Schloßberg

Schloßberg is an officially recognised single-vineyard site in the Nieder-Saulheim cadastral district of Saulheim in Rheinhessen. It belongs to the Nierstein area and to the Großlage Domherr. The official vineyard register lists an area of 110.9 hectares.

The regional winegrowing administration describes the site as being at altitudes of around 150 to 215 metres above sea level, and with an aspect from east to north. The individual parcels described by a producer are on a west-facing slope at around 170 to 235 metres. Surrounding hills provide protection from wind and form a basin, or an amphitheatre. Via the Selztal valley there is an air-flow connection to the Rhine, which in cold autumn periods can bring in warmer air. For Schloßberg, the growing season is described as being around three days later than for the Saulheimer Probstey.

The soils consist of deep, strongly lime-rich and clay-rich loam and sand of the soil type Mergel-Pararendzina. They formed from deposits of the Tertiary sea and are also associated with iron oxides. Riesling and Grauburgunder are documented as the grape varieties from the site. The wines are described as full-bodied and highly expressive, with a balanced acidity, fruit and creaminess. Rieslings from Schloßberg also show mineral notes with a fine structure and an earthy character, as well as a lively acidity.

The name refers to the former castle in Nieder-Saulheim, whose foundation stone was laid by Seyfried von Dienheim on 6 May 1588. The Schloßberg vineyards of Thörle have been farmed under biological certification since 2019; the work described includes manual labour, yield reduction, the avoidance of herbicides and insecticides, as well as organic fertilisation. For the 2024 vintage of the Saulheimer Schloßberg Riesling produced there, a late selective harvest, natural yeasts, and maturation with half aged in traditional wooden barrels and half in stainless steel are documented, as well as eight months on the lees.