Aldinger

Aldinger family wine-farming on the Fellbach site is traced to 1492, a documentary lineage that places the estate among Germany's longest continuously operated wine properties. Through five centuries the family worked the slopes above Fellbach in the eastern Stuttgart suburbs, transitioning from peasant viticulture to commercial estate winemaking over the 19th and 20th centuries. The decisive modernization began in the late 1980s and 1990s under Gerhard Aldinger, who pulled the estate away from cooperative-style production toward single-vineyard dry wines. His sons Hansjörg and Matthias joined the operation in the 2000s and elevated the estate to its current position at the front of Württemberg's qualitative leadership, with a focus on Lemberger and Riesling at Grosses Gewächs level.

• Family wine-farming on the Fellbach site traced to 1492
• Five centuries of continuous operation, transitioning from peasant viticulture to commercial estate winemaking
• Modernization began in the late 1980s under Gerhard Aldinger with single-vineyard dry focus
• Brothers Hansjörg and Matthias joined in the 2000s, elevating the estate to its modern benchmark status

Aldinger farms approximately 25 hectares concentrated in the Remstal Bereich east of Stuttgart, with the Fellbacher Lämmler and Untertürkheimer Mönchberg standing as the two anchor sites. The Fellbacher Lämmler is a steep south-facing slope above Fellbach on chalky Keuper soils, with marl and gypsum-bearing strata that suit both Lemberger and Riesling at the top tier. The Untertürkheimer Mönchberg, a south-facing slope above the Neckar in the Stuttgart suburb of Untertürkheim, combines shell limestone (Muschelkalk) and Keuper, contributing a stonier mineral signature and producing distinct expressions of both varieties. Both sites are classified VDP Grosse Lage. Additional parcels in the Untertürkheimer Gips and other Stuttgart-area Einzellagen support the village and estate tiers.

• Approximately 25 hectares across the Remstal Bereich east of Stuttgart
• Fellbacher Lämmler: steep south-facing slope on chalky Keuper soils; shared anchor site with Rainer Schnaitmann
• Untertürkheimer Mönchberg: south-facing slope on Muschelkalk and Keuper above the Neckar; classified VDP Grosse Lage
• Additional parcels in the Untertürkheimer Gips and other Stuttgart-area sites at village and estate tiers

The Aldinger range is organized around Lemberger and Riesling as equal pillars at the Gutswein, Ortswein, and Grosses Gewächs tiers, with Spätburgunder filling out the red lineup and a small Sauvignon Blanc planting providing a stylistic counterpoint among the whites. The Fellbacher Lämmler Lemberger Grosses Gewächs is the estate's flagship red and one of Germany's defining expressions of the variety, with structured tannin, dark cherry, and Keuper-driven mineral depth. The Untertürkheimer Mönchberg Lemberger and Riesling Grosses Gewächs bottlings present a stonier, more chiseled expression from the shell-limestone slope. Spätburgunder from Württemberg parcels shows Burgundian-influenced restraint, and the Sauvignon Blanc adds a focused, mineral-driven white that benefits from the estate's modern winemaking discipline.

• Lemberger and Riesling as equal pillars at the Gutswein, Ortswein, and Grosses Gewächs tiers
• Fellbacher Lämmler Lemberger Grosses Gewächs is the flagship red and a defining German expression of the variety
• Untertürkheimer Mönchberg Lemberger and Riesling GGs deliver chiseled shell-limestone expression
• Spätburgunder and a small Sauvignon Blanc planting round out the range with Burgundian-influenced restraint

Aldinger pursues a modern, structured, Burgundian-influenced winemaking approach across both white and red production. Vineyards are managed with a low-intervention philosophy emphasizing canopy precision and balanced yields. Grapes are hand-harvested in multiple selective passes. Whites are whole-bunch pressed and fermented predominantly with native yeasts in stainless steel and large neutral oak, with Grosses Gewächs Rieslings aged in 1,200-liter Stückfass or larger casks to preserve site signature. For Lemberger and Spätburgunder, fermentation includes a meaningful whole-bunch percentage and extended cuvaison, with aging in French barrique of varying age, partial new for the Grosses Gewächs tier. The house style across all wines emphasizes precision, freshness, and terroir transparency over richness or oak influence.

• Hand-harvested in multiple selective passes; whole-bunch pressing for whites
• Spontaneous native-yeast fermentation predominant; Grosses Gewächs Rieslings aged in 1,200L Stückfass or larger casks
• Lemberger and Spätburgunder include whole-bunch fermentation and French barrique aging, partial new for GG tier
• House style emphasizes precision, freshness, and terroir transparency over richness or oak

Aldinger is widely regarded with Rainer Schnaitmann as one of Württemberg's two benchmark estates, and the two producers together anchor international recognition of the region's dry Lemberger and Riesling capacity. The estate consistently appears at the top of Gault Millau, Eichelmann, and Vinum's Württemberg rankings, with the Fellbacher Lämmler Lemberger Grosses Gewächs and the Untertürkheimer Mönchberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs routinely scoring in the upper 90s among German critics. James Suckling and the Wine Advocate have rated the top bottlings above 95 points in recent vintages. The estate ships limited quantities through fine-wine merchants worldwide and has become an essential reference for any tasting of contemporary Württemberg.

• Regarded with Rainer Schnaitmann as one of Württemberg's two benchmark dry-wine estates
• Top ranking in Gault Millau, Eichelmann, and Vinum across recent vintages
• Fellbacher Lämmler Lemberger GG and Untertürkheimer Mönchberg Riesling GG routinely score in the upper 90s
• Essential reference for any tasting of contemporary Württemberg wines