Location and Topography
The sundial is a legally registered single vineyard site in Zeltingen-Rachtig on the Mosel. The planted area is recorded as 18.6 hectares; the VDP classifies 20.74 hectares as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®. The site, which is oriented to the south-west, slopes down towards the Mosel by about 65 to 70 per cent.
Soil and Viticulture
The site features medium-deep, stony slate marl. Geologically, the rock is classified as stony, weathered Devonian slate. The Mosel reflects light and thereby increases the sun exposure on the sundial. As a classified grape variety, Riesling is listed. In plots of the vineyard site there are also old, own-rooted Riesling vines planted before 1900.
Name and History
The sundial of Zeltingen is the namesake within the wine-growing site of the same name. It was built in 1620 by an abbot of Himmerod Abbey.
Documented Wine
A documented Heinrichshof Sonnenuhr Auslese from the 2023 vintage is a sweet Riesling with 8 per cent alcohol, 80 grams residual sugar and 8 grams acid per litre. The grapes were left on the skins for several hours and pressed gently; exclusively pre-ferment juice and free-run juice were used. After 48 hours of pre-clarification, the must fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel and wooden barrels, matured for six months on full lees without racking and was filtered once before bottling.
