Location and Climate
Steep Slope and Soil
Sorentberg has an extreme gradient of an average of 80 to 110 percent. As a soil type, Wissenbach slate is documented, a red slate with shell inclusions. According to the local authority, Sorentberg is the only vineyard site on the Mosel for which this type of slate has been documented. It is one of the four single vineyards in the Reil area of the grand cru “Reiler vom heißen Stein”.
Re-cultivation and Vines
The site lay largely fallow for more than 25 years before re-cultivation began in 2012. During this process, almost 1,000 old, own-rooted vines were found on the upper steep hillside and restored by hand. Thorn growth was removed manually and rotted wooden stakes were replaced. After the fallow period, a further 2.45 hectares were replanted in April 2012 with a total of 16,000 Riesling vines. The first harvest from these new plantings took place in October 2014.
Riesling and Production
Riesling is documented for the re-cultivated vineyard areas and the named wines. The producer makes the two Sorentberg Rieslings “Rotschiefer” and “von 1000 Alten Reben”. The grapes are consistently hand-picked in multiple passes. In the cellar, the documented method includes gentle treatment of the grapes, spontaneous fermentation in traditional wooden casks, and the omission of wine fining agents.
