Kleines Gut
2023
Nackt
Trollinger
Württemberg, Germany

Daniel and Frederike started their project in 2020 with 3 hectares, simple methods, and a highly intuitive approach to farming. The grapes were previously sold to a co-operative, but Daniel and Fredi were determined to become an independent winery with a focus on minimal intervention in the cellar and rich biodiversity in the fields. The winery is nestled on the outskirts of Ulbach, a small village that lies in a valley of the same name, surrounded by rolling hills. Winemaking runs deep here – many of the streets are named after grape varieties and during harvest the wide and slowly winding routes through the vineyards are filled with locals and visitors alike, keen to soak up the autumn sun. The Kleines Gut cellar dates back to 1546, a pocket of history tucked beneath the family home where Daniel and Fredi raise their two children. Filled with old wooden barrels and a single amphora, this is where the wines shelter, protected yet still influenced by the changing seasons. The Trollinger vines were planted around 1980 and grow on steep slopes with very fertile soil, rich with clay and marl. It is these grapes which are occasionally used for Nackt; a very special wine with only 200 bottles made. For two vintages in a row Daniel and Fredi were unable to find the quality they sought for this wine but in ’23 the sun shone and sugar levels rose; the perfect year for Nackt.

The grapes were de-stemmed and left on the skins for three weeks before pressing, the barrels filled by gravity and put to rest in the cool cellar, four metres below ground level. Bottled with nothing added and nothing taken away, this is a serious and honest wine with great balance that’s best enjoyed slightly chilled. We’re delighted that Daniel and Fredi have entrusted us with these bottles, available exclusively through Off Grid.

This wine is part of
 
Volume 73