “hinter deme huckenbule” and is explained as a reference to a hill associated with the personal name Hucco. For a Hockenmühle Riesling, a cool, slow fermentation of the white wines as well as careful and controlled processing of the grapes are described.
