The VDP.GROSSE LAGE® ROTHLAUF is the old historic parcel within the Johannisberg vineyard. It is not only the hottest part of the Johannisberg, it also has a unique soil structure. The 6.8 hectare vineyard plot drops toward the south and southwest. This area belongs to the so-called Thüngersheimer Sattel, a tectonic fault, where the variegated sandstone layer breaks through the shell limestone layer above it. The soil thus exhibits two representatives of the so-called Franconian geological trio (the third is Gipskeuper). The soils are meagre and skeletal. The vineyard climbs from 190 to 300 metres a.s.l. at a steep 40 to 60 percent gradient.
