Kirchenstück

The Weinheimer Kirchenstück is a single vineyard in the town and cadastral district of Weinheim within the municipality of Alzey. It belongs to the Wonnegau area, to the Großlage Sybillenstein and to the wine-growing region Rheinhessen. In the 2024 wine-vineyard directory, 52.1 hectares of planted area are recorded for this site. The name refers to the site’s former ecclesiastical ownership.

The south-facing site lies at approximately 210 to 285 metres above sea level. Documented are Rotliegend and Rigosol soils from calcareous clay and fine sand, as well as volcanic stony and Brown Earths with dark lava stone. The Rotliegend and Rigosol soils are shallow to medium-depth, calcareous, stony and clayey-loamy. The volcanic soils are shallow, very stony and sandy-clayey-loamy, and show good ventilation and heat retention.

From the Kirchenstück, Weißburgunder and Sauvignon Blanc are documented. The regional profile of the Rotliegend and Rigosol plots connects the site with herbal, finely spiced and almost floral notes, mineral components, as well as aromas of peach, apricot and honeydew melon. For the volcanic stony and Brown Earths, lively minerality, elegant fruit and notes of peach, apple and citrus are described. A documented bottling of Weißburgunder from the Kirchenstück was made dry with 12.5% alcohol by volume, 1.5 grams of residual sugar per litre and 6.7 grams of acidity per litre.

For a Weißburgunder plot on Rotliegend, hand harvest is documented, as well as certification in accordance with organic and Demeter guidelines. The wine was matured with spontaneous fermentation, for twelve months on the full lees in the barrel in the piece, and a further twelve months on the fine lees in stainless steel; no fining was stated. For the winery’s own core plots in the Kirchenstück, a hand harvest is also described, along with species-rich sown cover crops, gentle soil cultivation, fertilisation with stable manure and the avoidance of herbicides.