“Indutiomarus” Dr. Loosen Riesling 1981

Conceived by Markus Lüpertz Wine by Ernst Loosen

Markus Lüpertz is Germany’s preeminent contemporary artist. Ernst Loosen is a globally renowned German winemaker. These two icons of Germanic culture share a rebellious nature that is unafraid to challenge prevailing conventions as they quest to forge a new path that celebrates contrasts and contradictions, fuses the objective and the abstract, and rides the rhythms of history. Now they have come together to collaborate on a limited-edition fusion of the visual and vinous arts – “Indutiomarus” Riesling.

In creating the artistic representation of this wine’s defiant spirit, Markus Lüpertz rode the wave of history back to Indutiomarus, the last great Germanic leader to oppose the Gallic conquests of Julius Caesar. That he did not succeed is of no matter. What resonates through the ages was his determination to stand against an oppressive invader in defense of his own lands and culture.

The wine itself was borne of innate curiousity and a fearless urge to bring history to life. As a young student of the winemaking arts, Ernst Loosen was astonished to read that, in the days of Goethe, Rieslings from the Rhein and Mosel were commonly kept in barrel for 20 to 30 years. This was directly counter to the modern practices of the 1980s, at odds with everything he had learned about winemaking technique, and clearly a disused, oxidative style that could in no way be relevant in the contemporary world.

Yet Ernst was intrigued. Obsessed. He was compelled to rediscover for himself what this historical approach would yield. With impassioned and persuasive argument, he acquired custody of a single Fuder of 1981 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling from his father. This barrel rested in the estate’s deepest cellar – tended to, but unmoved – for 27 years. It’s alchemical maturation progressed at
the pace of history, through Ernst’s acquistion of the estate itself, in 1988, recurring floods in the 1990s, and the ever-widening renown of the Dr. Loosen estate as the 21st century dawned.

Finally, in 2008, Ernst made the decision to move the wine from cask to bottle. Fully expecting the wine to be oxidized, madierized, sherry-like, he was surprised to discover exactly the opposite. The wine was bright and youthful, although with a distinct tone of apple cider in the aroma. The bottles were laid down in the same cellar, unlabeled and nearly forgotten, until a late-night drinking occasion some years later required one last reviving glass of Mosel Riesling. Without realizing it, Ernst uncorked a bottle of the experimental 1981. To his astonishment, the cider notes were diminishing and an even more youthful evocation of Mosel Riesling had begun to emerge. The extensive barrel maturation had given the wine exceptional stability, finesse and longevity. It only need some years in bottle to reawaken.

In subsequent tastings over the next decade, the wine continued to astonish. In great contrast to expectations, it appeared to become more fresh and youthful as it aged. Ernst began to refer to it as his “Benjamin Button” wine, after the contra-aging movie character. To celebrate this extraordinary contradiction, as well as the rediscovery of a long-forgotten historical winemaking practice, Ernst and Markus have created this special edition magnum bottling of Indutiomarus Riesling – a wine that defies expectations and stands against all odds.

This special-edition bottling is limited to 100 magnums
and was released exclusively from the Dr. Loosen estate on
October 30, 2021.

Each magnum is packed in a handsome, hand-crafted

cherry-wood box, and includes a lithograph of the original

label art, signed by Markus Lüpertz.