Hattenheim's Loess Grosse Lage for Riesling and Pinot Noir

Hassel

Hassel is a VDP.GROSSE LAGE in the village of Hattenheim, part of Eltville am Rhein in the central Rheingau. The Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter lists it in the top tier of its classification, a standing it holds for both white and red wine. It sits within Hattenheim's cluster of elite sites, bordered by the neighboring Grosse Lagen Wisselbrunnen and Nussbrunnen.

Geography and Soils

The vineyard runs across a gentle south-facing incline, recorded at more than about four degrees and sheltered from cold north winds by the higher ground behind it. Sources place its elevation at roughly 100 to 120 metres above sea level and its extent at around 12 hectares. Rather than the slate and quartzite of the steeper western Rheingau, Hassel is defined by deep loess and loess-clay (Lösslehm). These soils store water and nutrients well, so vines carry through dry summers without stress, and they warm and hold heat readily, an asset in a district where achieving full ripeness is the governing task. The name derives from the hazel bushes that once grew here; the site appears in records as "zu hasele" in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Wine Characteristics

The deep, warm loess gives Hassel a recognizable signature within Hattenheim. Its Rieslings tend to be substantial, full-bodied and juicy, showing the weight and generosity of loess-grown fruit rather than the taut, saline cut of the region's slate and marl parcels, and they carry good aging potential. That same warmth and body suit Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), and Hassel is one of the few Rheingau Grosse Lagen bottled as a red Grosses Gewächs. The site is worked for sparkling wine as well, yielding vineyard-designated Sekt.

Producers

Weingut Kaufmann is the estate most closely identified with Hassel today. Built on the former Weingut Hans Lang (founded in 1953 and taken over in late 2013 by Urban Kaufmann and Eva Raps), the Demeter-certified, biodynamic estate farms holdings across Hassel and Wisselbrunnen and bottles both a Hassel Riesling GG and a Hassel Spätburgunder GG. Wein- und Sektgut Barth produces a Hassel Riesling Grosses Gewächs trocken, rated 89 points ("very good") by wein.plus for the 2021 vintage, alongside a Hassel VDP.Sekt. The Georg Müller Stiftung bottles Hattenheimer Hassel Riesling from Kabinett through Grosses Gewächs. Karl-Johann Molitor works the site for both Pinot Noir and Riesling, and Stefan Gerhard makes an organically farmed Hattenheimer Hassel Riesling trocken.

In the Hattenheim Context

Hassel belongs to the same enclave as the famed spring sites Wisselbrunnen and Nussbrunnen, yet its loess base sets it slightly apart, favoring depth and body over the racy tension of the region's marl and slate vineyards. That combination of warmth, deep soil and reliable ripening is why a single Rheingau Grosse Lage can carry Riesling, Pinot Noir and Sekt at the highest level, an unusually broad remit for one site.

This comprehensive guide is part of the WineSaint Wine Region Guide collection. Last updated: September 2026.