Why it matters
The producer
The present-day estate began in rented cellars, then brought its work together in a Josef Pleskot-designed winery in 2008. That move put vineyard, cellar and bottling operations on the same site, giving Sonberk a direct connection between its loess slopes and bottles such as Riesling 2023 VOC, Pálava 2023 VOC and Chardonnay–Pinot Gris 2018.
Sonberk’s modern story is a practical one: a winery founded in 2003 had to begin in rented cellars before a permanent building was approved and completed in 2008. The new winery was designed by Josef Pleskot, and Sonberk describes it as a landmark of modern Czech wine architecture. The consequence for the bottles is not a style claim but a change of working conditions: the estate’s vineyard and cellar operations could finally be gathered at the vineyard that supplies its Riesling, Pálava, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Sonberk’s vineyards face south and southwest at 230 metres, exposing white grapes to the afternoon and evening sun during the growing season. Those slopes support a range in which dry Rhine Riesling sits beside more aromatic Pálava, with Chardonnay and Pinot Gris extending the picture beyond a single variety. The label therefore starts with grape and vintage, but the hill remains the shared address behind the range.
The estate describes approximately 40 hectares of loess soil. Loess is the ground beneath every documented Sonberk grape, from Rhine Riesling to Pinot Gris, and the south- and southwest-facing slopes give the vineyard a clear physical shape rather than a flat regional description. Sonberk does not reduce that ground to a single flavour claim; the useful fact is that its white wines come from one elevated, sun-facing loess site.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Roman Slouk manages Sonberk’s vineyards, where most work is done manually and every grape is harvested by hand. Manual work matters most on the sloping rows because it keeps the vineyard tasks close to individual vines and bunches rather than treating the site as a uniform field. In the cellar, the estate’s documented wines include a 2018 Chardonnay–Pinot Gris blend with recorded fermentation and élevage, alongside VOC-classified Riesling and Pálava from 2023.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Great Sonberk range includes Riesling 2023 VOC and Pálava 2023 VOC, two wines with a formal VOC classification but different grape character: the Riesling follows Sonberk’s dry white-wine direction, while Pálava brings a more aromatic profile. Silver Pálava 2024 belongs to a separate Silver series, making it a useful contrast with the 2023 Great Sonberk Pálava rather than a duplicate bottle. Chardonnay–Pinot Gris 2018 changes the structure again: two grapes share the bottle, bringing a blend into a range otherwise led by varietal wines.
Sonberk’s range moves from dry Riesling acidity toward Pálava’s aromatic fruit, then into the broader body and texture possible in a Chardonnay–Pinot Gris blend. Riesling 2023 VOC is the dry line: acidity shapes the palate and keeps fruit moving through the finish. Pálava changes the opening aroma and fruit character through the grape itself. The Chardonnay–Pinot Gris bottle offers a different route, where two varieties and documented cellar ageing place weight and texture ahead of a single-grape reading.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Sonberk Riesling 2023 VOC. It is a dry Rhine Riesling in the Great Sonberk range, made from a grape that shows the estate’s white-wine direction without the extra aromatic lift of Pálava or the blended structure of Chardonnay–Pinot Gris. Its VOC classification, ageing potential and tasting profile make it a focused first bottle: dry fruit, acidity and finish provide a direct way into Sonberk’s elevated loess slopes and hand-harvested fruit.