2015 Dr. Loosen Dr L Riesling Dry

Dr Loosen

Germany / Mosel / Dr Loosen

Dr. Loosen has been in the same family for over 200 years, and this is the estate's classic, regional expression of the Riesling grape. Located in far western Germany, the Mosel valley’s steep, southfacing slopes create the perfect climate for Riesling, giving the vines ideal exposure to the sun. The cool climate allows the grapes to ripen slowly while retaining bright acidity.
This crisp, refreshing Riesling represents the jumping-in point from Dr. Loosen, capturing the elegant and racy characteristics of steep, slate-soil Mosel vineyards at a very reasonable price. It's produced from grapes from contracted growers throughout the Mosel valley who work closely with brothers Ernst and Thomas Loosen to achieve excellent quality and superb concentration in every vintage.
Under close to perfect conditions in 2015, the estate was able to harvest grapes with optimal must weights and acidity levels, producing wines in all quality levels. The vintage also gave excellent yields, with a beautiful balance of ripeness and acidity. The wines are dense and concentrated, but with the delicate and graceful style of the Mosel.
Fermented and matured in 100% stainless steel tanks to heighten the aromatic purity of the grapes, the wine has 7g/L residual sugar to balance its total acidity of 7.5g/L.

June, 2017

Max Allen

Gourmet Traveller WINE

This is like a gateway wine to the glories of Mosel Riesling: deliciously full of the citrus verve and hints of spicy peach and scintillating acidity you find in the more expensive, single vineyard wines of the region, but affordable and even - dare I say it - almost Australian enough in style (not too acid-driven, a little higher in alcohol at 11.5 per cent) to appeal to drinkers brought up on the dry Rieslings of Clare, Eden Valley or the Great Southern.

September, 2017

Leslie Sbrocco

Check, Please! Bay Area

One of my most memorable wine trips (and I’ve taken hundreds of them) was to visit Ernst Loosen (pronounced low-zen) at his winery by the steep, slate-based slopes of the Mosel river. He is a charismatic vintner with a passion for Riesling and his brilliant bottlings are favorites of mine. The family’s Dr. L line of wines is an ideal way to start your exploration of German Riesling. They do offer a sweeter version, but this dry, citrus and mineral-scented white with a zing of Granny Smith-apple acidity, is a food wine extraordinaire. Spicy curry…check. Grilled fish…check. Fresh cheeses…check. It’s a white for year-round sipping.

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About Dr Loosen

Dr Loosen has been in the same family for more than 200 years and its present guardian, Ernst Loosen, is one of the great characters of the wine world. He assumed ownership of the estate in 1988 and immediately realised that, with ungrafted vines averaging 60 years old in some of Germany's best-rated vineyards, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense, world-class wines. To achieve this, Erni dramatically reduced his crop size and ceased using chemical fertilisers, preferring only moderate use of organic fertilisers. And, most importantly, he turned to gentler cellar practices that allow the wine to develop to its full potential with a minimum of handling and technological meddling.

About

Ernst Loosen is one of the great characters of the wine world. He was born into great winemaking tradition but it wasn't his first instinct to take it up himself. Instead he went off to study archaeology and it wasn't until the mid-1980s that he was spurred to take the plunge into wine. His father was ready to turn the estate over to the next generation but none of Erni's brothers or sisters was old enough or interested enough to take it on. Thankfully, Erni threw himself into it with characteristic fervour. He completed studies at Germany’s renowned winemaking school in Geisenheim and then launched into a self-directed review of the great wines of the world.
He travelled to Austria, Burgundy, Alsace, even California. He went wherever great wine was being made, seeking out the best winemakers to find out what they had in common. What he discovered was that they all share a dedication to producing intense, concentrated wines that boldly proclaim their heritage. They also have a worldly outlook that allows them to maintain respect for tradition while tempering it with reason. This gives them the freedom to acknowledge that not all traditions deserve to be doggedly observed, and allows judicious use of modern winemaking techniques when it will improve quality.