Quaffable Spätlese With Age and a Great Price

Today’s Story: Weingut Dr. Loosen

Weingut Dr. Loosen is a storied wine producer located just outside Bernkastel in the Mosel region of Germany. The winery has been in the Loosen family for over 200 years, making them one of the most well-known producers of Riesling not only throughout Germany but throughout the world. The winery and vineyards came to Ernst “Erni” Loosen in 1988, and he immediately set about improving the quality of wines that ungrafted 60+ year-old vines in some of the Mosel’s best vineyards can produce. Erni believes that great wine should be both a sensual and intellectual pleasure, with each bottle showcasing the unique terroir, passion of the winemaker, and a snapshot of history. This philosophy feeds through to his winemaking style, where Erni strives to balance traditional and family-honed winemaking practices with experimental studies (such as time on lees) to make the best and most transparent wine possible. Nonetheless, all the Dr. Loosen wines ferment spontaneously in wooden barrels and see a minimum of 12 months on lees with no racking and no bâttonnage so as to not add excess weight or cover any nuances provided by the variety or site.

Dr. Loosen has been part of Germany’s VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) since 1993, showcasing the incredible pedigree of their vineyards. What’s more, seven of the Dr. Loosen vineyards are designated VDP Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) and these wines are bottled as single vineyard bottlings since 1988. Any other wines produced by Dr. Loosen are labeled Estate or Village Rieslings. The vineyard sites under the Dr. Loosen umbrella include Bernkasteler Lay, Bernkasteler Johannisbrünnchen, Graacher Himmelreich, Graacher Domprobst, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Treppchen, and Erdener Prälat. As a whole, the variety breakdown is 98% Riesling and 2% Pinot Blanc.

I previously reviewed the 2018 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett.

Today’s Wine: 2009 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese

100% Riesling; 7.5% ABV

The 2009 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese is medium gold in color. The aromas are medium (+) intensity, with the nose showcasing notes of peach, dried apricot, mango, lime zest, honeysuckle, slate, honey, and a hint of petrol. Overall this is quite delicate and floral on the nose. Meanwhile the flavors are also of medium (+) intensity, with the palate offering up notes of yellow apple, peach, golden pear, apricot, pineapple, honey, stony mineral, and a touch of white pepper. This medium sweet white is medium- to full-bodied with high acidity, low alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish. Very good quality.

Price: $32. I think this offers great value, particularly thanks to its age, high quality level, depth, and balance. This is a very good representation of site and variety as well.