Kanzem Altenberg Riesling Alte Reben
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2036
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted pork belly, spicy Thai curry, aged hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from one of the Saar's most legendary and steepest grand cru sites, the Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Alte Reben is a monument to German viticulture. The vineyard itself is a sheer wall of iron-rich red Devonian slate, boasting a south-southeast exposure that captures optimal sunlight. Here, ancient, ungrafted vines—some over a century old—dig their roots deep into the rock, yielding minuscule crops of highly concentrated berries. Historically, wines from the Altenberg were so revered that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they commanded prices exceeding those of Bordeaux's finest estates at auctions. Van Volxem honors this heritage through traditional craftsmanship, utilizing spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in large, neutral oak fuder casks. The resulting wine is a masterclass in tension: texturally rich and opulent, yet driven by a fierce, salty minerality, vibrant Saar acidity, and complex aromas of yellow stone fruit, wild herbs, and smoky slate.
🍾 About the Producer
With viticultural roots reaching back to Roman antiquity and an 18th-century Jesuit monastery, Weingut Van Volxem is a historic estate situated in Wiltingen along the steep slopes of the Saar in Germany's Mosel region. The estate experienced a dramatic renaissance when Roman Niewodniczanski acquired it in 1999, dedicating the estate to restoring the Saar's historic reputation for world-class, dry-style wines crafted with artisanal precision. Working with venerable old vines across premier Grand Cru terroirs—including iconic sites like Scharzhofberger, Wiltinger Gottesfuss, and Kanzemer Altenberg—the winery practices low yields, hand-harvesting, and spontaneous fermentation in traditional wooden casks. Van Volxem is celebrated internationally for its powerful, mineral-etched Riesling Grosses Gewächs, old-vine cuvées, and expressive traditional method sparkling wines.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Riesling
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
12% - 12.5%