Christoph and his brother Johannes have worked together since 2006 when they left their jobs to take over the family domaine in Saulheim, a little village inland from Oppenheim and the mighty Rhine. The vineyards lie on a mixture of light clay, limestone red sandy loam and in places flint and schist. All vineyard management is now undertaken organically with a move to biodynamic imminent, a brave step given that a lot of producers still believe this to be akin to witchcraft. In the cellar, the work in the vineyard is continued with by allowing natural ferments and minimal handling. In some instances the wines reflect a more salt/mineral character, a style that they have found naturally occurs in dry Rieslings from the calcareous soils.

The Lagen, or single vineyard wines (Cru) are exceptional for their expression and Hölle being the most impressive of the lot. What also captivated the imagination was the Spätburgunder, or Pinot Noir, which is a wine that carries all the delicate, fragrant hallmarks of the variety as well as the unmistakable smoky, sappy nature of the region. It is sublime.