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
The Schützenhaus vineyard could be considered ‘mid-slope’ in the context of the Rheingau, lying for the most part at 100 to 150 metres above sea level. The site is relatively long and slopes towards the west, and is thereby protected from cold easterly winds. The soils consist partly of deep loess and loess-loam, and partly of Tertiary marl mixtures. The depth of the soil ensures good water reserves, which is extremely valuable in dry years. The grapes for this wine were harvested by hand.
Winery
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.
