Alsace comprises the two departments of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin. From north to south, the Vosges massif overlooks the Alsace plain and the Rhine. Its highest peak is the ‘Ballon de Guebwiller’ (1,424 metres). On the eastern slopes of the massif, there are grasslands and crops, vast forests of deciduous and coniferous trees. The sub-Vosgian hills have limestone and marly soils, enriched with loess (silty deposits of wind origin). The exposure of the eastern foothills of the Vosges is such that the vineyard finds its land of choice, along the famous Alsace Wine Route.