Tag: dr loosen

Unique Mosel Spätlese That Should Only Improve With a Few More Years

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 and 2009 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese.

Today’s Wine: 2019 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese

100% Riesling; 8.5% ABV

The 2019 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese is medium straw in color with mild greenish hues. Once this opens up in the glass, the aromas are of medium (+) intensity with the nose showcasing notes of underripe pear, nectarine, apricot, lemon pith, lime, jasmine, mint, pine, and wet slate. Meanwhile the flavors are also of medium (+) intensity and the palate offers up notes of green apple skins, lime zest, mango, ripe pear, honeysuckle, slate, dried green herbs, and stony mineral. This medium-sweet Riesling is medium-bodied with high acidity, low alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish. Good quality and should only improve with another few years in the bottle.

Price: $33. This is a pretty fair price given the wine’s great quality, balance, and depth at this young age. What’s more, this was pretty unique for me as I haven’t really had a Riesling that throws off notes of mint and pine so that made it kind of fun.

If this wine seems like something you might enjoy, you may find this link helpful in locating it.

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.

Strong Value Proposition From a Stalwart of German Riesling

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.

Today’s Wine: 2018 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett

100% Riesling; 8.5% ABV

The 2018 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett is medium straw in color. This takes some time in the glass to blossom, but once it does the aromas are of pronounced intensity and the nose showcases notes of green apple, pear, white peach, orange zest, chamomile, honey, and saline mineral. Meanwhile the flavors are of medium (+) intensity, with the palate displaying notes of green apple, lime, ripe pear, nectarine, white florals, and stony mineral. This medium sweet white is medium-bodied with high acidity, low alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish. Very good and a serious bottling for Kabinett.

Price: $25. I think this offers solid value. While there are cheaper Rieslings around the $15-18 range that I’ve enjoyed about as much as this one, the balance, intensity, and length certainly showcase the high quality here especially relative to all the Riesling I’ve tried.