The still young winery Unterlind is certainly one of Germany's most exciting new wineries, as 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 an der Saar. The two met and fell in love while working at the world-renowned Scharzhof and soon thereafter dreamed of a joint wine project. Heiner's roots extend to the Moselle, where his family has been making wine for centuries around the picturesque winegrowing village of Trittenheim. It was therefore logical that he and his wife leased the first three parcels in the famous Trittenheimer 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's vineyards could fall into foreign hands, further parcels were added in 2020 in the top sites of Brauneberger Juffer, Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr, and Leiwener Laurentiuslay. Today, the two cultivate a total of 1.8 hectares of old to ancient, over 100-year-old vines in partly extremely steep slopes on the characteristic slate soils of the Middle Moselle.

In search of a suitable name for their new winery, they chose "Unterlind", a homage to Veronika's home, a picturesquely situated mountain farm in the Tyrolean Alpbach Valley, where she spent her childhood. Having 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. Thus, the Bolligs fill their wines into these unusual, squat apothecary bottles and, at first glance, forgo a label. On closer inspection, however, it quickly becomes clear that the label is lasered into the bottle – before filling with wine, of course – a project that has cost Heiner many nerves in fine-tuning the machine, but guarantees them a unique selling proposition. As an added bonus, these extraordinary bottles can be excellently reused as stylish flower vases! Finally, the desired long shelf life 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.

In managing their vineyards, Heiner and Veronika follow a clear philosophy of sustainable viticulture. Therefore, the soil is cultivated gently with a traditional plow and cable winch to regularly and carefully break up the soil. Herbicides are deliberately avoided, and a minimalist approach to plant protection is in harmony with nature. In autumn, the ripe grapes are, of course, harvested by hand with the help of family and friends and then gently pressed on a traditional basket press. In their father's cellar in Trittenheim, Veronika and Heiner then ferment and age their wines with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks. They are always on the lookout for traditional, used Fuder barrels to give their wines additional depth and character in the future and thus continue to cultivate the traditions of the Moselle.

Much like their work at the legendary Scharzhof, the two young winemakers have dedicated themselves to the art of producing classic Prädikat wines with a delicate 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, combined with excellent vineyards and, not least, outstanding Saar expertise, distinguish Weingut Unterlind and make it a rising star in the German wine landscape. Their first vintage was 2020, but the microscopically small quantities were never commercially distributed. We are delighted to now present to you the wines of the fantastic 2021 vintage! A total of four different Kabinett and two Spätlesen, which, in this century vintage, burst with tension, refinement, and elegance for these two Prädikate. The wines consistently exhibit fantastic concentration, which, in combination with brilliantly radiant acidity and crystal-clear, precise fruit, merge into a captivating unity possessing tremendous aging potential. This concentration and fantastic balance with great aging potential strongly remind us of the legendary Egon Müller Rieslings. Hats off to this great class in only the second vintage of this newly established winery – it leaves us eager for more!