Schloßberg

Schloßberg is a registered single-vineyard site in the municipality and cadastral district of Sommerau in the Ruwer region of the Mosel. The Sommerau Schlossberg lies in the Ruwer valley around 10 kilometres from the confluence with the Mosel on a former meander loop around Sommerau. The south-facing vineyards are situated in a steep valley landscape with slopes of up to around 70%. The terrain ranges from roughly 190 metres above sea level in the valley floor to about 270 metres up the upper hillside shoulder.

The soils are described as loose, stony slate scree. The steep slopes in the surrounding area have a high proportion of skeleton; dark pieces of slate warm up quickly and store the heat until night. The Ruwer valley is cooler than the Mosel because cold air flows from the Hunsrück highlands into the narrow valley. The risk of late frosts is high. At the foot of the vineyard, a pond has been created as a heat reservoir; the higher air humidity associated with this helps to reduce frost damage.

With the Sommerau Schlossberg, Riesling is associated. The grape variety ripens slowly at this site and retains pronounced acidity. Documented are dry, fine-medium-dry and sweet Rieslings as well as wines with late ripening.

In 1889, Adolph Huesgen laid out six hectares of vineyards in Sommerau, along with a pond, an administrator’s building and a winery. He also acquired and restored the medieval ruin of the Schloss Sommerau, so that the vineyard could bear the name Schlossberg. In the 1960s, Edith and Gustav Willkomm acquired the vineyards for the Peter-Mertes family wineries; they are still farmed from Bernkastel-Kues. In the official register of wine-growing sites in Rhineland-Palatinate, Schloßberg (Sommerau) is listed as a single-vineyard site with vineyard site number 450119. The single-vineyard site is described as being in sole ownership.