OFF THE BEATEN TRACK🧐 (LUKAS HAMMELMANN + LA FERME DES 9 CHEMINS)

Source note: This post is adapted from Parched's July 14, 2026 newsletter

Hey,

How are we all doin? There is so much tasty wine on the way. So much already here. Let’s go hard before things start to slow down over the summer, when importers and all of Europe seem to come to a halt.

Lukas Hammelmann is a name I've had on the radar for a while. Friends from across the globe have been singing about these. When I finally sat down to taste, my jaw hit the floor. Rarely do wines live up to such esteemed hype. Lukas makes wine in his hometown of Zeiskam. The locals would call this Potato-Berg, land deemed not good enough for grapes, barely even good enough for potatoes or onions. I don't know if those locals were smoking something wild or if that makes Lukas insanely talented, but the quality of these wines is undeniable. They're already moving fast too, which is a good sign.

The house style for Riesling is cutting and fresh but with texture built in through time in barrel. He's not picking too early, but not too late either. We get ferocious acid lines but still grapes with real fruit character. He's particular about his barrels and their provenance, and to ensure the very best, he commits to buying new. But he's not trying to make oaked Riesling, so don't be scared, there's very little apparent wood taste left. His own label began in '16 and with each passing vintage the oak is melting away into the wine. What we do see is a mesmerising marriage of barrel meeting ultra crisp, crunchy varietal character. The raw citrus, lime zest and orange oils melt into something more herbal, minty. It's truly a beautiful thing to taste. Everything is unfined and unfiltered (wish more Riesling took this approach) and we get a slightly leesy, salty note building in more texture and complexity.

The whites are always directly pressed, and the reds see a mix of whole bunch and destemmed. There's a reductive touch in the cellar, but not for the sake of it. These are wines that feel distinct; it's hard to put on paper what makes them so special. They fit somewhere beautifully between classic and natural, well made and energetic but with precision and clarity. They're wines I think everyone should taste, and everyone will like, because at the end of the day they are ultimately just delicious.

First we have a Sh*t Hot Solera. There's richness on show but lifted by a wonderfully fine reduction. A blend of vintages from '19 to '23. Barrels are topped up but without any sulphur, so we get a smidge of flor-derived oxidative character. Originally started as an experiment, I hope this becomes a permanent fixture in the line-up. There's freshness and drinkability in spades, with extra salinity built in. On top of that, the fruit comes from the Grand Cru Klostergarten, yet due to bureaucracy, and this being a humble Landwein, it's not allowed on the label. This is a very special bottle of wine, and it's just the starting point. My wallet's in trouble.

Next, fruit off a limestone-rich parcel, two years' élevage and then a year in bottle before release. The climate here is cooler than the more famed parcels of the Pfalz. No bad thing in an ever-warming world. This is a classy Riesling; the acidity is there but so well integrated. The fruit is all fleshy and there is that herbal calling card of his on full show, so much clarity . Gonna age with grace!

The Pinot could be one of the better wines I've tasted in recent memory. Full stop. And yes, this is Spätburgunder. Long gone are the days when Germany's attempts at Pinot would be laughed out of a line-up of Burgundy. We're at the very pinnacle of wine here, seriously, it's that good. Facing north and harvested relatively early, 60% of the fruit is de-stemmed and fermented in wood for 14 days, then moves to barriques for another two years of élevage. Light bodied and delicate. Mineral driven and stony, with a whiff of gunpowder. The fruit is bright, and there's really beautiful use of barrel, adding baking spice without overpowering the purity of fruit. Das ist gut!

Another producer I adore who is making beautiful wines from a less-famed part of their region is La Ferme Des 9 Chemins. Nestled at the very top of Alsace, in the hills above Reichsfeld, the landscape feels distinctly un-Alsatian. You won't find the monoculture of endless vines here, instead it's all meadows, livestock and a lot of biodiversity. Jeanne Gaston-Breton has been farming her family's vines since 2017 (Biodynamic +++). Most of the exceptional fruit has ended up in the capable hands of the likes of Yannick Meckert and Benoit Rosenburger, but now she's carving out a little for herself. Jeanne works with only gravity in her tiny cellar, creating wines with a delicate touch.

Due to a challenging year, we only see two wines from 2024. The 2023s were gone in practically a day, so don't hesitate to pull the trigger here. First, a white comprising Sylvaner, Auxerrois and Riesling, what a lovely trio. Everything directly pressed from volcanic sandstone at a decent altitude. Dense and juicy, whilst the finish is saline and mineral. A cool vintage, and a really beautiful one, quite emotive. It's not loud, it doesn't shout. It doesn't need to. Delicacy is the name of the game, and all the better for it.

Ethereal Pinot too. Again, volcanic sandstone is doing plenty of heavy lifting. Again such a delicate and lithe approach here. Purity in spades. Small berry Pinot fruit, wisps of smoke and a little of that classic spice. Again, something so so drinkable about this. Tiny amounts.

Also, on Alsace we've got some wine from the Uncle. Charles Jérôme is the region's vigneron's vigneron. This is what's on the table of your favourite winemaker. Eschewing tradition, barrel ferments and a reductive touch in the cellar are favoured. We also see long, slow presses that coax out all of the lovely primary material. Textured but flinty, he again puts a unique spin on what can sometimes be a region too reliant on its unsexy, traditional past.

Riesling that's rasping and raw. It's got a dense fruit profile from this sunny corner of France but with tension and verve aplenty. Vineyard was previously owned by Marc Tempé and has been worked lovingly for years now, biodynamic for 25+. Then a blend of direct press Pinots is a curious and delightful Blanc de Noir thingy. It's got a subtle blush, and tasting blind will be a real pain. The fruit is almost red, not quite orange-y, yet this is not a maceration nor a rosé. It's firmly a white wine. A delicious one.

Pallet of cardboard just arrived. Womp womp. See you.

Bisou
Fionn
xoxo