She was German Wine Queen, he the son of a winemaking family from Mayschoß – together,
Julia Baltes (née Bertram) and
Benedikt Baltes have built one of the most exciting estates on the Ahr. Julia bottled her first vintage in 2014, and the “Discovery of the Year” award followed straight away.
What do they do differently?
Spätburgunder under 12 percent alcohol that still has depth and concentration. No chaptalisation, no fining, spontaneous fermentation in local oak, bottled unfiltered. The fifth generation of a winemaking family, and the proof that light-footed need not mean lightweight.
Light-footed elegance instead of alcoholic heft
On the Ahr, the rule long held: the riper, the better. Julia and Benedikt have turned that formula on its head. Their Spätburgunder is picked earlier, reaches a natural
11 to 12 percent alcohol and still develops an elegance reminiscent of great Burgundy. As with
Christmann in the Pfalz, the point is precision and origin, not power. The estate farms around 4 hectares in the best sites of the Ahr Valley, fully organic since 2020. Yields are a modest 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare – quality always comes first.
Slate and cool nights
Spätburgunder finds ideal conditions here:
weathered slate soils store the warmth of the day, while cool nights in the Ahr Valley preserve freshness. The result is wines of Burgundian finesse with a character all their own. The steep sites in Dernau, Ahrweiler and Mayschoß demand that everything be done by hand – and reward the effort with grapes of singular concentration. Some parcels have gradients of up to 70 percent.
Craft without compromise
The
Ahrweiler Spätburgunder 2021 is a fine way into the world of Bertram-Baltes: sour cherry, wild raspberry and elderberry, taut and mineral at just 11 percent alcohol, with fine acidity and silky tannins.
Spontaneous fermentation in local oak, no fining, bottled unfiltered – every wine is a declaration of faith in craft. Single-vineyard wines such as the
Dernauer Pfarrwingert 2023 show the depth this philosophy can reach. The barrels come exclusively from German coopers, made from Franconian oak.
From the flood to a fresh start
The 2021 Ahr flood hit Dernau with full force. Cellars flooded, barrels swept away, vintages lost. Julia and Benedikt did not give up. With the support of fellow winemakers and wine lovers from all over Germany, they rebuilt the winery –
without compromising on quality. The vintages since 2022 prove it: the wines are better than ever. Anyone drinking a
Neuenahrer Sonnenberg 2022 today tastes not only great Spätburgunder, but also the unbending will of a young generation of winemakers.
