The Webers of Falkenstein

8/7/15 -

(A mid-slope view of the Euchariusberg vineyard)

To visit the Webers of Hofgut Falkenstein is to know that practiced fingers still dapple embossed ribbons in measured sequence for no more considered reasons than pride of craft and tradition.

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To know that many generations of a single family continue to care for historic Saar vineyards is a reassuring constant in a diminishing viticultural region, where once great vineyards now lay fallow.

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Located in a pastoral enclave of the Saar valley within Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, the Webers took on the responsibility of resurrecting a historic estate and surrounding vineyards in 1985. Erich Weber restored the historic Hof by hand (pictured below).

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Today, around the village of Krettnach, the Webers grow old vine Riesling in the gray slate, quartz, and sandstone soils of the Euchariusberg vineyard and in the gray slate and green basalt speckled soils of the Altenberg vineyard (pictured below).

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In the village of Niedermennig, they grow old vine Riesling, along with Spätburgunder in the gray slate soils of the Sonnenberg vineyard.  All told, the average age of their Riesling plantings is between 40 to 60 years old and 40% of those vines are ungrafted.

The tack in the cellar remains resolutely traditional, minimalist, and very much a family affair (Johannes Weber & Peter pictured below).

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At Falkenstein, these are more than shiny, hollow tenets. They are clarity of purpose to establish a traceable line from individual sub-parcels within each vineyard to immaculately aged 1000L wooden fuder, each giving distinctly numbered batches of bottles. In detail, this means that grapes from each sub-parcel within each vineyard are fermented with native yeasts, inside individual fuders, and the wine from each fuder is individually bottled, without resorting to blending wine from several fuders to achieve a more generically palatable style. This is unwavering belief in terroir and it undoubtedly contributes to the Webers wines being among the most hi-toned and mineral-driven in all of Germany.

The Webers of Hofgut Falkenstein represent the vibrant continuation of the most uncompromising tradition of refreshingly lean and zippy Saar Riesling. We’re proud to release their delicious and age-worthy 2014 wines alongside a few remaining bottles from previous vintages.

- David Salinas