Dr. Fischer Ockfener Bockstein Spatlese 1997

The picturesque village of Ockfen is situated near to Saarburg in the rural Saar valley, and only a short distance from the city of Trier. Ockfen is set in scene by its famous Bockstein hillside. The "Bocksteinhof" buildings and cellars of the Dr. Fischer estate are at the foot of this vineyard. This site has complete south/south-west exposure and the soil consists of a high percentage of slate, producing racy wines with a firm fruit structure. Ancestors of Oenologist Hans-Henning Fischer, who died in 1999, have been cultivating vineyards since 1758 according to old deeds. Obliged to this tradition, his widow Karin today manages the estate, assisted by an experienced team of devoted employees. Currently 12 ha (30 acres) of vineyard are under cultivation, of which 100% are planted with Riesling.

The vineyards of the estate are located in Ockfen, Saarburg and Wawern. The "Wawerner Herrenberger" site is a monopole site to the Dr. Fischer estate. While the wines of the "Ockfener Bockstein" are characterized by racy, well structured fruit, the wines of the "Wawerner Herrenberger" present themselves more filigrane and elegant. This is due to the soil of the first being mostly slate and the soil of the later consisting of more clay. This provides our customers with a fine variety of wines. In the cellar the wines undergo spontaneous fermentation with natural yeast. It is our goal, to display the characteristics of the single vineyard sites in the individual wine. This reductive concept is carried out in our cellar, which naturally maintains a stable cool temperature and therefore provides optimal conditions. Wines from the Saar region naturally need a little more time to mature. With bottle age they will become more elegant and expressive as well as rounder in their appearance. The wines are astonishingly low in alcohol, but high in mineral contents. The fine acidity harmonizes well with the sweetness, giving a crisp finish. The Dr. Fischer estate belongs to the elite of the best 300 estates of Germany (member of the VDP association), and most of the production is exported, mainly to the USA.

Although not certified organic, great care is taken with respect to sustainable viticulture, as well as selective handpicking and gentle processing of the grapes, followed by a cool, naturally slow fermentation in the old oak Fuder casks (1000 litres). Since the 2007 vintage, we have been bottling our wines with the new stelvin closure.