Producer
Balthasar Ress was founded in 1870 by a hotelier of that name, who wanted to make wine to serve his guests. Now run by the fourth and fifth generations of the family, the company still produces wine under Balthasar’s original brand name:’Von Unserm’, literally ‘from us’, a dry, multi-vineyard blend that represents the house style. From their base in Hattenheim, in the epicentre of the Rheingau, Ress also controls many superb vineyards that are bottled as single-site wines.
Vineyard
Classified a ‘first class site’ (Erste Lage), Hattenheim Engelmannsberg takes its name from the village, Hattenheim, and a knight, Engelmann, who gave his vineyards to the local monastery in 1321. The soil consists primarily of loess, loam and Tertiary marl.
Winery
The grapes were tipped directly into the wine press to avoid crushing and pumping. Once the must had settled, fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation was blocked to preserve crispness.
