Location and geography
The single vineyard Probstey is located in the Nieder-Saulheim district of Saulheim in Rheinhessen. It officially covers 27 hectares, is south-facing and lies at 160 to 190 metres above sea level. The slopes reach up to 25 per cent gradient.
Soils and microclimate
For Probstey, a warm microclimate as well as marl and para-rendzina have been documented. The soils consist of calcareous loams and sands from deposits of the Tertiary Sea. Further descriptions mention clay marl, limestone and yellow marine sand. In an eroded core plot, the loess has been removed and the limestone exposed; there the vines grow more restrainedly, form small berries and produce harvest-time grapes with high aromaticity.
Wines
From the site, Riesling, Silvaner and Spätburgunder have been documented. Riesling and Silvaner are described as voluminous, complex wines with pronounced length. A documented Probstey Spätburgunder from the 2023 vintage is concentrated, dark-fruited and characterised by a saltiness linked to limestone. A 2023 Riesling Trockene Beerenauslese is an noble-sweet wine made from botrytised, rosinierted grapes with 161 degrees Oechsle.
Classification and vinification
The name refers to earlier church ownership arrangements. In the Middle Ages, St. Maria in Mainz, Eberbach Abbey and St. Peter were connected with vineyards in Nieder-Saulheim. The official wine-growing area classification lists Probstey as a single vineyard within the area of Nierstein, in the Domherr region, and in the cadastral district of Nieder-Saulheim. For the documented Spätburgunder, the grapes were hand-harvested, fermented spontaneously with natural vineyard yeasts on the mash, and aged for around 18 months in French barriques, half in new and half in older barrels.
