Category: Battenfeld-Spanier
2021 Hohen-Sülzen Riesling
The Erste Lage classification denotes world-class vineyards of especially notable characteristics: Hohen-Sülzen lies along the Eisbachtal. This river flows from the Donnersberg massif and exerts a significant climatic influence on the valley. The fluctuations between daytime and night-time temperature are more pronounced in Hohen-Sülzen than in other districts. This gives the wines their freshness, elegance, and tension despite the rich ripeness of the grapes.
The vines grow on pure limestone with a generous deposit of loess and are characterized by their ripe fruit, fine spice, and nuanced acidity. The wine is selectively hand-harvested, wild fermented, and raised in Stück and Doppelstück barrels. Shades of pale yellow, with green hues and a silver rim show in the glass. Yellow stone fruit and spice weave an aromatic web around the nose of this Hohen-Sülzen Riesling. Peach, dried apricot, and Mirabelle plum shine, followed by dried herbs, light tobacco, laurel, and the delicate spice of mace and white pepper. A linear palate blends ripe, juicy fruit with savory spice and deep, smoky minerality. This is an unforgettable wine with delicate fruit, saline finish, and indisputable origin. Given its precise, cool, and refreshing nature, it offers countless options for pairing with fish dishes, sushi, or crisp mixed vegetables from the wok.
Wine Facts
- Riesling
- Dry
- VDP.ERSTE LAGE
- Hohen-Sülzen
- South, Southwest
- 500ft Elevation, 15% gradient
- Limestone with Loess, Loam
- 0.75Ltr
- 7g/l
- 3g/l
- 12%
- 6-8°C
- Now-2040
2021 Frauenberg Riesling
The Frauenberg lies in the southern Wonnegau, north of Hohen-Sülzen heading towards Flörsheim at an elevation of up to 280 meters and up to 40% gradient. The historic site can be traced back through official documents to at least 1290, where it was called the “an frauwenhalten” and was the site of a nunnery. H.O. Spanier rescued the Frauenberg from oblivion and placed it back in the consciousness of wine lovers. While purely south facing, the exposed site on the Frauenberg experiences constant cooling winds, with a broken limestone top layer and a base substrate of solid limestone. The vines dig deep into the hard, mineral-rich soil. This lends them a self-sustaining character and allows for long, healthy vegetative periods, even in extreme years. Wines from the Frauenberg are meticulously hand-selected and harvested, wild fermented and matured in Stück and Doppelstück barrels.
Bright straw-yellow, it has shimmering hues and a silver rim. In its youth, Frauenberg is more of a sketch than a highly shaded and detailed self-portrait. Stony and austere, it is reminiscent of wet gravel while cooling notes of fresh chervil and cucumber peel complement the citrus fruit, apricot stone, and apple skin. Unmistakable dark aromatics and smoky overtones deliberately shape the precise outline. A pulsating pressure builds on the tense palate, even as the nearly orchestral acidity acts like a conductor, guiding extract, phenolics, and minerality to each play their part. Complex and nuanced, it is a wine whose potential requires not only a decanter but also a few years of bottle maturation. Frauenberg is a mineral-driven wine with a tremendous affinity for fine cuisine. Lobster, seafood, sashimi, and dishes that feature soy sauce make for great pairings, while finely-prepared German classics like KönigsbergerKlopse and Braten in horseradish sauce push it toward the sublime.
Wine Facts
- Riesling
- VDP.GROSSE LAGE
- Frauenberg
- South, Southwest
- 1200ft Elevation, 10% gradient
- Loess, Limestone, Stomy Clay Loam
- 0.75Ltr
- 7.2g/l
- 3g/l
- 12.5%
- 6-8°C
- Now-2040
2020-Frauenberg Riesling (19, 18, 17, vintages available)
The Frauenberg lies in the southern Wonnegau, north of Hohen-Sülzen heading towards Flörsheim at an elevation of up to 280 meters and up to 40% gradient. The historic site can be traced back through official documents to at least 1290, where it was called the “an frauwenhalten” and was the site of a nunnery. H.O. Spanier rescued the Frauenberg from oblivion and placed it back in the consciousness of wine lovers. While purely south facing, the exposed site on the Frauenberg experiences constant cooling winds, with a broken limestone top layer and a base substrate of solid limestone. The vines dig deep into the hard, mineral-rich soil. This lends them a self-sustaining character and allows for long, healthy vegetative periods, even in extreme years. Wines from the Frauenberg are meticulously hand-selected and harvested, wild fermented and matured in Stück and Doppelstück barrels.
Bright straw-yellow, it has shimmering hues and a silver rim. In its youth, Frauenberg is more of a sketch than a highly shaded and detailed self-portrait. Stony and austere, it is reminiscent of wet gravel while cooling notes of fresh chervil and cucumber peel complement the citrus fruit, apricot stone, and apple skin. Unmistakable dark aromatics and smoky overtones deliberately shape the precise outline. A pulsating pressure builds on the tense palate, even as the nearly orchestral acidity acts like a conductor, guiding extract, phenolics, and minerality to each play their part. Complex and nuanced, it is a wine whose potential requires not only a decanter but also a few years of bottle maturation. Frauenberg is a mineral-driven wine with a tremendous affinity for fine cuisine. Lobster, seafood, sashimi, and dishes that feature soy sauce make for great pairings, while finely-prepared German classics like KönigsbergerKlopse and Braten in horseradish sauce push it toward the sublime.
Wine Facts
- Riesling
- VDP.GROSSE LAGE
- Frauenberg
- South, Southwest
- 1200ft Elevation, 10% gradient
- Loess, Limestone, Stomy Clay Loam
- 0.75Ltr
- 7.2g/l
- 3g/l
- 12.5%
- 6-8°C
- Now-2040
2021 Kirchenstück Riesling
The Kirchenstück is mentioned by name in official documents predating the Thirty Years War. Situated at an elevation of 150 meters on a plateau between two churches, it overlooks H.O.’s hometown of Hohen-Sülzen. Its ancient centerpiece is home to his oldest vineyards, planted in the 1960s. Today the wines come from the best parcels of the entire Kirchenstück — average vine age: 35 years — for wines of notable fruit and depth. The soft, calcareous stone of the upper soil provides an excellent nutritional supply despite an extremely calcareous substrate. Characterized by its expressive fruit, the Kirchenstück is accessible starting in youth, yet promises immense development potential over time. Wines from the Kirchenstück are
meticulously hand selected, wild fermented and matured in Stück and Doppelstück barrels.
The wine shimmers in shades of pale straw yellow, shifting and changing in the large bowled glass to reveal a nose of juicy fruit and the captivating herbal spice of water mint, lemon-thyme and savory. The green herbal spice is then underscored with yellow and red fruit aromas. Notes of fully ripe yellow apple and quince as well as nectarine are underpinned by accents of wet chalk. Concentrated fruit with a mouthwatering, fine-grained phenolic comes alive to a youthful, electric nerve of acidity. Complex and deep, the wine moves with enviable confidence and focus across the palate and toward its steadfast and salty mineral finish. The Kirchenstück is notably openspirited in its youth, yet don’t sleep on its enormous maturation ceiling and well-deserved claim as an accompaniment to fine cuisine: North African or Levant cooking are ideal pairings, as are fish and seafood classics from the French tradition.
Wine Facts
- Riesling
- Dry
- VDP.GROSSE LAGE
- Kirchenstück
- South
- Soft Elevation, 15% gradient
- Limestone, Loamy Loess
- 0.75Ltr
- 8.5g/l
- 0.3g/l
- 12.5%
- 6-8°C
- Now-2045
2021 Keller Kreuzberg Riesling Pfalz (Sold out)
The Zellertal has seen winegrowing since the 8th century, placing it squarely among the oldest winegrowing regions anywhere in Germany. Nevertheless, it was all but forgotten in the 20th century until H.O. Spanier chose it, after the Frauenberg and Schwarzer Herrgott, as his next project to restore to the consciousness of wine lovers. The Kreuzberg lies just below the Schwarzer Herrgott and in fact looks up to the Herrgott’s black Kreuz (‘cross’), earning it the name “Zellertal Kreuzberg.” Geologically, the Zellertal Kreuzberg is just as unique as the Schwarzer Herrgott, standing on a massive bank of limestone running from Rheinhessen’s Frauenberg into the Pfalz portion of the Zellertal and known for producing wines of an incredibly
mineral character. The Kreuzberg Riesling has been classified as a GG since the 2020 vintage, thus making it the first Großes Gewächs from the Pfalz in our portfolio. Hand harvested and wild fermented, the Kreuzberg Riesling is raised in traditional Halbstück barrels and matured on the fine lees until the summer after harvest. The wine winks with shades of pale straw in the glass, and soon overcomes its initial hesitation to reveal that it is anything but reliant on primary fruits. It is notably stony and austere, with salty aromas redolent of a refreshing sea breeze and underscored with aromas of sage and goutweed. Refined and complex, the palate balances an concentrated extracts and reductive fruit against a notably salty soul. Using the tremendous tension and momentum, it blends finesse and elegance with the distinctive minerality of the Zellertal’s limestone soils. A clear occasion to bring out the big glasses, to best enjoy its tremendous development potential. The 2021 Zeller Kreuzberg Riesling GG is exclusively being offered at the VDP.AUCTIONS in Bad Kreuznach.
Wine Facts
- Riesling
- Dry
- VDP.GROSSE LAGE
- Kreuzberg
- South
- Soft Elevation, 15% gradient
- Limestone, Loamy Loess
- 0.75Ltr
- 8.0g/l
- 0.3g/l
- 12.5%
- 6-8°C
- Now-2045
2021 Grüner Sylvaner Trocken (Sold out)
Although considered a native of Franken, Grüner Sylvaner also looks back on a long tradition in the Wonnegau, and could well be the original rootstock of Rheinhessen. When grown on calcareous soils around Hohen-Sülzen, it perpetually develops a certain herbal spice. Grüner Sylvaner is raised in steel and wild fermented to be bone dry.
The wine graces the glass in shades of pale yellow with green hues: Yellow fruit aromas, with notes of nectarine and small yellow pear, are balanced with spring kitchen herbs. The crystalline palate is linear and precise, with everything in the right place: the fruit is flanked by a drying texture, with mild and perfectly integrated acidity. Our Grüner Sylvaner is an ace up the sleeve for a colorful range of vegetable dishes, pairing deftly with salads and light dishes just as well as hearty ones such as a classic German Wurstsalat.
Wine Facts
- Grüner Sylvaner
- Dry
- ORTSWEIN
- Limestone, Loamy Loess
- 0.75Ltr
- 6.5g/l
- 0.3g/l
- 12 %
- 6-8°C
- Now-2045
2020 Spätburgunder
The southern Wonnegau has been known since medieval times for achieving ripeness in grape varieties that fail to thrive in cooler places. Spätburgunder has always been part of that equation, and can virtually be counted as a native of this place. While days in the Wonnegau can be very hot, the cool nights mean overall higher diurnal temperature swings than in other districts. Harvested ripe — but never overripe — we raise our estate-level Spätburgunder Gutswein in barrique and French tonneaux. This provides the first encounter between wine and oxygen, accentuating the delicate fruit of the Spätburgunder with earthy spice. The wine shines a deep ruby red in the glass with aromas of red berry fruit and ripe cherries. Underscored with delicate herbal nuances, it is juicy and refreshing with charming fruit, subtle spice, and refined tannins that give it a thrilling texture. From a wurst sandwich to pasta, an uncomplicated, joyous Spätburgunder complements any day or dish.
Wine Facts
- Pinot Noir
- Dry
- VDP.GUTSWEIN
- Limestone and Loess
- 0.75Ltr
- 5.5g/l
- 0.3g/l
- 12.5%
- 17-19°C
- Now-2040
2020 Kirchenstück Spätburgunder
The Kirchenstück is our flagship in Hohen-Sülzen. It is a very old vineyard, which is already mentioned in documents before the 30-year war. Its original name was Griebelsteyn-and this vociferous name is very apt. Kirchenstück consists of soft, limestone stones and daytime temperatures are always a little higher than in our locations in Mölsheim or Nieder-Flörsheim. Hohen-Sülzen lies in the Eisbach Valley where, as the name suggests, the cold stream, which originates in the Donnersberg massif, exerts a considerable influence with cooler nights. As a result, despite the high grape ripeness, the wines retain their freshness, elegance, and acidity. This Spätburgunder comes from our oldest Pinot Noir vines. The yields are extremely low and the chalky underfloor brings a wonderfully cool freshness to the wine. The dark fruit aromas of currant and black cherry are restrained. In the mouth, the wine remains dark and spicy, and minerality dominates. This Spätburgunder matured in one-year-old barrels from Burgundy for almost two years.
Wine Facts
- Pinot Noir
- Dry
- VDP.GROSSE LAGE
- Kirchenstück
- South
- Soft Elevation, 15% gradient
- Limestone, Loamy Loess
- 0.75Ltr
- 5.7g/l
- 0.3g/l
- 13.5%
- 17-19°C
- Now-2045
2012 Blanc De Blancs Prestige
Battenfeld Spanier Blanc de Blancs Sekt Prestige is made from our plots of Chardonnay located in Hohen-Sülzen. The climate here is perfect to grow Chardonnay in a very fresh and elegant style. First to be harvested, these grapes have to remain low in sugar and high in acidity in order to evolve nicely along the years.
The whole bunches are gently pressed in order to start the vinification of this premium traditional method. The juice is then fermented in French oak tonneaux (second & third use) and stay until June on its fine lees.
After racking the wine, it is bottled with a capsule in order to start the second fermentation. Finally, after 9 years on its lees, our Blanc de Blancs Sekt Prestige
2012 was disgorged.
The 2012 vintage is firm and deep. It shows yeasty character traduced by a nutty, citric tart and brioche aroma, along with delicate floral and stone fruit nuances.
The flavours are clear and the wine is dry. Despite a long time on the lees, it is juicy with ripe and dry fruits, creamy and smoky taste. Let it breathe to show complex flavours of candy, patisserie and a finely spicy finish
Wine Facts
- Chardonnay
- Dry
- VDP.GROSSE LAGE
- Limestone, Loamy Loess
- 0.75Ltr
- 5.7g/l
- 0.3g/l
- 13.5%
- 6-8°C
- Now-2045
