Weingut Benedikt Baltes can look back on more than 100 years of history. It began in 1912 when the city of Klingenberg purchased the building that formerly housed the prince bishop’s fiscal authorities and the Schlossberg vineyard. It was then named Weingut Stadt Klingenberg. It stayed in public hands until 2010 when Benedikt Baltes acquired the wine estate.
Benedikt comes from a family of winemakers in the Ahr region - a predominantly Pinot Noir region - and kind of grew up with being fascinated with the Pinot Noir grape.
His wife Julia Bertram - Germany’s 64th wine queen in 2013 - owns a wine estate in the Ahr region. Together they manage both estates. We tasted wines from both wineries. It was very interesting to compare the Franken and Ahr Pinot Noirs.
Klingenberg is Pinot Noir country. The steep amphitheater-like colored sandstone terraces collect the sun and provide perfect conditions for Pinot Noir. 90% of Benedikt’s production is red wine. The rest is Riesling and Müller-Thurgau.
Benedikt Baltes was our host. We took a look at the impressive vineyards of Klingenberg and toured the winemaking facilities of Benedikt Baltes. We then sat down to taste the wines of Weingut Benedikt Baltes and Weingut Julia Bertram.
The wines of Weingut Benedikt Baltes and of Weingut Julia Bertram are availble in the USA through Schatzi-Wines.
Benedikt Baltes/ Schatzi-Wines
Born in the village of Mayschoß in the Ahr Valley, Benedikt comes from a long line of grape growers and winemakers. His ancestors founded what is said to be the oldest wine cooperative in the world and growing up, Benedikt saw his family sell the fruits of their labor to the co-op where it was transformed into pleasurable yet simple wine. Benedikt always dreamed of making his own wine.
After viticultural school in Bad Kreuznach and apprenticeships in Germany, Portugal and Hungary, Benedikt began looking for a place of his own where he could push himself as a vigneron. It was impossible to find land close to home in the Ahr and Benedikt soon found himself scouring the country for a terroir where he could explore the singular potential of Spätburgunder. He eventually found himself in the historic town of Klingenberg with the opportunity to buy an ancient, “urban winery” (founded in 1601—clearly ahead of its time!), with holdings of old vines on the steep terraces, and he knew that he had found his new home.
Starting fresh in a new area offered Benedikt the unique opportunity to begin to enact his vision without being hamstrung by expectation and tradition. As he explains,
“It´s no family winery so it´s not the usual generational conflict. We are committed to honoring the historical roots of the area, working with 100% Pinot Noir like it was when the winery was founded.
Sustainability is very important to us, so we manage our vineyards in an organic way. In addition to the absence of herbicides and chemical plant protection products, we support our vines with natural plant starch agents such as teas, soils and oils. A dozen sheep also help us to control weeds and to stimulate the soil with their natural fertilizer. We are dedicated to the fostering of permaculture in which one does not have to intervene often and which the vineyard renews itself. By that we have to do nearly everything by hand because of the steep terraces. We need up to 2500 hours per hectare per year, which is really a lot. The manual work gives us the opportunity to work gently, vine by vine. That´s why we love to be winegrowers!”
The first written mention of wine growing in the steep terraced vineyards of Klingenberg dates back all the way to the 12th century. By the 1600’s there was evidence of the wine being consumed in the surrounding cities and exported as far as the Royal Court of Karl Gustav of Sweden. Today, though Churfranken is still quite obscure, even among serious connoisseurs of German wine, it is clear that there has long been an appetite for the unique flavors of the region.
Churfranken is a small “red wine island” in the northwest of Franconia composing only around 350 hectares of vines. The area is planted mostly to red varieties like Portugieser and, most importantly, Spätburgunder. Vines grow on the steep, terraced, red sandstone slopes where they soak up the warm rays of the sun. The stone retains a great deal of heat and this helps to moderate the temperature in the vines when nighttime temperatures plunge. This diurnal shift is crucial to the long, gentle ripening required for making world class Pinot Noir. These special vineyard characteristics are what originally attracted Benedikt Baltes to begin making wine in Klingenberg.
Today, working with his girlfriend Julia Bertram (also a Schatzi!) and a group of young, enthusiastic “wine freaks” from all over Germany, Benedikt has emerged as one of the rising stars of the German red wine revolution, bringing attention to the pedigree and aging potential of his unique terroirs.
To meet his desire for “maximum quality,” the fruit is 100% hand harvested, vinified with native yeast and aged in barrels made from oak forests all within 50 kilometers of the winery. There are never any chemical additives in the cellar and the wines are bottled unfiltered. Benedikt is working primarily on two different slopes:
Klingenberger Schlossberg (Große Lage / Grand Cru): 25-60 year old vines, red sandstone in the steep terraces with a tremendous diurnal temperature shift gives the wines a unique combination of elegance, herbal notes and a cool, minty minerality. These wines need time and patience to reveal their depth and elegance
Großheubacher Bischofsberg (Erste Lage / Premier Cru) : 20-40 year old vines, red sandstone on steep terraces. Unlike the profoundly rocky and stony Schlossberg, this site has a sandier topsoil but the mother rock is still pure, red sandstone. The wines from the Bischofsberg are a bit more fruit-driven and are more charming in their youth.
In the words of Benedikt Baltes “Our aim is not to “create” wines, but to conserve and preserve every facet of what our vineyards produce. In our opinion, each wine is unique, in which the vine documents its origin, its soil, the efforts of the winegrower, the weather and the details of an entire year. Authenticity can only be achieved by recognizing the strengths of a special vineyard site and to try to capture them in the wine. Our aim is to show long-lasting, characterful and uniquely authentic wines.”
Benedikt Baltes/ VDP
Weingut Stadt Klingenberg can look back on more than a century of history. It began in 1912, with the acqusition of the building that formerly housed the prince bishops’ fiscal authorities and the Schlossberg vineyard that belonged to it. The estate also has holdings in excellent sites in the neighboring wine villages of Grossheubach and Rück. In 1955 the estate numbered among the founding members of the VDP.Franken. In the cellar, the current proprietor, Benedikt Baltes, focuses exclusively on preserving the quality achieved in the vineyard. The grapes are harvested 100% by hand and vinified according to traditional practices. Low yields, extended maceration, native oak casks, long maturation in cask, and unfiltered bottling are used to bring forth the unique character of the wines. The entire attention is concentrated on the production of the outstanding Pinot Noir wines.
Owner Benedikt Baltes
Winemaker Benedikt Baltes
Outside Manager Benedikt Baltes
VDP member since 1955
Bottle production 70 000
Grape varieties 80% Spätburgunder, 10% Portugieser, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau
SCHLOSSBERG, Klingenberg | VDP.GROSSE LAGE®
BISCHOFSBERG, Großheubach | VDP.GROSSE LAGE
Weingut Julia Bertram/ Schatzi Wines
Julia Bertram grew up in a winemaking family in the tiny Ahrweiller village of Dernau. As a child, she never envisioned herself working in the family business as she watched her parents and grandparents burn the midnight oil in both the vines and in the cellar. But when she was old enough to drink wine, toward the end of high school, she became enchanted by the fruit of their vines and the unique flavors expressed by spätburgunder on slate. Inspired, she worked for several years at the iconic Meyer-Näkel estate before enrolling in the viticulture and oenology program at the University at Geisenheim.
The Ahr is one of the most northern wine regions in Germany yet boasts one of the warmest, mediterranean growing climates in the country with over 1500 hours of sunshine a year. The Ahr river flows from west to east and the vines planted on its treacherous slopes are all south and south-west facing; these slopes hold the summer heat and protect the vines from any radical temperature fluctuation. Guarded from extreme weather by the Eifel and Ardennes highlands, the Ahr receives an average of only 615mm of precipitation a year which helps eliminate Bortrytis—what is normally a major struggle for steep vineyards.
The wines of the Ahr are truly unique as it is one of the only regions in the world where you can find Pinot Noir grown on slate soils. The wines have a distinctive ripeness and juicy character, balanced by smoke and mineral cut that is a result of the steep slate terraces.
In 2012, Julia was named German Wine Queen and spent a year representing German wines around the world. Julia began working full time at the family estate in 2014 becoming the 5th generation to do so. At the moment, Julia is making a small amount of wine under her own name with plans to increase her production as she slowly absorbs her family’s domaine.
When Julia began working full time at the family estate, she had strong ideas about improving viticulture. Now, she dedicates herself to focusing only on the best sites, with the oldest vines, and is focused on continually implementing new sustainable practices in the vineyards, undaunted by the challenges of working on the slate terraces. In the cellar, the fruit is handled very gently and the wines are fermented naturally. They are raised in oak barrels of various ages and sizes with the goal of making clear, nuanced wines that articulate their respective terroirs.
“We try to preserve the quality we grow inside the vineyards. So for me, 90% of the quality is growing outside in the steep slopes and our task in the cellar is to help express their elegance and complexity in the best way. By working very gently and without any additions (chemical or otherwise) we give our wines the opportunity to develop themselves.”
Tasting with Benedikt Baltes: Weingut Benedikt Baltes and Weingut Julia Klüber
We tasted the wines of both Weingut Benedikt Baltes and Weingut Julia Bertram
The Wines Benedikt Baltes Poured: Weingut Benedikt Baltes and Weingut Julia Klüber
2016 Weingut Benedikt Baltes Bundsandstein Spätburgunder
The first thing to know about the Baltes’ wines is that all the vineyards are classified, so even this basic wine has pedigree. As the name suggests, the soil is red sandstone, and the entirety of the estate is only 10ha where Benedikt exclusively produces biodynamically-farmed pinot noir. Often, entry-level German pinot noir displays fruitiness but lacks the structure to go with it. This is not the case with Benedikt’s wines. The Buntsandstein has aromas of roses and cassis which unfold over a lattice-like edifice of acidity and sweet tannin which gives it length.
Vineyard: Klingenberg
Soil: Red sandstone
Farming Practice: Biodynamic
Vinification: Neutral cask
Elevage: 18 months neutral cask
2016 Weingut Benedikt Baltes Grossheubach Alte Reben Spätburgunder
This is the village wine of the Bichofsberg vineyard and like the Erste Lage, this shows darker pinot noir aromas than the Klingenberg sites do. It’s also more concentrated and intense, more like Côte de Nuits whereas Klingenberg is more like Côte de Beaune. It was fermented in neutral 300-500L German oak barrels from the Klingenberg forest. There is more grape tannin here, and less “sweet” tannin as in the Klingenberg, but there is a spicy, minty note as well as a floral, rose component. It’s serious pinot noir with class and distinction.
Vineyard: Bischofsberg
Soil: Red sandstone
Farming Practice: Biodynamic
Vinification: Neutral German barrique
Elevage: 18 months neutral barrique
2015 Weingut Benedikt Baltes SCHLOSSBERG, Klingenberg, GG VDP. Grosse Lage
2016 Weingut Benedikt Baltes Klingenberg Alte Reben Spätburgunder
The sites that make up this Alte Reben are not only some of the oldest vines, but they are also in the coolest sites. The diurnal shift from hot summer days to cool nights promote the building of longer phenolic aromas and this wine is darker, but it retains lightness. Black cherry and plum aromas are buttressed with a minty, sweet tannin palate.
Vineyard: Klingenberg
Soil: Red sandstone
Farming Practice: Biodynamic
Vinification: Neutral German barrique
Elevage: 18 months neutral cask
2016 Weingut Julia Bertram Handwerk Spätburgunder
The 2015 Handwerk sold out before we could get it on the website. Like the 2015, this 2016 is sourced from younger vines all over the Ahr Valley, from Mayschloss to Ahrweiler. Partial stem inclusion with a seven-day maceration until spontaneous fermentation started, then pressed and aged in neutral French oak from Meyer-Näkel. Let’s call this spätburgunder a gateburgunder—a gateway drug to the rest of Julia’s range. It’s a bowl of cherries with a leafy edge and a kiss of cinnamon spice. It’s more structured than the 2015, a bit less overt, but every bit delicious and succulent.
Farming Practice: Organic
Vinification: Neutral barrique
Elevage: 1 year neutral barrique, 2 months stainless
Alcohol: 11.5%
2016 Weingut Julia Bertram Dernauer Spätburgunder
This is from Julia’s home village and the Dernauer sites of Pfarrwingert (greywacke), Burggarten (weathered slate and gravel) and Hardtberg (greywacke). After cold maceration up to a week, it was spontaneously fermented in large, German oak, that comes from near Klingenberg, Julia’s beau’s VDP estate in Churfranken. It has more structure than its Ahrweiler sister, showing sour cherry, sweet spice, incense and slight cedar aroma. The palate has polish, sweet tannin and finesse. It is a gorgeous example of pinot noir.
Classification: Ortswein
Vineyard: Pfarrwingert, Burggarten and Hardtberg
Soil: Greywacke, weathered slate and gravel
Farming Practice: Organic
Vinification: Neutral barrique
Elevage: 1 year neutral barrique, 2 months stainless
Alcohol: 12%
Malolactic: Yes
2016 Weingut Julia Bertram Marienthaler Trotzberg Spätburgunder
Postings: Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken (Published and Forthcoming)
Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at the Königlicher Weinberg Klausberg Project in Sanssouci, Potsdam
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Weingut Dr. Lindicke in Werder an der Havel, Brandenburg, with Katharina Lindicke
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Born in Salzatal, Saale-Unstrut, with Elisabeth Born - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting Lunch at Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Matthias Hey – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine Pairing Dinner at Restaurant Zufriedenheit in Naumburg, with Chef Robert Klaus and his Excellent Food, and Uwe Lützkendorf, Weingut Lützkendorf, and his World-class Wines - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Tasting at Weingut Uwe Lützkendorf, with Uwe Lützkendorf, in Bad Kösen, Saale-Unstrut – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in the Saale Unstrut Region, Germany
Visit and tasting at Landesweingut Kloster Pforta in Bad Kösen, Saale-Unstrut, with Managing Director Björn Probst
Weingut Kloster Pforta: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting with Managing Director Christian Kloss – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Wine and Music: "Martin Luther Lunch" at the Historic Vincenz Richter Restaurant, Weingut Vincenz Richter, in Meissen with Senior Boss Gottfried Herrlich and the Music of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schuh in Coswig, Sachsen, with Katharina Pollmer-Schuh and Matthias Schuh - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Tour and Dinner at Weingut Schloss Proschwitz - Prinz zur Lippe in Zadel, Sachsen, with Georg Prinz zur Lippe - Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit and Tasting at the Sächsisches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul, Sachsen - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Wine and Opera in Dresden: Mozart at Semper Opera and the Best Wines of Sachsen at Wine Bar Weinzentrale in Dresden-Neustadt, with Owner/ Sommelier Jens Pietzonka – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in Sachsen (Saxony), Germany
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Aldinger in Fellbach (Stuttgart), with Matthias Aldinger - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Karl Haidle in Kernen-Stetten, Württemberg, with Moritz Haidle - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Tour and Cellar Tour at Weingut Graf Adelmann, Burg Schaubeck, in Steinheim-Kleinbottwar, Württemberg, with Felix Count Adelmann - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Dinner with Felix Graf Adelmann, Weingut Graf Adelmann, at Burg Schaubeck in Kleinbottwar, Württemberg - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Cellar tour and Tasting at Weingut Zehnthof, Theo Luckert in Sulzfeld, Franken, with Philipp Luckert
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Staatlicher Hofkeller in Würzburg, Franken, with General Manager Marcel von den Benken – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit and Tasting at Weingut Am Stein Ludwig Knoll in Würzburg, Franken - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Wine Pairing Dinner at 1 Michelin Star Restaurant Reisers am Stein, Würzburg, Franken
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Rudolf Fürst in Bürgstadt, Franken, with Sebastian Fürst
Tasting and Tour with the Pinot Noir Legend Paul Fürst, Weingut Rudolf Fürst in Bürgstadt, Franken – Germany-East Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Visit and Tasting at Weingut Benedikt Baltes in Klingenberg, Franken, with Benedikt Baltes: The Wines of Weingut Benedikt Baltes and of Weingut Julia Bertram
Schiller’s Favorites: 2 Legendary Wine Taverns in Würzburg – Juliusspital and Bürgerspital
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Würzburg
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