Location and classification
The almond tree is a single vineyard site in the municipality and cadastral district of Pfaffen-Schwabenheim in the Bingen area of Rheinhessen. The single vineyard site belongs to the Großlage St. Rochuskapelle and is registered in the wine-growing sites register under the code 710636. The planted area amounts to around 159 hectares.
Relief and soil
The wine-growing site lies at an altitude of approximately 130 to 170 metres and is oriented from south-west to south. The documented soil types are marl and Pelosol. The deep, calcareous clay was formed from calcareous clay deposits from the Tertiary sea.
Soil characteristics and climate
The soil has a high proportion of clay capable of swelling, restricted water supply and aeration, a high nutrient content and a strong calcareousness. Heat retention and root penetrability are described as medium to, respectively, difficult. For Pfaffen-Schwabenheim, a dry climate shaped by a Central European-continental influence has been documented, with around 550 millimetres of annual precipitation. From May to July, about 150 millimetres fall; the average temperatures are approximately 1.8 degrees Celsius in January and 18.5 degrees Celsius in July.
Name and cultivation
The name of the site is likely derived from a single almond tree. The almond tree is cultivated and processed, among others, by Weingut Siebenhof and Winzerhof Diegel. Winzerhof Diegel lists, for the entire operation, spontaneous fermentation and longer ripening on the fine lees as cellar practices; this information does not refer to a site-specific process.
