Location and climate
Lahr lies at the transition from the Black Forest to the Upper Rhine Plain, at the exit of the Schutter valley into the Rhine plain. The town is assigned to the wine region Baden and lies at the interface between the wine-growing areas of Breisgau and Ortenau. The climate is warm-temperate and is shaped by the Atlantic and by the town’s location between the Black Forest and the Upper Rhine Graben.
Vineyards and soils
The vineyards are concentrated on the sunny slopes of the Schutterlindenberg at the foothills of the Black Forest. The Lahr Kronenbühl has a south-west to south-east aspect, elevations from 180 to 260 metres and slope gradients from 0 to 30 per cent. Loess soil has been documented there; in the geological transitional zone of Lahr, brown soils, pararendzinas, floodplain soils and gleys are also found.
Viticulture and classification
Wine has been grown on the Schutterlindenberg for centuries, and the areas under vine shape the landscape and culture of Lahr. The historic vineyard Kirchgasse lies on the south side of the Schutterlindenberg on limestone formations with loess and loess-clay layers of varying thickness. In the VDP classification, Lahr Kronenbühl is classified as VDP.ERSTE LAGE; Herrentisch and Kirchgasse are listed as VDP.GROSSE LAGEN.
Grape varieties and wine style
The documented grape varieties include White Burgundy (Weißer Burgunder), Grey Burgundy (Grauer Burgunder), Auxerrois, Riesling, Chardonnay and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). From Lahr, fresh white wines from Burgundy varieties, Riesling and Chardonnay are documented, as are red Spätburgunder wines. Spätburgunder is produced there using traditional mash fermentation and is aged in large wooden casks.
