This high-quality single vineyard Rheingau Riesling from Schloss Vollrads is imbued with an extraordinary sense of power and intensity. It is generous in fruit and mineral nuance but surely has the phenolic structure and staying power to comfortably live a long time in the cellar.\n \n Producer Information\n Schloss Vollrads is an 800-year-old estate in the Rheingau region of Germany, producing a wide range of wines exclusively from the Riesling grape. It is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest wineries, as well as one of the oldest. Its historic stature means it is one of a handful of estates classed in German wine law as an officially designated vineyard, and so is not required to display a village name on the label. Between 10-15 different wines are made each year, with regular releases at generic estate-wine level up to Auslese. Trockenbeerenauslese and ice wines may be made if conditions allow. The top dry wine is made from the Grosse Lage Schlossberg vineyard, owned exclusively by Schloss Vollrads. The portfolio also features a sparkling brut, and un-aged and barrel-matured brandies. Around 81 hectares (200 acres) of vineyards are owned in the immediate vicinity of the winery on south-facing slopes, situated on a substratum of slate, loess and quartzite. The region has long summers with plenty of sun, but not too much heat – perfect conditions for Riesling. The grapes are predominantly picked manually, unless uniform ripeness permits, or the weather requires the use of machinery. Modern, gentle presses and temperature-controlled stainless steel vats are used to optimize the aromatic qualities of the wines. Lees stirring continues to January when the wines are settled, and bottling commences in March/April and continues through the summer. Most Schloss Vollrads wines are bottled with glass stoppers to avoid any cork taint problems. Schloss Vollrads has sales records dating back to 1211. The estate was owned by the von Greiffenclau family from this time until 1997, and is now owned by a German banking group. The residential tower of the winery complex was built in 1330, and the cellars date from 1684.
