GG Réserve – Weingut Dr Loosen

GRAND, DRY, MOSEL RIESLING

Since the 2011 vintage, we have been producing GG RÉSERVE wines from the Grosse Lage sites Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Ürziger Würzgarten and Erdener Prälat. With their distinctive soil formations and their ancient, ungrafted vines, these three vineyards are the quintessential sites from our winery. Only optimally ripe, healthy grapes from the best plots are hand-picked and carefully selected. The wines are fermented spontaneously in old barrels and aged for 24 months on the full lees, without racking. They are then matured for another 36 months in the bottle before release.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling GG RÉSERVE Old Vines Dry

This GG RÉSERVE reproduces the characteristics of the Grosse Lage Wehlener Sonnenuhr in textbook fashion. The site is dominated by blue slate, and it is often said that Wehlener Sonnenuhr produces the most distinctive blue slate wines. If you were to compare wines to people, a Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling would be like a graceful ballerina. They are very elegant, very fine and playful, with delicate stone fruit aromas, white peach in particular. The actual Sonnenuhr (“sundial”) was built in 1842 by our family relative, Jodocus Prüm, and then became the namesake for the world-renowned Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard. The grapes for this wine grow in the “Laychen,” the old name for a parcel of original, ungrafted vines that are at least 130 years old. When young, these wines are captivatingly fine and playful with floral, citrus and vineyard peach aromas. But the GGR rewards extended cellaring with greater harmony and deeper expression of this extraordinary vineyard.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling GG RÉSERVE Old Vines Dry
Growing region: Mosel
Site: Wehlener Sonnenuhr | VDP.Grosse Lage®
Quality level: QbA
VDP Classification: GG (Grosses Gewächs)
Grape variety: 100% Riesling
Soil type: Blue slate
Harvest method: Selective manual harvesting
Aging: Spontaneously fermented in 1,000-liter oak barrels; aged 24 months in barrel on full lees; no bâtonnage; aged 24 months in bottle

Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling GG RÉSERVE Old Vines Dry

The original Ürziger Würzgarten is the only site on the Middle Mosel that is not characterized by slate. The soil is called Rotliegendes, a red, weathered conglomerate of volcanic origin. As the name suggests, we have very different aromas here than in the slate-dominated sites with their stone fruit aromas. In Würzgarten wines we often get spicy, herbal and slightly earthy aromas, along with captivating, exotic fruits. The wines are full-bodied, with acidity that comes across a bit softer and rounder due to the buffering of the special soil. The Ürziger Würzgarten is the broad-shouldered wrestler among our wines in terms of its power and structure. The ungrafted vines from which we produce this great Riesling are up to 120 years old. They are located in a plot called “Untrest Pichter,” which rises directly behind the Village in the heart of the Würzgarten.

Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling GG RÉSERVE Old Vines Dry
Growing region: Mosel
Site: Ürziger Würzgarten | VDP.Grosse Lage®
Quality level: QbA
VDP Classification: GG (Grosses Gewächs)
Grape variety: 100% Riesling
Soil type: Red volcanic rock
Harvest method: Selective manual harvesting
Aging: Spontaneously fermented in 1,000-liter oak barrels; aged 24 months in barrel on full lees; no bâtonnage; aged 24 months in bottle

Erdener Prälat Riesling GG Réserve

Erdener Prälat is considered one of the very best sites in the Middle Mosel. The 100 to 120 year old plots with ungrafted vines are characterized by iron-rich red slate, which was formed some 400 million years ago, in the Devonian period. The extreme heat of later volcanic activity oxidized the iron in the slate, turning it from blue to red. The Prälat vineyard is a perfectly south-facing vineyard site between the Mosel River and massive red slate cliffs that form a heat-retaining wall of stone that protects the 1.6 hectare vineyard, creating a particularly warm and exceptional microclimate. Erdener Prälat is the philosopher in our GGR collection. The wine’s extraordinary complexity and mesmerizing depth inspire earnest reflection on the beauty of the natural world and its profound connection to the work of human hands.

Erdener Prälat Riesling GG RÉSERVE
Growing region: Mosel
Site : Erdener Prälat | VDP.Grosse Lage®
Quality level: QbA
VDP Classification: GG (Grosses Gewächs)
Grape variety: 100% Riesling
Soil type: Red slate
Harvest method: Selective manual harvesting
Aging: Spontaneously fermented in 1,000-liter oak barrels; aged 24 months in barrel on full lees; no bâtonnage; aged 24 months in bottle