Location and context
Schloßgarten is an officially registered single vineyard within the municipal and cadastral area of Burrweiler and lies to the east of the village. The official wine-growing sites directory of Rhineland-Palatinate lists the site under number 810105 in the Großlage Bischofskreuz within the South Wine Route (Südliche Weinstraße) of the winegrowing region Pfalz.
Area, orientation and soils
The officially recorded vineyard area comprises 75.3 hectares, while the classified VDP area is given as 72.0 hectares. The site, which is oriented to the south-east, lies at an elevation of 210 to 240 metres above sea level and has a slope of 2 to 15 percent. The geological subsoils documented include Bunter sandstone (Buntsandstein) and in part shell limestone (Muschelkalk). Further descriptions mention sandy loam from loamy sand to strongly loamy sand, loess loam (Lösslehm), as well as deep, sandy loam with a high lime content.
Grape varieties and classification
The VDP vineyard profile lists Pinot Blanc (Weißer Burgunder), Pinot Gris (Grauer Burgunder) and Chardonnay as classified grape varieties. Documented plantings also include Pinot Blanc (Weißburgunder), Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The VDP classifies Schloßgarten as VDP.ERSTE LAGE®; this classification is a VDP classification and not a statement about the statutory German wine-growing classification.
Documented wine and origin of the name
A documented Pinot Gris from the 2007 vintage was made into a dry Spätlese. For it, exotic fruit and nut aromas, a dense palate and a restrained influence of oak are described. The grapes were obtained through summer green harvesting and selective hand-harvesting; the yield was 45 hectolitres per hectare. Fermentation took place deliberately slowly. The wine matured reductively in stainless steel, with 8 percent fermented in new barriques and aged for about seven months. The name Schloßgarten is traced back to an earlier castle associated with the lords of Dahn in Burrweiler.
