When Jan Matthias Klein took over the winery from his parents in 2005, the winery had some serious history. Started in 862 as a gift to the Abbey of Stavelot, now part of Belgium, it was sold in 1805 and was split up several times. In 1949 the family Klein started expanding again and today it is back to 9 hectares. One of Jan’s first move was to switch to organic farming, which is especially challenging with the steep hills in the Mosel region. Only recently he started to make natural wines, but quickly expanded the range and all of it is absolutely outstanding wine.
The “Little Bastard” was one of the first naturals Jan made and it is a bastard in a region which is so focused on Riesling. It still is mainly Riesling, but with the right amount of Sauvignon Blanc and a tiny bit of other grapes. They all ferment separately with various amounts of skin contact before they go into a big old barrel for just three months. It is bottled with a little bit of fizz to make it stay fresh longer. It is a very wild, but easy drinking white wine with aromas of peach and lime. This will be definitely a brilliant summer wine and especially good with any kind of cheese.