TheDoctor'sTreasure
The name Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef is inseparably inter-twined with luxurious Riesling wines from Germany‘s most expensive white wine site: “Berncasteler Doctor“
A century-old tale echoes the sublimity of the Doctor wines: Struck with an incurable illness, the Elector Boemund of Trier publicly announced that anybody who delivered a cure to his disease would be rewarded with unimaginable riches. Doctors, pharmacists and healers lined up at the sick bed – to no avail.
The Elector’s fate seemed doomed when a nobleman showed up and handed the patient a cup of golden wine.
Weary of pointless miracle cures Boemund hesitated. Then he drank the wine and finished it joyfully. A few days later, the fever ceased and Boemund fully recovered.
Upon being asked how he wished to be rewarded the nobleman chuckled and said: “All I ask is that you bestow upon my wine, which only grows on the mountains of Bernkastel, a proper doctor’s degree – as it is the true doctor.” Boemund kindly consented and issued an official doctor’s degree to the growing site.
Ever since, the vineyard bears the honorable name:
“Berncasteler Doctor”
The EstateWitwe Dr. H. ThanischErben Müller-Burggraef
Inside theDoctor'sTreasury
TheDoctor cellar
The majority of the vinification of our wines still takes place in the traditional, over 350 year old „Doctor cellar“. The cellar was carved into the rock underneath the vineyard and keeps ideal conditions for the maturation and storage of our wines.
Due to the permanent humidity and temperatures of 8-9 Grad Celsius the doctor cellar offers perfect conditions to grow fantastic wines.
Thetreasury
The rediscovery of the treasury hidden by the Thanisch estate manager during the Weimar Republic created tremendous public attention at the end of the 1950's. In several auctions, the rediscovered treasures achieved spectacular prices.
Up to this day, precious rarities such as the Berncasteler Doctor Trockenbeerenauslese from 1921, as well as a selection of top qualities from the past 100 years, are stored in the Doctor cellar’s treasury.
Bernkastel'sfinestVineyards
The sun-kissedSteep Slopesof Bernkastel
Viticulture in the Mosel valley is dictated by its unique landscape. The character of the growing region is coined by the special combination of geology, topography and micro-climate. Grower's experience, care and innate understanding complement the mineralic and spicy interplay that defines these extraordinary wines.
Over a period of 15 million years, the Mosel River dug into a slated mountain range full of minerals that developed 400 million years ago. The slate erodes easily and its components decay and enrich the soil. They dissolve into the ground water and are absorbed by the vines.
The Mosel region is part of the warmest climatic zones in Germany. The river and soil’s ability to store heat and reflect sunlight minimizes the annual deviation of temperature and maximizes photosynthesis – making winegrowing possible in this overall cool climate region.
Many of our vineyards have a slope gradient of more than 60%. Manual labor is necessary all year round from the cultivation of the vines to harvest. The valuable combination of steep slopes, soil characteristics and climate presents our vines with the best possible conditions for development.
The Fortunes ofMaximilian F.W.Ferger
TheCollectionWeingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch
Ourwines
After a careful selection in the vineyard, the must is extracted via whole-cluster pressing. In line with our philosophy, our traditional 1,000 Liter barrels are of major importance. After being fermented in stainless steel, many of our wines are matured over a period of several months in these traditional Mosel-barrels.
We ferment exclusively with natural yeasts, as this better reflects the characteristics of the terroirs of the individual vineyards. A cool and very slow fermentation, with use of no additives, and a subsequent careful filtration, results in very complex wines that improve over years and even decades.
Accolades
2019
Doctor Auslese
Doctor Spätlese
Bernkasteler Graben Spätlese
Doctor Kabinett
Badstube Kabinett
Lay Spätlese feinherb
97 Pts. Wine Advocate
93+ Pts. Wine Advocate
93 Pts. Wine Advocate
92 Pts. Wine Advocate
92 Pts. Wine Advocate
91+ Pts. Wine Advocate
2018
Doctor Kabinett
Doctor Auslese
Graben Spätlese
Lay Auslese
Badstube Kabinett
92 Pts. Mosel Fine Wines
95 Pts. Yves Beck
93 Pts. Yves Beck
92-93 Pts. Yves Beck
90 Pts. Mosel Fine Wines
2017
Doctor Kabinett
Doctor Spätlese
Doctor Auslese
Graben Spätlese
Lay Auslese
93 Pts. Wine Spectator
94 Pts. Wine Spectator
95 Pts. Wine Spectator
93 Pts. Wine Enthusiast
94 Pts. Wine Enthusiast
2016
Doctor Spätlese
Doctor Großes Gewächs
Doctor Auslese
Graben Spätlese
Lay Auslese
94 Pts. Wine Advocate
92+ Pts. Wine Advocate
96 Pts. Wine Enthusiast
93 Pts. Wine Advocate
94 Pts. Wine Spectator
2015
Doctor Auslese
Doctor Spätlese trocken
Doctor Spätlese
Badstube Kabinett
Graben Spätlese
Lay Auslese
94 Pts. Wine Spectator
95 Pts. Decanter
93 Pts. Wine Enthusiast
91 Pts. Wine Spectator
93 Pts. Wine Advocate
94 Pts Wine Advocate
2014
Doctor Kabinett
Doctor Spätlese
Doctor Auslese
Badstube Kabinett
Graben Spätlese
Lay Auslese
93 Pts. Wine Advocate
95 Pts. Decanter
95 Pts. Wine Advocate
91 Pts. Wine Spectator
91 Pts. Wine Advocate
92 Pts. Wine Advocate
2013
Doctor Kabinett
Doctor Spätlese
Doctor Auslese
Graben Spätlese
Lay Auslese
92 Pts. Wine Advocate
93 Pts. Wine Advocate
94+ Pts. Wine Advocate
91 Pts. Wine Advocate
93 Pts. Wine Advocate
2012
Doctor Spätlese
Badstube Kabinett
Graben Spätlese
Lay Auslese
93 Pts. Wine Spectator
90 Pts. Wine Spectator
94 Pts. Wine Spectator
95 Pts. Wine Spectator