Schlossgut Diel

This estate is today overseen by Caroline Diel, whose father Armin was the author of one of Germany’s most revered wine guides. It is based on the Lower Nahe, the small tributary that flows into the Rhine at Bingen, in the municipality of Dorsheim. The Diel’s holdings include 1er Cru parcels of Johannisberg (south-facing grey slate), Hölle (south-west facing grey slate) and Schlossberg (south-facing red slate) whilst they have a strong position in the 3 Grand Crus. Goldloch is on the site of a former goldmine and has just a small layer of clay sitting atop the bedrock. Pittermännchen, although adjoining Goldloch, has quite a different soil type, being dominated by slate and peppered with rocky outcrops. Both are south facing. Burgberg is the 3rd vineyard of this triumvirate of sites and the smallest at just 4 hectares, of which Diel owns a fraction over half. It’s famed for its Eisweins due to the cool air that descends into the foothills of the slope and perhaps has a little more clay in the soils than the other two sites.