Balthasar-Ress- Von Unserm Riesling Sekt Brut 2012

Vintage: 2012
Varietal: Riesling
Appellation: Rheingau Sekt
Sugar: Dry
Acid: 7.5 g/l
Altitude: 80-300 m 262-984 ft (different vineyards)
Residual Sugar: 4.4 g/L
Tannin: None
Alcohol %: 12.5

The grapes for the "Von Unserm" Rheingau Riesling come from different parts of our selected vineyard sites in the Rheingau - from Rüdesheim to Oestrich to Erbach. On the one hand, the taste of the wine is influenced by the different soil structures such as clay loess, slate and sandy soils, and on the other hand by the different microclimate zones and the number of hours of sunshine. A large part of these grapes are harvested by hand during the harvest. In the process, the production team decides together when the right harvest time has come.

Soil type(s): loess and loess loams, tertiary marl soils and clay lenses

The base wines are aged in temperature-regulated stainless steel tanks. The sparkling wines from Balthasar Ress are all produced using the traditional bottle fermentation method, as is the case with Champagne. In this process, the base wine is filled into the bottle together with the tirage, a mixture of yeast and sugar, and tightly sealed. A second fermentation takes place, producing the byproducts of heat, alcohol, and carbon dioxide. Heat goes out through the bottle, the alcohol increases from around 9-10% to 12-13% and the CO2 is trapped inside the wine forming the bubbles that make it sparkle. After a 15-month period of sitting on the lees, a natural plug of yeast is concentrated in the neck of the bottle (the bottle is aged upside down during this time). The bottle is then frozen and finally opened. Due to the pressure in the bottle, the yeast plug shoots out and a clear sparkling wine remains, which is refilled with the dosage (a bit of finished sweet wine). The amount of dosage ultimately determines the sugar content as well as the final taste of the sparkling wine. Here the wine is vinified to the Brut style.

Sekt was not always seen as a high quality sparkling wine. In fact, German Sekt was often lumped into the same category as everyday Prosecco. With Germany having more and more success with high quality Traditiional (Champenoise) Method wines our attention has been piqued. The aromatic intensity and distinctive nature of Riesling, it is truly something to keep an eye on. The prices are not too bad either when compared to their French counterparts.

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