Location and classification
The Rheingrafenberg is a single vineyard site within the municipal area of Wörrstadt in Rheinhessen. The site belongs to the Bingen area and to the larger site of Adelberg. In the official winegrowing sites directory for 2024, 102.2 hectares of vine-covered vineyard area are listed.
Altitude and soils
The vineyards lie at around 200 to 245 metres above sea level. The exposure is described as turning from north to south. The Rheingrafenberg comprises calcareous rendzinas from tertiary marine deposits of a calcareous algae reef as well as marly pelosols from calcareous, clayey deposits of the tertiary sea.
Soil profiles and wine style
The shallow to medium-depth rendzina is very rich in lime, stony and sandy-loamy. It has good aeration and ability to warm up, but a limited capacity to store water available to plants and for root penetration. The marly pelosol consists of deep, calcareous clay with clay minerals that can swell; its water permeability and aeration are limited, as is root penetration. From the rendzina, mineral, chalky wines with balanced acidity are described; from the pelosol, more full-bodied, denser wines with moderate acidity.
Name and documented wines
The name recalls the historic link between Wörrstadt and the Rheingrafen, under whose ownership the village remained until the French Revolution. For example, a dry Merlot and a finely off-dry Gewürztraminer from the Dorst winery are documented from the Wörrstadt Rheingrafenberg. Another single-site wine from this winery is produced from Weißburgunder and Chardonnay; the Merlot matured for 24 months in a 225-litre wooden cask.
