Location: The winery estate is in the village of Haardt, a part of Neustadt situated a little above the main town and lying at the foot of the Haardt hills, with an extensive view across the Rhine plain. 

How to get there: A65 autobahn, "Neustadt-Nord" exit, roundabout -> "Zentrum" (town centre), turn right at 1st traffic lights -> Haardt, "Haardter Schloss" (Haardt Castle)

Architectural features: The building is set on a sloping hillside with 1000 almond trees, looking out over the Rhine plain. It has an impressive facade dating from the late 19th century, a columned gateway, an inner courtyard with a Mediterranean ambience and patrician-style wine-tasting rooms going back to the 18th century.

History: The present owner is Philipp David Catoir. The estate has been owned by the same family since 1744, now in the 9th generation. For almost 100 years, the winery was run by women, whose influence has lent the property the distinctive note it has today.

Vineyards: Vines cover 20 hectares, of which 70% are flat and 30% on slopes. Different types of soil, from heavy loam through loess to loamy gravel. 

Appellations: Haardter Bürgergarten, Herrenletten, Herzog, Mandelring, Neustadter Mönchgarten, Mußbacher Eselshaut, Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten, Schlössel

Grape varieties: Primarily Riesling, with some Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Spätburgunder. Rieslaner, Scheurebe and Muskateller are grown as rarities. 

Wines: Surprisingly flavoursome; full-bodied and very racy, rich in extract and with a fruity acidity structure. All wines are made from grapes from the winery's own vineyards. The harvest is limited through restrictive vine pruning in the winter, supplemented by partial removal of grapes in the summer. Soil is given meticulous care (mostly permanent green cover) and there is selective hand-picking of very small grape quantities without use of a combine-harvester. The result of these methods are high extract figures, ripe acidity and a definitive character for each variety, making even small vintages full-bodied and top-class. Since grapes are always harvested extremely late on this estate, the musts are cold when they arrive in the cellar and so ferment slowly without any interference. After racking to remove yeast, wines are not touched again until they are filled into bottles. During bottled storage, these non-moved wines usually precipitate tartrate crystals and may sparkle slightly. So it is advisable to keep them at a temperature of 10-12° C for at least two hours before opening, to pull corks carefully and then leave the bottles open for a while so that their full bouquet can develop. 

Sales with tasting: From 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (no parties). Wines are pre-packed in boxes of 6 for collection or dispatch. Our wine-tasting room is closed at weekends. Regular customers can collect orders on Saturdays (put ready in courtyard) by prior agreement by no later than Friday morning.