Ernie Loosen has singlehandedly put German wine on the world stage and into the 21st century. He has done it by a mixture of irreverence, tireless travelling and an uncompromising quest for quality. JANCIS ROBINSON
The 2022 growing season was marked by one long hot and dry weather not seen in living memory. And yet the resulting wines are absolute classics with great balance, moderate sugar levels and even often quite some freshness. 2022 is a completely unexpected classic vintage with, at the top, some superb wines of timeless elegance. Although counter-intuitive given the hot and dry summer, the Mosel and Ruwer have slightly the edge over the Saar in 2022. Lovers of elegant and playful Kabinett should plunge upon the 2022 offerings: The finest wines are absolutely classically balanced. Spätlese lovers will also find some beauties, but the quality is more heterogeneous than for Kabinett. If you are hooked on noblesweet wines, 2022 did offer some beautiful wines but only in very small quantities. 2022 delivered superb dry wines (at the top) and, in lesser quantities, beautiful off-dry ones. JEAN FISCH &DAVID RAYER Mosel Fine Wine
There are few characters in the international wine scene as enigmatic as Erni Loosen. His bold character, colourful fashion choices and magnetic personality make him a heliocentric character in any room. But beneath the bravado lies a man whose incredible intellect, drive and maverick ambition has helped not only drive the quality of his own wines to incredible heights since the ate 80s, but also helped put German riesling in it's rightful place among the greatest white wines in the world.
Today we are offering his incredible Grosses Gewächs (GG) wines drawn from his parcels of prized old, gnarled vines that grip tightly onto the steep slopes that rise up from the winding Mosel river. These are wines that capture the soul of their sites and vintage with breathtaking clarity and precision. They are arresting wines that satiate the senses and stimulate the mind. Transforming humble Riesling grapes grown in rugged, marginal conditions in slate and volcanic soils, into wines of shimmering beauty, spice, fruit, flowers slate and more revealing themsleves in a swirl of the glass like a snowglobe. Lay them down for a long sleep in the cellar and the magic captured within will have grown exponentially. These are very special wines indeed.
Today we have three wines on offer, from three special sites.
Wehlener ‘Sonnenuhr’ (The ‘Sundial’ of Wehlen – sundial was built in 1846): Grosse Lage, Southwest facing, weathered Devoninan blue slate with high rock content and almost no top soil, 110-320m above sea level, individually-staked vines, incredibly steep slopes, elegant, delicate & pure wines.
Ürziger Würzgarten (The ‘Spice Garden’ of Ürzig): Grosse Lage, amphitheatre-like vineyard of blazing red volcanic sandstone (weathered red slate with high content of iron oxide), unique in the Mosel, South/Southeast facing, 110-220m above sea level, individually-staked vines, exotic and spicy wines.
Erdener-Treppchen (the ‘staircase’ of Treppchen – stone staricases were built centuries ago in order to help vineyard workers manage the steep slopes): Grosse Lage, adjacent to the eastern side of Prälat, iron-rich, red slate soils, Southwest facing, 110-260m above sea level, individually-staked vines, incredibly steep, full flavoured, racy& complex wines.
It's worth noting again that while these wines are not cheap, they represent remarkable value when looking at the greatest white wines in the world. History tells us that won't last forever so enjoy it now!