Site and history
The Hattenheimer Engelmannsberg lies in the Rheingau near Eltville am Rhein, to the west of the road from Hattenheim to Kloster Eberbach. On its southern side, the vineyard site extends as far as the Rheingau Railway line. The name is linked with the nobleman Engelmann and his wife Elisabeth von Hattenheim, who in 1321 endowed the monastery of Eberbach with all their holdings.
Relief and microclimate
The site, which faces south to south-south-west, is situated at around 80 to 95 metres above sea level and has slopes of roughly 10 to 30 per cent; locally, up to 14 degrees are described. In winter, a hollow collects cold air and, in sufficiently cold years, can provide conditions for the production of ice wine. Existing dry-stone walls store the sun’s warmth during the day and release it to the vines at night.
Soils and viticulture
The soils consist of deep loess, loess loam and clayey loam, and have a high capacity for storing water. Deep-rooting vines can thereby also retain water and nutrients during dry or hot periods. Vineyard hedges, as well as individual old dry-stone walls, serve as boundaries.
Variety and classification
Riesling is the classified grape variety of the Hattenheimer Engelmannsberg, designated by the VDP. The Rieslings produced from it are described as spicy, acidity-emphasised and suitable for ageing. Hattenheimer Engelmannsberg is documented as a single-vineyard site in the Rheingau and classified by the VDP as VDP.ERSTE LAGE®. For Engelmannsberg ice wine, the grapes are picked by hand, pressed as quickly as possible in the frozen state, and processed in the cellar.
