Location and designation
Lenchen is a vineyard site in Oestrich, a district of Oestrich-Winkel in Rheingau. The official single-vineyard designation is Oestricher Lenchen. The site comprises 79.07 acres of classified vineyard area and lists Riesling as the specified grape variety.
Topography and soils
The slopes, oriented to the south to south-east, have a gradient of around five to 15 percent and lie at an altitude of about 110 to 135 metres above sea level. Loess clay with gravel is predominant. In addition, heavier tertiary, iron-bearing clay marl and quartzite occur.
Site conditions
Underground aquifers ensure good available water capacity even in dry years. The surrounding vineyard walls store warmth during the day and release it to the vines at night. Within the single-vineyard Oestricher Lenchen, Eiserberg, Hölle and Pfaffenpfad are listed as parcel names.
Wine style and history
Lenchen Rieslings are associated with floral aromas, notes of yellow fruit and an aromatic profile. Descriptions of the wines cite a pronounced interplay of sweetness and acidity and assign the site especially to the sweeter Riesling style. The name Lenchen is explained both as a diminutive form of Lehen and as a reference to a slope or down-slope that leads to the Pfingstbach. The historic parcel name Oestricher Rosengarten was incorporated into Oestricher Lenchen in 1971 and, according to the VDP, has been officially listed again as Rosengarten from the 2014 vintage. For Riesling, the VDP classifies Lenchen as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®; this classification is accompanied by the note that the vineyard site has not yet been approved under wine law.
