Location and Classification
Berg Rottland is a vineyard site in Rüdesheim in the wine-growing region Rheingau. It is located on the Rüdesheim hill near the western edge of the town and immediately behind the historic town centre. The VDP classifies Berg Rottland as VDP.GROSSE LAGE® with a classified area of 17.87 hectares.
Topography and Soils
The vineyard site, fully oriented to the south, lies at about 100 to 150 metres above sea level. Its slope gradient is around 15 to 50 percent. The vineyards are interspersed with heat-storing walls. Stony, skeletal soils with a high proportion of grey slate, as well as locally quartzite and gravel, are in some places covered by a thin layer of loess. Georg Breuer describes the subsoil as grey-blue clay slate with a humus-rich topsoil, loess and weathered slate chippings.
Climate and Grape Varieties
The Rhine provides a comparatively warm microclimate and supports early ripening of the grapes. Fog banks from the Rhine valley can promote the development of noble rot. The stony subsoil drains strongly and stores only little water, which means the site can tend towards drying out. The classified grape varieties listed are Riesling and Spätburgunder. On a small terrace, Georg Breuer planted Weißen Heunisch in summer 2004; since 2008 it has been vinified separately in small annual yields.
Wine and Name History
The dry Berg Rottland Riesling produced by Georg Breuer is described as mineral, with firm acidity and a long mineral finish. It matures for eleven months in used barrels with capacities of 1,200 and 600 litres and has development potential over many years. The name Rottland goes back to medieval terms for clearing or bringing land into cultivation and is linked to a gift of fallow land to Rüdesheim winegrowers between 1031 and 1051.
