It’s Never too Slate for Great Riesling
At Dr. Loosen, history runs deep, but the future is just as thrilling. For over two centuries, this storied Mosel estate has been rooted in some of Germany’s most breathtakingly steep and slate-rich vineyards. Under the vision of Ernst Loosen, the estate has become a beacon for Riesling lovers worldwide, celebrated not only for its iconic fruity styles, but increasingly for its world-class dry wines.
The pinnacle of that dry wine journey is found in the Grosses Gewächs (GG) collection, bone-dry, single-vineyard Rieslings from Germany’s most revered sites. These wines are a masterclass in precision and terroir expression. And in 2023, despite the year’s rollercoaster of climatic extremes, the estate’s experienced team delivered a suite of GGs that capture the power, purity, and finesse of the vintage with extraordinary clarity.
From the filigree finesse of Wehlener Sonnenuhr, grown on impossibly steep slopes of pure blue slate; to the exotic, spicy depths of Ürziger Würzgarten, shaped by iron-rich volcanic sandstone; and the muscular, racy tension of Erdener Treppchen, carved from iron-tinged red slate, each wine is a lens into the soil, slope and soul of the Mosel.
In 2023, Mother Nature demanded everything. A dry, early spring gave way to a lush, rain-soaked summer, testing even the most seasoned growers. But thanks to vigilant vineyard care and meticulous selection at harvest, the resulting wines are poised, mineral-driven and strikingly vibrant. These GGs are not just dry Rieslings… they are Mosel masterpieces in high definition.
2023 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Grosses Gewächs
I love the interplay of smoke and licorice with white peach and flower aromas of this dry riesling Mosel beauty. Concentrated and succulent yet vibrant and elegant, this glides over your palate at warp 5. Terrific freshness and purity in the very long, silky finish. Drink from release. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com Aug 2024
The 2023 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Alte Reben Grosses Gewächs presents slate and lemon zest on the nose, promising chiselled elegance. The palate is immensely elegant and fine-boned. It’s streamlined, precise and stony, with lemon juiciness driving deep into the stone, leaving a statuesque feel. 95-97 points. Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous Sep 2024
The 2023 Wehlener Sonnenuhr GG Alte Reben is clear and coolish on the subtly flinty or smoky, (blue/gray) slate-driven and lemony nose that is rather discreet given the ancient age of most of the vines but very deep on the other hand. Round, lush and savory on the palate, this is a full-bodied, tight, still very young and rather farouche Sonnenuhr that can be irresistibly charming in its youth. However, the 2023 remains shy in flavors, whereas it remains seriously complex and persistent in structure and terroir expression. The 2023 is a rich and salivating, still tannic but also concentrated long-distance runner from one of the most famous sites along the Mosel River. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in December 2024. 95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate Jan 2025
2023 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs
So effusive, this leaps and bounds over your palate with youthful energy. Fantastic concentration and vitality on the medium-bodied palate. Racy and intensely herbal and spicy in the very long, focused finish. Drink from release. 96 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com Aug 2024
The 2023 Ürziger Würzgarten GG Alte Reben represents the impressively steep, red-coloured, iron-rich cru perfectly well on the fragrant, very elegant, deep, intense and complex nose that is pure, fresh and refined but also tropical, saline and smoky. Round and crystalline on the palate, this is a full-bodied, intense and elegant, deeply structured but also generous and lush, nevertheless precise and saline Würzgarten with class and style. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in December 2024. 95 points. Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate Jan 2025
The 2023 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Alte Reben Grosses Gewächs has a lovely ethereal lift of crushed yarrow. The palate is absolutely pithy, with Navel orange peel and vivid tangerine notes, framed by crushed yarrow savor and mouthwatering stoniness. It’s beautifully long and incisive. 94-96 points. Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous Sep 2024
2023 Dr Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs
An amazingly minerally dry Mosel riesling that seems to descend into your glass from the heavens like an angel. Incredible wildflower and peach intensity, and yet this is very elegant and subtle on the medium-bodied palate. What fantastic precision at the extremely long finish. Great aging potential. Drink from release. 97 points. Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com Aug 2024
From the ferrous red slate soils of this very steep vineyard next to the Prälat, the 2023 Erdener Treppchen GG Alte Reben opens clear, deep, fresh and intense yet also refined on the elegant nose that intermingles delicate slate and intense saline notes with concentrated and spicy Riesling aromas without becoming too fruity. Mouth-filling, saline and highly refined on the palate, this is an elegant but tight and very complex, intense, long und textural Treppchen with a sustainable and layered finish that exhibits mineral and herbal flavors as well as great and complex intensity that is sourced from the terroir and transported by the deep roots of the ancient vines. The 2023 Treppchen is a highlight of the vintage in Loosen’s portfolio and most probably among all the Grosses Gewächs Rieslings from the Middle Mosel. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in December 2024. 96 points. Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate Jan 2025
