The still young winery Unterlind is certainly one of the most exciting new wineries in Germany. The people behind it are by no means unknown: none other than Heiner and Veronika Bollig-Lintner, he as operations manager and she responsible for sales at the legendary Egon Müller winery in Wiltingen on the Saar. The two met and fell in love while working at the world-famous Scharzhof and soon had the dream of a joint wine project. Heiner's roots lie in the Mosel region, where his family has been making wine around the picturesque wine village of Trittenheim for centuries. It was therefore only natural that he and his wife leased the first three plots in the famous Trittenheim Apotheke from Heiner's aunt at the end of 2019, thus making their shared dream of their own winery a reality. The following year, Heiner's father retired, but before the family vineyards would have fallen into other hands, further plots in the top vineyards Brauneberger Juffer, Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr and Leiwener Laurentiuslay were added in 2020. Today, the two cultivate a total of 1.8 hectares of old to very old vines, over 100 years old, in some extremely steep slopes on the characteristic slate soils of the Mittelmosel.


"Individual bottles for unique wines"

In search of a suitable name for their new winery, they decided on "Unterlind," a homage to Veronika's home, a picturesquely situated mountain farm in the Tyrolean Alpachtal valley, where she spent her childhood. Having both handled thousands of the region's typical elongated Schlegel bottles in their professional lives, they wanted something more individual and special for their own wines. So the Bolligs fill their wines into these unusual, squat apothecary bottles and, at first glance, forgo a label. However, on closer inspection, it quickly becomes clear that the label is laser-engraved into the bottle before it is filled with wine – a project that cost Heiner many nerves fine-tuning the machine, but guarantees them a unique selling point. Incidentally, these exceptional bottles can be reused as stylish flower vases! Finally, the desired long-term storage potential of the wines is emphasized with a yellow wax capsule, which is intended to limit gas exchange through the natural cork and thus promote the slowest possible maturation.


"Sustainable viticulture between tradition and modernity"

Heiner and Veronika follow a clear philosophy of sustainable viticulture in managing their vineyards. Therefore, soil cultivation is carried out carefully with a traditional plow and winch, to gently till the soil regularly. Herbicides are consciously avoided, and minimal use of plant protection is in harmony with nature. In autumn, the ripe grapes are naturally harvested by hand with the help of family and friends and then gently pressed on a traditional basket press. In the cellar of Heiner's father in Trittenheim, Veronika and Heiner ferment and age their wines with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks. They are always on the lookout for traditional, used large wooden barrels to give their wines additional depth and character in the future and thus continue to cultivate the traditions of the Mosel.


"Inspired by the Saar: First-class Mosel Rieslings with tension and elegance"

Similar to their work at the legendary Scharzhof, the two young winemakers have also dedicated themselves to the art of producing classic predicate wines with fine residual sweetness. However, their passion and willingness to experiment also lead them to consider the possibility of producing dry Rieslings in the future, should the vintage lend itself to it. This openness and curiosity, coupled with excellent vineyards and, last but not least, fantastic Saar expertise, distinguishes the Unterlind winery and makes it a rising star in the German wine landscape. The first vintage was 2020, but the microscopically small quantities were never commercially distributed. We are now pleased to present to you the wines of the fantastic 2021 vintage! A total of four different Kabinett and two Spätlesen, which in this exceptional year for these two predicates are brimming with tension, refinement, and elegance. The wines consistently exhibit fantastic concentration, which, combined with brilliantly radiant acidity and crystal-clear, precise fruit, merges into a tension-filled unity with great aging potential. This concentration and fantastic balance with great aging potential strongly reminds us of the legendary Egon Müller Rieslings. Hats off to this great class in only the second vintage of this newly founded winery – it makes you want more!