2010 ‘Value Brand of the Year’

Stefan Bollig, vintage 1961 and passionately devoted to his work, is a fi ne example of the new generation of vintners. Trittenheimer Apotheke The family has been producing wine since the 17th Century, but new cellars and a new house have been built on the out- Kabinett 2008 skirts of Trittenheim. Stefan and his wife Jill live in the estate house in Trittenheim with their family, whilst the Weinstube The very steep Apotheke vineyard, am Domhof (a wine pub) is situated in the old house. The total holdings of 4 hectares (10 acres) are tended by the across the Mosel from the estate house, family themselves. Their very steep sloped vineyard sites are is Stefan’s best site in Trittenheim. composed mainly of blue and black decomposing slaty soil. ‘Apotheke’ translates to ‘pharmacy’, Stefan has been managing the estate since 1987, after com- and its medicinal power is perhaps pleting his viticultural studies and practical experience in and Bad Kreuznach. more than a myth. Stefan Bollig’s wines are stylish and crisp with a fi ne fruity Dedications to the estate and costly investments have achieved elegance and good mineral content. The a high standard of quality. Not many small estates would fi ne structure of ripe acidity gives his invest into such an expensive and modern low-pressure tank press, which is so essential for producing a clear and clean wines plenty of maturing potential. must — critical for the production of fi ne, aromatic Riesling. “Fragrant, showing aromas of elder- Careful vineyard management and gentle processing, from fl ower, black currant leaf, apple and the vineyard to the cellars, underline the quality benchmark. slate. A bracing structure drives the Apart from strict pruning to reduce yields, careful foliage man- agement has led to less spraying of fungicides and the fi nal apple and stone fl avors to a lingering spraying is at least 2 months before harvest. There is no use conclusion. This is balanced, but will of insecticides and no mechanical movement of the soil while benefi t from a few years of aging. Best natural interrow growth of plants is encouraged to further stress the vines in their very water poor slate soils. The grapes from 2012 through 2021.” on their steep slopes must all be hand-harvested, carefully 91 points selected and gently transported as undamaged whole cluster Wine Spectator, 03/10 bunches in small bins, without pumping, and pressing un- mashed at low pressure. Natural sedimentation follows before the clear, untreated juice falls by gravity into the cellar. The must ferments slowly under natural conditions with the cellar yeast fl ora at a cool temperature in old oak Fuder (1000 litres) casks in the underground cellars, whereby the natural sweet- ness is retained, where appropriate, and the young wines are left on the fi ne lees for up to 3 months to give the wines more character and stability. Only one light fi ltration takes place before bottling. Recently, more storage capacity with stainless steel tanks has been added.

The very steep Apotheke vineyard, across the Mosel from the estate house, is Stefan’s best site in Trittenheim. ‘Apotheke’ translates to ‘pharmacy’, and its medicinal power is perhaps more than a myth. Stefan Bollig’s wines are stylish and crisp with a fi ne fruity elegance and good mineral content. The fi ne structure of ripe acidity gives his wines plenty of maturing potential.

The estate label with matching gold capsule, depicting the ABV: 7.5 % estate house in Piesport, has been taken from an engraving in the family’s possession, and was introduced in 1995 to empha- RS: 50.4 g/L size the traditional Mosel style of the wines. Apart from using natural cork, Stefan has been bottling wines with the new Stel- TA: 9.3 g/L vin closure since the 2007 vintage.