The name Thanisch goes back to 1636 -- the year that Franz and Appolonia Tamers, the last survivors of the village of Thanisch, moved to Bernkastel. The historian Christian Von Stramberg mentions that the Thanisch family was producers of noble wines as early as 1800. During the 19th century, the estate achieved worldwide reputation under the leadership of Hugo Thanisch, a Doctor of Philosophy and member of the county government. After the death of Dr. Hugo Thanisch in 1895, his widow Katharina continued to manage the estate with great success, and the estate was then named after her. Later it was taken over by Sofie Thanisch and her daughter Mechtild Thanisch. Today, the Thanisch family lives in an old slate-sandstone villa built in 1884 that is situated just across the Mosel from the Doctor Vineyard. Vineyards: Bernkasteler Doctor, Bernkasteler Badstube, Bernkasteler Lay, Bernkasteler Schlossberg, Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr. All of the Thanisch vineyards are planted exclusively with the noble Riesling grape, most of them non-grafted. Bernkasteler Doctor: The Bernkasteler Doctor represents the finest tradition of winemaking. According to a legend, the Doctor vineyard was given its name in 1360 by Archbishop Boemond II of Trier when, after his doctor had given up hope, he regained his health by drinking wine from his vineyard. Bernkasteler Doctor has the unique distinction of being officially valued at the height unit price per acre of any agricultural land in Germany. The estate contains an excellent cellar where older wines going back to 1921 are kept in a special wine library. A bottle of 1921 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Trockenbeernauslese, the first Trockenbeernauslese ever harvested along the Mosel, was sold at auction in 1985 for DM 11.100 -- the highest price ever paid for a Mosel wine so far.