Few people have done as much to revive the reputation of German Riesling as Erni Loosen, aka ‘Mr Riesling’. His top single-vineyard wines are up there with the best.
Anne Krebiehl MW, The Wines of Germany
2018 Dr L Dry Riesling RRP $25
Chalky fresh citrus. Zingy and so crisp that the residual sugar barely shows. Juicy, fresh and quite good value. 16/20. Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com June 2019
2018 Dr Loosen Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Grosses Gewächs RRP $74
Super fresh, flinty and fine aromas of lemon and grapefruit on offer, as well as wildflowers and stones. The palate has a smoothly resolved texture with supple, lemon and yellow-peach flavors. Long and even-handed finish. Great depth here. Drink or hold. 95 points. Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com September 2019
In a fascinating fragrance the Sonnenuhr captures the essence of summer with meadow flowers, cornfields and ripe yellow fruit. On the palate ripe peaches and nectarines are served on a rich texture without exaggerated opulence. Delicate nuances of sweet spice and stony minerality add finesse and there is also enough acidity to give this Grosses Gewächs the classic Mosel vibrancy. 18/20 Michael Schmidt, jancisrobinson.com August 2019
2018 Dr Loosen Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Grosses Gewächs RRP $91
Very fresh wildflowers, honey and plenty of spice here with a pithy citrus-fruit edge. The palate has a very composed, detailed and deeply textural feel. Lime-juice flavors are laced with mineral spark and delivered in impressively succulent and spicy mode. Drink or hold. 94 points. Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com September 2019
The nose is seduced by a sweet composition of local and exotic fruit. The sweet juicy taste of nectarines, yellow plums and some rich citrusy notes puts plenty of fruit on the palate; almost too generous, which to some extent overpowers the customary spicy expression of the Würzgarten. Healthy acidity adds a refreshing touch to the finish. 17.5/20 Michael Schmidt, jancisrobinson.com August 2019
2018 Dr Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett RRP $40
MAGNUM RRP $106
Such a fun and juicy thing to drink. It has a tickle of spritz (at least as a young wine), sweet and fresh flavours of citrus and green apple sorbet, a bit of spice, some floral things, a subtle slaty texture and a brisk and tangy finish of fine length. It’s hard not to drink it too quickly. 92 points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front September 2019
2018 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett RRP $44
MAGNUM RRP $106
This has such deliciously fresh aromas of white peaches with sweetly fragrant white flowers. The palate has sleek apple-pastry flavors and a fresh, juicy textural kick. Fresh finish. Nice elegance and gentle tension. Drink now. Screw cap. 93 points. Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com September 2019
2018 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese RRP $66
100% Riesling from blue Devonian slate soils and ungrafted vines with an average age of 60 years. The vineyard is sustainably farmed, according to strict German environmental regulations. Yields were 50 hl/ha. Selectively hand-harvested grapes underwent cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks and traditional Fuder barrels. Half of the juice was fermented with natural yeasts, the other half with cultured yeasts. Fermentation was arrested by chilling.
ALSO AVAILABLE IN LIMTED SUPPLY FROM DR LOOSEN…
2017 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $91
Loosen’s 2017 Ürziger Würzgarten GG Alte Reben is lovely pure and delicate but ripe and intense on the nose, with the typical iron-rich tropical and herbal flavors of the reddish terroir. Highly elegant and perfectly balanced on the palate, this is a super salty, finessed and tensioned Würzgarten with great tension and complexity. Citrus flavors in the long and salty finish. An impressive wine that might be even better in a couple of months! I will taste it again when the trees have lost their leaves. 94+ points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate November 2018
2015 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $91
From 80 to 100-year-old vines (mainly in the Urglück parcel), the 2015 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Alte Reben GG has a deep, pure, clear, intense and fascinatingly aromatic bouquet of small and spicy, thick-skinned yellow plums and peaches; there are also some smoky and flinty aromas from the red volcanic Würzgarten soils. On the palate, this is a super clear, vital and elegant Riesling in perfect balance. Tasting almost like a Nahe (Felsenberg) Riesling, its refined acidity and overall finesse is clearly Mosel. The finish is long, fresh, clear and aromatic, and reveals stimulating grip and tension. This is another great and age-worthy, dry Mosel cru that Riesling lovers should not miss. 93+ points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate April 2017
2014 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $91
The 2014 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling trocken GG Alte Reben shows a lovely purity and flintiness on the deep nose, which displays notes of crushed stones, lemon juice and also ripe fruit pips. Rich, ripe and piquant on the palate, this full-bodied Würzgarten is very mineral, but also has a certain sweetness and juiciness that is almost rounder than round, and results in a big and more opulent Riesling. 93 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate March 2016
2013 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $91
Stunningly clear, pure and spicy on the nose, where tropical fruit aromas are displayed but cool, slate flavors are kept and are not covered by buckets of fruits, the 2013 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling trocken GG Alte Reben is still pure and precise and very delicate and elegant on the nose. Delicate and juicy, balanced and piquant, in a very subtle way, this is a filigreed structured and persistently salty wine with the delicacy and purity of a great dry Mosel Riesling. 92 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate February 2015
2014 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs Reserve RRP $206
Aged for two years on the lees and at least another year in the bottle, the 2014 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling GG Alte Reben “Reserve” shows stunning purity and flinty freshness on the nose. Full-bodied, tight and creamy but with a remarkable structure and elegance, this is a highly promising and persistent dry Würzgarten with remarkable finesse and lingering salinity. Tasted February 2018. 95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate April 2018
2012 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs Reserve RRP $206
Only vineyard in Mosel on red volcanic soil. The vines are still on own roots. The vine age is around 100 years old. Ernie Loosen’s grandfather hated sweet wines, it turns out. The great grandfather kept the wines in barrel for two years on lees, so this is a homage, in traditional 1000-litre barrel. A remarkable wine. Pot pourri, talc scents, lemon/lime, very aromatic and floral in perfume. Intense. Lots of stone fruit, ripe citrus, slick-textured and very fresh feeling with elegance, finesse and a filigree of fine, chalky acidity. It’s a textbook, complex Riesling. 96 points. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front July 2016
2017 Dr Loosen Erdener Treppchen Grosses Gewächs RRP $91
Enormous herbal depth with a touch of anise. The palate is really concentrated and refined with a mineral finish that takes off into orbit and refuses to return to earth. Drink or hold. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com September 2018
2015 Dr Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $91
From 100+ year old vines on red slate soils, straight above the Prälat, the 2015 Erdener Treppchen Riesling GG Alte Reben offers a clear and noble, flinty, precise and rather cool bouquet of perfectly ripe Riesling berries. The wine is incredibly rich, vital and piquant on the palate; it is round and almost lush, but well structured by its minerals that give enormous length, grip and tension. This is a fascinating Riesling GG and by far the best dry Treppchen I have ever tasted. Riesling lovers should not miss it. 95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate April 2017
2016 Dr Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Grosses Gewächs RRP $181
The 2016 Erdener Prälat Riesling GG Alte Reben displays a deep and flinty-scented bouquet of crushed stones. Pretty coolish even though the vineyard is located straight down in the Mosel Valley, near the river. This has great purity and very delicate yeasty flavors. Terribly lush and salty-piquant on the palate, this is a round and elegant, highly complex and persistent Riesling with very fine tannins and melting salt from up to 130-year-old vines. It is powerful and intense in the aftertaste but still finessed and pure—a great wine from a great terroir. Enormously long and complex. Only two fuders were made. 13% alcohol. Tasted February 2018. 96 points. Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate February 2018
2017 Dr Loosen Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett RRP $44
The small village of Graach lies between two more-famous neighbours: Bernkastel and Wehlen. This vineyard’s steep, southwest-facing slopes and deep soils produce wines that combine the elegance of Wehlen with the rustic strength of Bernkastel. Because of the forceful minerality from the abundant blue slate in the soil, wines from Graach have excellent aging potential and will improve in the bottle for many decades.
2017 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 375ml RRP $64
As succulent as it is elegant. The acidity is giving it a great kick, pushing the finish way out there. Brimming with peaches in the nose. The long and refined finish pulls you back to the glass for more. Drink or hold. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com June 2018
2016 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 375ml RRP $64
Still very youthful and unready, but packed with flavour. Beautiful fruit and silky acidity. This is a raw diamond. Drink from 2018 to 2050. 95 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com June 2017
2016 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese 375ml RRP $64
Another astonishing 2016 auslese from Dr. Loosen with a great interplay of concentrated fruit and spice. A very fresh, lemony acidity that gives the finish a big kick. Drink from 2020 to 2060. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com June 2017
2017 Dr Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 375ml RRP $91
An enormously rich mango and papaya character. Great concentration and some opulence on the palate. The very long finish is brimming with spices and bitter almonds. Try to be patient because this will develop beautifully. Drink or hold. 97 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com June 2018
2017 Dr Loosen Beerenauslese 375ml RRP $71
Beerenauslese (“berry select”) is a rich, honeyed dessert wine made from grapes that have been shriveled by botrytis, the “noble rot.” These extremely concentrated, mouldy grapes are painstakingly separated from the unaffected fruit and vinified to make one of Germany’s most prized vinous treasures. The legal minimum for BA must weight is 110° Oechsle, but at Dr. Loosen it usually starts with a minimum of 120° Oechsle. The fruit comes from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Treppchen and Graacher Himmelreich vineyards and ungrafted vines with an average age of 60 years.
2016 Dr Loosen Riesling Eiswein 375ml RRP $140
Eiswein (“ice wine”) is another of nature’s rare and wonderful gifts from the Mosel to the wine world. Dr Loosen holds aside certain plots of vines, hoping for a freeze deep enough (minimum –8° C) to harvest frozen grapes. These grapes are picked in the small hours of the morning and pressed while still frozen, to slowly squeeze out a few drops of precious nectar while leaving the water behind as ice. The result is a vibrant, racy dessert wine that is strikingly different from the rounder, more honeyed style of the wines concentrated by botrytis This estate-grown Dr. Loosen Riesling Eiswein comes from special parcels in the Erdener Treppchen and Ürziger Würzgarten grand-cru sites. The vines are aged 60 years on average and are farmed sustainably, according to strict German environmental regulations. These grapes were picked on 30th November 2016 and fermented in stainless steel. Alcohol 7%; RS 143 g/L; TA 9.8g/L.