Schloss Vollrads, `Volratz` Rheingau Riesling Trocken, 2019

Vollrads, Rheingau Germany

Tasting notes

The “Volratz” is bright yellow with youthful highlights. This wine has aromas of peach, apricot and citrus. On the palate, it is a refreshing and dry Riesling made in the traditional Rheingau style, with a good balance of fruit and mineral flavours.

Vinyards

All Schloss Vollrads' vineyards are planted with Riesling and are situated between the Rhine and the forest-clad hills that protect the vines from the cool, northerly winds. Strict pruning ensures that yields are 40% lower than the legal requirement, while further reductions are made by crop thinning. The soil is a mixture of Taunus quartzite, argillaceous shale and calcareous loess soil. The vineyard slopes are all south facing, allowing them to capture the best sunshine. Forests on Taunus mountain range offer protection from the northern winds and create the ideal conditions for these vines.

Vinification

Fermentation was long and gentle, at low temperatures of 16-18°C in stainless-steel tanks with selected yeast strains for a period of two weeks. The Volratz Riesling is named after the ancient name for the Schloss Vollrads estate and is always the first wine to be bottled and released each year.

Producer

Schloss Vollrads, with nearly 800 years of viticulture experience, is one of the oldest wine estates in the world. The vineyards are located in the heart of the Rheingau, where the quality of Riesling is unsurpassed by any other region in the world. In 1728, the world's first Kabinett was produced at Schloss Vollrads and, 300 years on, the estate is still going from strength to strength under the watchful eye of Rowald Hepp and his winemaker Ralph Herke. The estate now has 81 hectares of Riesling vineyards.