Top single vineyard sites

 The historic map from the year 1901
divided the vineyards situated in the Prussian
part of the Nahe into three land tax categories. Even
at that time, Goldloch, Burgberg und Pittermännchen
were recognized as top sites and taxed accordingly.
In 1997, the Prädikatsweingüter - an association of
vintners dedicated to the production of high quality
wines with distinction abbreviated as VDP - made it
a standing rule in their statute that the most renown
single vineyard sites can only be used in
combination with the Riesling grape and  in
compliance with strict quality criteria.

Details

 These sites of the estate are located south-east of Burg Layen in the area of Dorsheim.

 The Dorsheim sites were registered in the oldest feudal books of the earls of the
Palatinate near the Rhine. This register includes the land names “die Lina” and
“Burgberg”. This is the first official reference to the names.

 The official registration of the names and boundaries, however, first took place when
France occupied the land on the west bank of the Rhine in 1796. Burg Layen and
Dorsheim were assigned to the Rhine-Mosel district. At that time the first land
register map of Dorsheim was made. It was not completed until 1819.

In the meantime, the left bank of the Rhine north of the Nahe came under Prussian  rule
at the Vienna Congress of 1815. According to a decree of the German King in Berlin on
August 25^th 1857 uniform regulations on land survey and reorganisation became effective.

Interestingly, the land register map from 1860 is almost identical to the present-day register.
In 1891, the royal Amtsgericht in Stromberg - the lower district court that had jurisdiction
over minor civil and criminal cases - ruled on the issue of a new land register. It was
completed 8 years later. In the 1930s Dorsheim saw a fundamental reallocation of
land. As a result a new land register map was required. It was completed in 1937.
 

Goldloch

 In 1756, the top site Goldloch was first officially named “Im Loch”. In 1819, the name
 “Goldloch” was registered in the land register. The name allows three interpretations:

 It is said that gold was found here; further the name could refer to the disappointment of
miners who came here to dig for gold but only found ore. Or it refers to the vintners who
owned parcels of this excellent site making a fortune with wines that are worth their weight
in gold. The soil consists of a layer of clay over a rocky conglomerate of igneous,
sedimentary and metamorphic slate rock from the first phase of the perm.

 Since its beginnings the Diel estate has owned parcels of this valuable site. Over
generations the Diel family managed to acquire more acreage either through exchange
or purchase. Today the estate owns just over 11 acres (4,5 ha) making it the largest
owner of this premium single vineyard site.
 

  Burgberg

 This site was officially mentioned for the first time in 1400. Georg von Leyen was given a
hillock called the “Burgberg of Dorsheim”. As this hill had neither a castle nor a fortress at the
time the name may refer to the steep cliffs on the eastern side that reach a height of up to 60 feet. However a second interpretation exists: The documents of the year 1400 mention a hill that must
have included a larger area than the present-day land register. Accordingly, the vineyard site “Goldloch” must have been part of this area. Supposedly, a part of the Dorsheimer Hill – formerly registered by the name Burgberg – was thus a part of the hill belonging to Burg Layen.

 In the period after 1815 the vineyard site Burgberg became property of the Prussian state. The vineyard often exchanged hands. The Kruger wine estate in Münster Sarmsheim purchased the complete site Burgberg by auction. The district Burgberg was praised as an ideal area for vine.

 In the 1850s, half way up on the east slope, Kruger built a new estate including wine cellars.

A fire destroyed the estate. Parts of the cellar walls still exist.

 The land register map from 1860 reveals that the parcels of the Burgberg stretched down to
the Trollbach. Later, a few pieces of land were separated from the vineyards to broaden the small
path along the brook of the Trollbach.

 In 1927 the state-owned Domaine Niederhausen purchased the largest portion of the site until it came into possession of Schlossgut Diel in the 1990s. Today the estate owns 4,5 acres (1,8 ha) of this top site making it the largest owner of this vineyard site.
 

 Pittermännchen

 The vineyard Pittermänchen neighbours the site Goldloch and stretches to the Dorsheimer
boundaries ending just before Burg Layen. The curious name was mentioned in the land register
map from 1860 for the first time. Within the names of the registered parcels it is unique. The
lack of any historic references makes an interpretation quite difficult.

 Often land register names carry Christian names. Thus the name could be a nickname of Peter.
Should this be the case, the site carries the name of a silver coin, called Albus, released by the archbishop of Trier at the end of the 16^th century. The front of the coin shows St. Peter with a
beard and keys. 32 Pittermännchen made one gulden. This name might have hinted at the high
 value of the wines produced by the grapes from this vineyard. In contrast to the neighbouring
site Goldloch the subsoil of the Pittermännchen contains of a higher portion of slate and gravel.

Due to its geological diversity, the wine growing
area of the Nahe is exceptional in terms of soils. There are five
rock formations: the oldest were produced in the period of the Devonian
approximately 350 million years ago, followed by the Carboniferous and
finally the Permian which began approximately 286 million years ago.
The much younger sediments of the Tertiary developed 30 million
years ago. The last formation emerged in the Quaternary.

Geologically the area of the Nahe belongs to a large dell which
developed during the period of Carboniferous. Volcanic eruptions shaped
the region creating trenches which later filled up with rocks.

During the ice age the black forest and the Vogesen were covered
by glaciers. At that time the area of the Nahe was ice free. However, it
had been exposed to extreme temperature changes. While the Hunsrück hills
were formed, the Nahe cut into the soft sediments and even through hard rocks,
as the rock formations between Bingerbrück and Bingen demonstrate.

The same development applies for the brook of the Trollbach. The eastern
part of the administrative district Bad Kreuznach is part of a former distributary
of the northern lowlands of the Rhein. It is bordered by the forests of Bingen,
and foothills of a mountain range called Rheinisches Schiefergebirge. Thus, the
lower Nahe region which backs up against the foothills of the Soon forest
is well-protected against rain and wind coming from the Hunsrück Hills.
 

Bizarre cliff formations

For centuries a small path has lead through the Trollbach valley. It was
not before 1909 that a new district road was built connecting Burg Layen
with the road network of the Nahe and Rhein.

The brook of the Trollbach, cutting its way deep into the rocks, has created
unique and bizarre cliff formations. The most interesting ones are named
after their shape: Camel, Niclas and Egg cliff). There are steep towers up to
45 feet high as well as steep faces. This landscape extends to smaller formations
towards the eastern exit of the Trollbach valley reaching an altitude of 180 feet
towards the northern side of the valley. When the brook cut its way into the valley,
even harder rock formations emerged. Over the years, these were weathered by extreme
seasons. The soils consist of a mixture of fine sand, with rocks of different shape and colour:
light and dark quartzite, argrilaceous schist, green slate, limestone and phyllite. This
colorful mixture are remnants of debris. Geologically, these formations, assigned to
the so-called “Wadener layers”, belong to a subcategory of red clayish slate and only
develop in an extreme hot climate such as in the Death Valley in the west of the US.
Extreme changes in temperature during day and night caused rocks and
minerals to break down into larger and smaller pieces. Occasional
heavy rain moved rocks and debris.

Moderate climatic conditions

The Trollbach valley is one of the driest and warmest regions in Germany.
The mountain range of the Hunsrück Hills keep most of the rain away. The valley
is influenced by warmer temperatures from the upper Rhine valley. Its average
temperature is about 49 Fahrenheit (9,7 ° C). The average rainfall is 2,10 inches
and the average temperature in July is 68° Fahrenheit (20 ° C).

In 1947, 1959 and 1976, the valley was exposed to extreme dry summers.
This is, however, the exception to the rule. Spring and fall get mostof the rain.
In winter, temperatures rarely drop below 32° Fahrenheit (0°C).
 

Extraordinary botany

The cliffs of the Trollbach valley offer harsh conditions for plants.
However, it produces most interesting microclimates and habitats. Tresses
and draught-resistant moss species in particular, produce acidity that contributes
to the erosion of the rocks. In addition, the sun plays an important role. On hot
summer days, temperatures on the rocks of Goldloch and Eierfelsen
sometimes reach 122 to 140 ° Fahrenheit (50 – 60° C).

The rocks that heat up quickly during the day, cool down at night. Strong
changes in temperatures of up to 104° Fahrenheit (40°C) are common.

This microclimate can be compared to Mediterranean, if not North African
conditions. Even after heavy rainfall the well-drained soils dry out just a few
days later. The diversity of rare plants is enormous, making this valley a
most interesting place for the botanist.