OUR PARTNER
Sybille Kuntz Weingut
MY VINEYARDS
The best and the largest parcels of the in total 45 acres of vineyards where the SYBILLE KUNTZ Riesling is growing are situated in the grand cru site Niederberg-Helden in Lieser. In these parcels thrive the oldest vines. They were planted in the 20ties of the last century as „selection massale“ and are still own rooted. In a 70% inclined steep slope the midday sun hits the vines vertically and in addition the Mosel River reflects the sun with mirror like intensity.
With a minimal diet provided to them on the surface soil, the vines are forced to send their root systems as deep as forty-five feet into the grey Devonian slate to get their nutrients. The Devonian slate was formed millions of years ago from the inner core of the earth to become the dominant stone deposit of the Mosel vineyards. Two thousand years ago the Romans had already recognized that the mineral content of the soil on these Mosel hillsides was ideal for viticulture, and they planted the steep slopes with vines. At Lieser they operated the largest of the thirteen ancient wine presses that have been found on the Mosel and at the very location an Information Board commemorates the spot of the Roman wine making activities.
MY AMBITION
When you think of Mosel wines, the Riesling grape comes to mind. I focused on the specialty of our region and, for me, that meant growing Riesling exclusively.
To make wines that would meet my ideal of what constitutes a good wine, I soon realized that I would have to spend ever more time in the vineyards and the cellar. And if I were to take upon myself the strenuous work on the Lieser hillside vineyards with its steep slopes of up to 70 degrees, the outcome of all that effort would have to be an awesome wine, a remarkable wine, a wine which rises to the level of those I had purchased for my wine shop from the grand cru vineyards in Burgundy and Tuscany.
So the result of all these efforts must be an exceptional, a remarkable Riesling.
MY PARTNER
With my husband Markus Kuntz-Riedlin, a “Geisenheim” Enologist from the Markgräflerland/Baden with the same ambition and fascination for vines and wine, an additional reinforcement came to the SYBILLE KUNTZ Weingut. That was the “go!” for the further development of the SYBILLE KUNTZ Mosel-Riesling.
Together we advanced and refined the very own wine style of the SYBILLE KUNTZ Mosel-Riesling and made it distinctive and different. The vineyard property has grown to 18 hectare of Riesling, with an upward trend.
Since 2010 we have also started the Weingut RIEDLIN in Laufen Markgräflerland/Baden on the family land of my husband. There we exclusively cultivate Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) according to the same biodynamic principles, also Demeter certified since 2018.
Dear Friends of Riesling,
as you know we colour coded our six quality categories according to ripeness level and taste profile. we put the bottle picture over the ripeness evolution of the Riesling berries to show what we mean.
Qualtätswein trocken is coloured blue for more mineral taste of the blue devon slate the soil we work with. Second week of harvest.
Spätlese trocken is coloured yellow for when the berries are fully yellow and completely ripe. Third week of harvest.
Auslese feinherb is coloured violet when botrytis is developing and the colour changes to a violet teint. Fourth week of harvest.
Beerenauslese edelsüss is coloured bordeaux-red as when the dehydration of the berry continues the colour darkens to a bordeaux like teint. Also fourth week of harvest.
Trockenbeerenauslese edelsüss is coloured bronze as when a fully dehydrated raisin turns to a bronze like teint. We need 7400 raisins for 1 Liter of Trockenbeerenauslese. Also fourth week of harvest end of October.
Review
JANCIS ROBINSON
PURPLE PAGES
Sybille Kuntz: I have long admired the wines and hard work of Mosel grower Sybille Kuntz, who toils in her own steep, certified organic vineyards and makes mainly dry wines from their produce.
HUGH JOHNSON
POCKET WINE BOOK
„Kuntz, Sybille*** Progressive individual organic 18-ha estate at Lieser, esp Niederberg-Helden v’yd. Intense wines, one of each ripeness categorie, intended for gastronomy, listed in many top restaurants.