Origin
Between Haardt and the Rhine plain
Here, on the edge of the Palatinate Forest Nature Park, the Upper Rhine Graben borders on the Haardt low mountain range and as a result very different geological eras can be found side by side in the soil: red sandstone from the Triassic, mineral limestone deposits from the primeval seas of the Tertiary or even silty-rich Letten from the Paleozoic. Very valuable mineral resources for viticulture. But also because of the climate there are good conditions here: The southern Palatinate is one of the warmest and sunniest regions in Germany, but is also influenced by cooling down winds from the Haardt. By the way, this also gives us regular rainfall. You can only find these conditions here. In connection with the right grape varieties, a living soil and, last but not least, what I do as a winemaker at the right time - or just don't do - this very specific origin is expressed in the wine. That's what makes him unique. And that's exactly what I'm about.
Accordingly, my main range is divided into three quality levels:
SOIL TYPES
Soil types: These wines express the typical soil types of my homeland with a lot of drinking flow and Southern Palatinate charm, but also with aspiration. They are partly expanded in wood.
FROM RHODT
Our Ortswein show the structure, power and individuality of our Rhodt vineyards. Small berry clones provide more taste. They are harvested exclusively by hand and spontaneously fermented in wooden barrels.
VINEYARD WINES
For these wines, we only vinify strictly selected grapes from individual plots. The vineyards with small-berry Burgundy clones are planted with a high planting density of over 9,000 vines per hectare. Here, too, we naturally harvest by hand, ferment spontaneously, then treat the wines to long yeast storage and bottle them without filtration.
My most important layers
Rhodt rose garden
For me it is the most exciting Pinot vineyard. A gentle south-facing slope with long sunny days and the west wind blowing through the Modenbach valley, which quickly dries the grapes after a downpour. The soils range from clay and marl to loess and loess loam. Our best plots for the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc are located in the upper part of the Rosengarten, where the wines retain an elegant acidity due to the altitude. The soils up here are more characterized by clay marl. This gives the wines more depth.
Black Latvians from Edenkoben
A slightly warmer location and much flatter than the Rosengarten. The soil is rich Latvian, which means that the vines are well supplied with water even in very dry periods. There are our oldest Pinot Noir vines with up to 45 years. The wines are mostly a bit darker and more complex in smell and taste than the Rosengarten. This is mainly due to the age of the sticks and the deep soil.
Rhodter Schlossberg
With a gradient of up to 15%, the Schlossberg stretches south to south-east up to the edge of the Palatinate Forest. In our plots, the soil is characterized by a layer of red sandstone. The proximity to the forest also has a great influence here, as it provides earlier shade for the vines and supplies them with cold air at night, especially on hot days. This has a positive effect on the ripeness and the aroma - especially with Riesling. Almost our entire stock of this grape variety is therefore located here.
Rhodt monastery path
Located just behind the village. The warm air is very well preserved in the location because the coolness from the valleys only arrives to a limited extent. That is why the monastery path is the most important location for the Syrah for us. It is also characterized by its deep clay soils. Perfect conditions for a long maturing period, which the Syrah needs in our regions.
