2007 Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Engelmannsberg Riesling Spätlese fruity exposé

The producer is the renowned VDP wine estate Balthasar Ress. Founded in 1870 by the Rheingau hotelier Balthasar Ress, the wine estate numbers among the large, familyoperated enterprises in the Rheingau today. Consistently high standards of per-formance and reliability have been hallmarks of the estate since its founding. Today the estate is run by Stefan and Christian Ress, who represent the fourth and fifth generations of the founding family.

2007 was an unusual year marked by meteorologi-cal factors, starting with unusually high temperatures in April, during which vegetation progressed up to three weeks ahead of schedule, followed by blossoming in midMay the earliest ever recorded in the Rheingau. After warm days and sufficient precipita-tion in July, favorable weather continued into late summer and early autumn. These warm, sunny days in combination with cold nights were ideal for the development of aromas. Thanks to ample water supplies, considerable quantities of minerals were released in the soil and absorbed by the grapes. As such, the wines are very rich in extract. In contrast to 2006, when the onset of rot forced pickers to bring in the crop as quickly as possible, the 2007 harvest began on 10 September and lasted for nearly seven weeks, during which we harvested fully ripened grapes that had developed fine aromas. Considering that the normal growing season for grapes is usually about 100 days, in 2007 it was almost 140 days a phenomenon evinced by incredibly aromatic grapes.

The name Engelmannsberg derives from Engelmann of Hattenheim, a knight who deeded his wine estates to Kloster Eberbach in 1321. The soil consists primarily of loess, loess-loam and Tertiary marl. Because they are deep, they are able to store considerable water reserves especially valuable in dry years to ensure the vines’ water and nutrient supplies.

The grapes are selectively harvested by hand.

Fermentation takes place in temperaturecontrolled stainless steel tanks after the musts settle.

100% Riesling

Aromas of apple and apricot with a hint of elder. Moderate acidity with an elegant sweetness.

Helge Hagen, (Sommelier, Kronenschlösschen/Hattenheim)

Whipped quark (fresh, unripened curd cheese) with marinated mirabelles (yellow plums).

Helge Hagen, (Sommelier, Kronenschlösschen/Hattenheim)

The wine should develop well until 2009-2010. Helge Hagen, (Sommelier, Kronenschlösschen/Hattenheim)