In Heaven with the Doctor

Today, the traditional heart of the Berkastler Doctor, the VDP.GROSSE LAGE® DOCTOR, covers 3.22 hectares. With slopes of up to 70%, it’s one of the steepest vineyards in the Mosel, an area renowned for the steepness of its slopes. With its south-south-west orientation, the Doctor benefits from long hours of sunshine. The Devonian weathered soils, with a high proportion of fine earth, also have excellent heat and water storage properties.

At almost 30 hectares, the VDP.GROSSE LAGE® BADSTUBE is an extremely heterogeneous site boasting different soil formations. From blue slate with clay marl to loam, the soils range from stony to fine sand. With a maximum slope of 65%, the BADSTUBE faces south-southwest and looks out over the Bernkastl district of Kues on the other side of the Mosel.

The VDP.GROSSE LAGE® LAY is located below the Badstube on the banks of the Mosel and covers 9.6 hectares of classified land. It extends over about 50 metres in altitude from 110-160m and has a south-south-west orientation with a slope of 50% to 70%.
The Lay consists of blue slate soils with a high clay content, which gives them a good water-holding capacity.

The VDP.GROSSEN LAGE® HIMMELREICH is situated in an exposed position on the banks of the Mosel and benefits from the heat-storing and reflective properties of the river. At 66.57 hectares, it is one of the larger sites of the Middle Mosel and consists of heat-storing blue and grey slate soils with a south-southwest to southwest orientation. The slope, which is sheltered from the wind, is criss-crossed by veins of water, so that the vines suffer little drought stress even in warm years. At 110 to 260 metres above sea level, the Himmelreich has a moderate 45-65% slope.

The VDP.GROSSE LAGE® SONNENUHR is located opposite the village of Wehlen on the other side of the Mosel and, with its 60 to 100% slope gradient, is one of the steepest sites in the Middle Mosel. The original nucleus covered around eight hectares until four adjacent sites were added to the Sonnenuhr in 1954. Today it covers 46.49 hectares and sits at 110-320 metres above sea level. The soils consist of Devonian weathered slate, have a south to south-southwest orientation and benefit from the thermal reflection of the Mosel.