Although vineyards had belonged to the Weis family for centuries, Nicolaus Weis (vintage 1905, Nik Weis grandfather) founded the winery in 1947. In the early years he built cellars and winery buildings on a hill on Leiwen's periphery. He named his estate for the patron saint of German winemakers, St. Urban, and hof (the German word for estate), St. Urban's Estate. In 1997, their son, Nik(olaus) joined the winery. Father and son together restructured the vineyard holdings by selling off those of lesser quality and acquiring further parcels of greater quality.
The Ockfener Bockstein, a very steep 50 degree southwest facing hillside slope, is located in a side valley away from the Saar river where the sun's rays shine unimpeded by any other hills. Elderflower, lilac, violet, and rose are the floral notes attributed to these wines along with the aforementioned smoky minerality. These Ockfener Bockstein are the most refined and playful of St. Urbans Hof's wines.--Winemakers Note
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