Summary
Weingut Graf Adelmann at Burg Schaubeck in Kleinbottwar is one of the best-known and most historic addresses in Württemberg. Around 27 to 29 hectares – more than half of them steep slopes – produce wines that take their own path in a region often associated with power: they aim for elegance, fine structure and drinkability rather than sheer weight. The backbone is Lemberger, Riesling and Pinot Noir, joined by the estate's famous red cuvées and noble sweet rarities. Winegrowing at Schaubeck is documented from 1297, and the Graf Adelmann family has owned the estate since 1914.
History
Few German estates can look back on such a long, unbroken history. Winegrowing in Kleinbottwar is mentioned as early as the 10th century; for Burg Schaubeck itself it is documented in 1297. The wine, known then as “Schaubecker”, was supplied to European courts – early evidence that this was never simply everyday wine.
The roots of today's estate lie in the 19th century. In 1853 the castle passed to Felix Freiherr von Brüsselle, who modernised the vineyards with great energy and whose name still appears on the top wines. In 1875 his daughter married into the Swabian-Franconian family Adelmann von Adelmannsfelden, and since 1914 the business has traded as “Weingut Graf Adelmann”.
The decisive figure for its modern direction was Michael Graf Adelmann, who took charge in 1978 as the fourth generation. As early as 1981 he began ageing the best reds in barriques – unusual in Württemberg at the time – and in 1989 he presented the first cuvée. His son Felix Graf Adelmann took over in 2012; since 2025 he has run the estate together with his cousin Quirin Graf Adelmann.
Location & Terroir
Kleinbottwar sits in the Bottwar valley north of Ludwigsburg, in the Wunnenstein district – one of the warmest corners of Württemberg. The estate's vineyards climb the steep slopes around the village, facing south and south-west; more than half of the area is classed as steep, and individual parcels reach gradients of up to 75 %. Terraces and dry-stone walls shape the landscape, and the work there is still largely done by hand.
Geologically, Keuper soils define the terroir: gypsum keuper, coloured marls and sandstone caps create soils of varying depth, rich in minerals and good at holding water. It is precisely this combination – a warm, steep site over a cooler, water-bearing subsoil – that explains the house style: ripe fruit, but with acidity and freshness intact.
Since 2015 the estate has farmed to organic guidelines, and since 2018 it has been fully certified (EU organic and Naturland). Cover crops, no herbicides and careful handling of the erosion-prone slopes are all part of the approach.
Style & Philosophy
The estate's signature can be summed up in one word: elegance. Where Württemberg long stood for dense, extract-rich reds, Graf Adelmann aims for aroma, fine structure and length. In the cellar the guiding principle is controlled inaction – as little intervention as possible, and time instead. The reds are fermented classically on the skins and aged, depending on quality level, in large wooden casks or in barriques.
Red varieties account for roughly 60 to 70 % of plantings. Lemberger – the same grape as the Austrian Blaufränkisch – is the most important, giving spicy, taut wines with dark berry fruit and fine acidity. Alongside it stand Pinot Noir, Trollinger and the Württemberg speciality Samtrot. Among the whites, Riesling takes centre stage, joined by Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.
The cuvées are a particular hallmark: since 1989, red blends across varieties have been a fixture of the range and count among the most characteristic wines of the house.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is tiered along VDP lines – from estate wines through village wines to the Grosse Gewächse. The key sites all lie around Kleinbottwar:
- Kleinbottwarer Süßmund – VDP.Grosse Lage, farmed by the estate as a monopole
- Kleinbottwarer Oberer Berg – VDP.Grosse Lage, likewise a monopole
- Kleinbottwarer Götzenberg – VDP.Grosse Lage
- Kleinbottwarer Lichtenberg – VDP.Erste Lage
Above the single-site wines sit the historic house labels: “Brüssele” and “Brüssele’r Spitze”. The second name has been used since the mid-1940s for the estate's noble sweet rarities – Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and ice wine, made only in suitable vintages.
Awards
Graf Adelmann has belonged to the top tier of Württemberg for decades and appears regularly in the upper rankings of the leading German wine guides – Eichelmann, Gault&Millau and wein.plus. The estate also has an international profile: writers such as Hugh Johnson have singled out the distinctive, deliberately elegant character of the wines.
Its greater achievement, though, may be this: over decades the estate has shown just how much finesse and ageing potential lies in Württemberg Lemberger – and in doing so it has set standards well beyond the region.