1990 Schloss Schonborn Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling Auslese Rheingau

1990 Schloss Schonborn Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling Auslese Rheingau

Winkel is a village on the northern banks of the Rhine river in Germany. It is a densely planted area at the heart of the Rheingau, where the Rhine is at its widest. There are three Grosse Lage vineyard sites in Winkel, each planted predominantly to Riesling – Schloss Vollrads, Hasensprung and Jesuitengarten.

The Schloss Vollrads site, home to the Schloss Vollrads wine estate, is one of just a few estates in Germany that is wholly classified as a Grosse Lage and as such does not have to have the village name on the label.

The 33-hectare (81ac) vineyard is located to the north of Winkel and has a unique microclimate as a result of its proximity to the river, as well as the shelter it receives from the Taunus woods. The soils at Schloss Vollrads are made up of loam and quartzite, which help impart minerality to the wines. 

Hasensprung, on the northwestern edge of Winkel, is named after the local hares that frequent the tiny vineyards around Johannisberg. This vineyard is of immense historical significance, as local legend tells that it was here in 1775 that a communication mix-up allowed for the discovery of botrytis in Germany, giving rise to the sweet beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese wines that are so highly prized today. Deep loess is the predominant soil type in this fertile area, although there is some shallow gravel and loam as well.