Weingut Immich-Batterieberg

Immich-Batterieberg carries one of the longest documented histories of any German wine estate, with records reaching back to 908 AD. The Immich family acquired the property in 1425 and retained ownership for over 500 years, shaping the vineyards that define the estate today. The most remarkable chapter of that history came in the 1840s, when Carl August Immich used explosives to demolish a cliff face between 1841 and 1845, creating the terraced vineyard that would bear the name Batterieberg, a reference to the artillery-like blasting. The family's tenure ended in 1989 with a sale, and the estate later fell into bankruptcy by 2007. A trio of investors, Hamburg businessmen Dr. Volker Auerbach and Roland Probst alongside winemaker Gernot Kollmann, stepped in to revive it in 2009, pivoting decisively toward dry Riesling and minimal-intervention winemaking.

• Estate first documented in 908 AD; Immich family ownership spanned 1425 to 1989
• The Batterieberg vineyard was literally blasted from a cliff using explosives between 1841 and 1845 by Carl August Immich
• After the Immich family's 1989 sale, the estate entered bankruptcy in 2007 before its 2009 revival
• The revival marked a deliberate shift away from the traditional sweet Riesling style toward dry, single-vineyard expressions

Since 2009, Gernot Kollmann has been the driving force behind Immich-Batterieberg as co-owner and sole winemaker. His background at three of the Mosel's most respected estates, Dr. Loosen, Van Volxem, and Knebel, gave him a precise understanding of both traditional terroir expression and the emerging dry Riesling movement. The business ownership rests with Hamburg investors Dr. Volker Auerbach and Roland Probst, but the creative and viticultural vision is entirely Kollmann's. He has overseen the estate's organic conversion, confirmed from the 2022 vintage, while maintaining the natural winemaking ethos that has defined the project since its first release. No ownership changes or winemaker transitions have been reported through 2026.

• Gernot Kollmann is co-owner and sole winemaker; previously trained at Dr. Loosen, Van Volxem, and Knebel
• Financial partners Dr. Volker Auerbach and Roland Probst are Hamburg-based investors who joined the 2009 revival
• Organic certification was formalized from the 2022 vintage, following 13 years of uncertified organic practice
• The estate produces approximately 50,000 to 70,000 bottles annually across its cru and entry-level range

Immich-Batterieberg farms 13 hectares across several distinct Einzellagen in the Enkirch area of the Middle Mosel, all requiring hand labor due to the extreme gradient of the Starkenburger Hang formation. The estate's most storied site is the 1.1-hectare Batterieberg monopole, planted on grey slate and quartz within the broader Zeppwingert, home to very old ungrafted vines. The Ellergrub, on blue slate and classified Grand Cru in the Prussian 1868 classification, is considered by Kollmann to be his finest site for subtlety and elegance. The Steffensberg lies on red, iron-rich slate and was classified 1er Cru in 1868, producing wines with a spicier, more immediately approachable character. A 2014 acquisition added the Zollturm parcel in Traben, used for both a grand cru cuvee and the estate's Sekt Brut Nature, which spends four years on lees. Across all five cru sites, roughly 80% of vines are own-rooted and pre-phylloxera.

• Batterieberg is a 1.1 ha Grand Cru monopole on grey slate and quartz; its ungrafted vines are among the estate's oldest
• Ellergrub (blue slate, Prussian Grand Cru 1868) is Kollmann's self-described finest site, prized for mineral precision and elegance
• Steffensberg sits on red, iron-rich slate and earned 1er Cru status in the 1868 Prussian classification
• Zollturm was acquired in 2014 and supplies fruit for the estate's Sekt Brut Nature, aged four years on lees

Kollmann's winemaking philosophy is rooted in minimal intervention at every stage, beginning in the vineyard and extending through to bottling. All fruit is hand-harvested from steep slopes, with yields rarely exceeding 35 hl/ha and often lower due to old vine density and steep terrain. Fermentation is spontaneous using indigenous yeasts only; no cultured yeasts, enzymes, or additives are used. Wines are aged in a combination of old oak and stainless steel, and sulfur additions are kept minimal, applied only before bottling. The resulting Rieslings are overwhelmingly dry in style, designed to express site character rather than winemaking intervention. The estate's Sekt Brut Nature from the Zollturm site receives four years of aging on lees before disgorgement.

• Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts only; no cultured yeasts, enzymes, or additives used
• Yields held to 25 to 35 hl/ha; old vines and steep terrain naturally suppress production
• All wines aged in old oak barrels or stainless steel; sulfur added only before bottling in minimal quantities
• Sekt Brut Nature (Zollturm) spends four years on lees before release, the longest aging in the estate's lineup

Immich-Batterieberg sits at the intersection of Mosel history and the region's modern dry Riesling renaissance. Its documented heritage stretching to 908 AD, combined with a vineyard portfolio shaped by Prussian Grand Cru classification and one of the most theatrical acts of viticulture in German history, the explosive creation of the Batterieberg, gives it a unique depth of story. The estate's commitment to ungrafted vines, spontaneous fermentation, and organic farming from a region still largely associated with Pradikat-style sweet wines positions it as a reference point for the serious dry Mosel style. Wine Advocate praised it as one of the Mosel's top dry Riesling domaines in 2019, and the 2024 vintage scored 95 points from Vinum in what critics described as a genuinely challenging growing season involving four Mosel floods and above-average rainfall. For students and collectors alike, this estate offers a window into both the geological complexity of Mosel slate and the transformative potential of minimal-intervention winemaking in a cool northern climate.

• Wine Advocate named the estate one of the Mosel's top dry Riesling domaines in Stephan Reinhardt's 2019 review
• The Zeppwingert 2019 Riesling earned 97 points from Wine Advocate, the estate's highest individual score on record
• Both Batterieberg and Zeppwingert 2024 scored 95 points from Vinum despite a season marked by double average rainfall and four Mosel floods
• The estate demonstrates the viability of organic, pre-phylloxera ungrafted viticulture on extreme Mosel slopes at commercial scale