Vineyards
All our vineyards (Weinberge – literally: wine mountains) are exactly as the German word describes. These steep slopes capture more sunlight, and allow the valley breezes to blow between the vines. Facing global climate change, this is an advantageous position to be in.
Devonian slate – dating from 400 million years ago – is our soil. The roots of our vines find their way deep into the soil, and transport fine minerals to the grapes. This results in mineral and delicate wines of unmistakable character.
The cool growing conditions in the Ruwer Valley ensure a long and gradual ripening period. Our Riesling grapes are usually harvested only by mid-October. This valuable extra time allows the full aromatic potential of the grapes to be expressed in light and delicate wines.
In our individual estates Kaseler Dominikanerberg, Kaseler Nies´chen and Kaseler Kehrnagel, we exclusively grow the noble grape varieties of Riesling and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir),two varieties which are well known for their transparent expression of terroir. The estate Kaseler Dominikanerberg is fully owned by the von Nell-Breuning family and represents one of the few monopole vineyards in Germany.
Vineyard sites
Kaseler Dominikanerberg
The delineated, enclosed Dominikanerberg vineyard is one of Germany's few monopole estates, owned exclusively by the von Nell-Breuning family. The steep south/south-west facing slopes include gradients of up to 50% and comprise 6 ha in total. Dominikanerberg provides the perfect microclimatic conditions for elegant and light Riesling wines with great aging potential. It features barren slate ground, with hard blue slate slabs which imbue the wines with a distinctive taste of minerality, frequently exuding blackcurrant aromas. The grapes of our Riesling sparkling wines are all harvested in this vineyard.
The Dominikanerberg vineyard reaches high levels of altitude, up to 350 meters above sea level. Particularly in the upper part of Dominikanerberg – where the wind gives our grapes the opportunity to remain longer on the vines and reach their full maturity – we regularly manage to harvest grapes of top quality: Auslese, Beerenauslesen and Trockenbeerenauslesen.
Kaseler Nies´chen
The Kaseler Nies'chen is one of the Ruwer Valley's premium vineyards and enjoys a reputation all over the world. The blue/coppery coloured deep-lying clay-slate dating from the Devonian era reveals the high mineral content of the ground at first glance. It produces wines of finely structured, subtle minerality, with well-balanced acid and lots of fruit, body and play. The Nies'chen is a south-facing slope with an inclination of up to 70%. In this vineyard, we continue to cultivate some of our old Riesling vines individually trained in the traditional manner to a single stake
Next to Riesling, we are the only winery to cultivate Pinot noir reds in the Kaseler Nies´chen. On 0.5ha we have identified an ideal plot of land for this classical red grape varietal with its high demand for the terroir: on the bottom of the hill, south-facing, the soil is deep and provides the vines with a very good water supply. Warm and protected, this is the place where our top-class Pinot noir reds are grown.
Kaseler Kehrnagel
The Kaseler Kehrnagel vineyard site is one of the best on the Ruwer, featuring heavily weathered, copper-coloured Devonian slate. As the deep-lying, heavy slate ground has a high water capacity, this estate produces fresh Rieslings of high class, with a long storage life, even in dry years. The wines from Kehrnagel are herbal, juicy and full-bodied. The Kehrnagel faces south west and has a slope of around 40%.
In Kehrnagel, we mainly produce wines with residual sugar. The delicate play of fruity and herbal notes, sometimes mingled with a touch of ginger pepperiness, leads to wines full of character. Wines which are thrilling companions for a variety of dishes, including Asian food.