The
wines of Ernst Loosen: Rieslings from the Mosel, the Pfalz and
Washington State
Ernst Loosen (pronounced 'Low-zen'), the great ambassador of German wines, is famous for
his Mosel Rieslings and also his superb PR skills. But since 1996 he's
also been making wines in the Pfalz, at the revitalized J.L. Wolf
estate. More recently a collaboration has been initiated with Château
Ste Michelle in Washington State, called ‘Eroica’. Forty-something
Ernst comes across as an astute and articulate proponent of Riesling,
with intelligent, sensible things to say about the issues of terroir
and typicity. I tasted Rieslings from all three estates, each with
their own distinctive style.
Weingut J L Wolf,
Wachenheim, Pfalz, Germany
Website: http://www.jlwolf.de/index_e.htm
In 1996 Ernst Loosen took over the somewhat run-down estate of J L
Wolf, which owned vineyard parcels in some top sites in the Pfalz. He
has revolutionized things, reducing yields and farming organically.
Altogether there are 10 ha of vineyards (not a great deal), 80% of
which are Riesling. Annual production is 500 cases per year. I was
really impressed with these wines. Although they are heavier in weight
and alcohol than their Mosel counterparts, they still have lovely
complexity and are expressive and well balanced. They are top flight
examples of dry Riesling.
1999 Wachenheimer Riesling Trocken
AP no 5142 202 03 00; 12% alcohol. A rich style of Riesling, with
a full rich nose of honey and apples. The palate is attractive, rich
and spicy with good minerality, some citrus fruits and good
concentration. Very good+
1998 Forster Pechstein Riesling Spätlese Trocken
AP no 5142 2020 09 99; 12% alcohol. This wine shows a delicate,
lifted, limey nose with racy acidity and some honey notes. There's
plenty of minerality on the palate, which is rich but still delicate,
with lively acidity, good balance and some spice. Finishes dry. Very
good/excellent
1999 Wachenheimer Belz Riesling Spätlese Trocken
AP no not complete; 12.5% alcohol. The expressive nose shows
delicate, racy, lime and mineral notes with some creamy, honeyed
undertones. The strongly mineralic palate is quite delicate but
concentrated, with lovely zingy acidity. Very good/excellent
Weingut Dr Loosen,
Bernkastel, Mosel, Germany
Website: http://www.drloosen.de/index_e.htm
Loosen’s reputation has been built on 12 ha (30 acres) of vines
in some of the prime vineyards of the middle Mosel. These exclusively
Riesling vines are almost all on the original rootstocks (non-grafted)
with an average age of 60 years. The estate has been family owned for
over 200 years, and Ernst Loosen took over in 1988. Since this time it’s
reputation has soared. It’s fair to say that these wines are made in
a rich, full style, and while I liked them very much, I’m going to
be a total heretic and declare that I probably prefer Ernie’s
efforts in the Pfalz, on this showing. Light up that bonfire! Perhaps
I need to try more of these wines -- and some older examples, too --
before I make any firm conclusions.
Dr L Riesling 2000, Mosel Saar Ruwer Qualitätswein
8.5% alcohol. A lively lime and floral nose leads to a rich
citrussy palate. This is quite powerful with a rounded spicy character
and some residual sugar on the palate. A nice wine for the price. Very
good
2000 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
No AP number; 8% alcohol. Quite rich citrussy nose is just a
little shy at the moment. The palate is rich with full-on spice and
honey notes. Bold and full flavoured with some sweetness on the finish
and good density. It lacks a little something now, but may age well.
Very good+
2000 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese
No AP number. Spicy nose has a touch of herbiness to it; it’s
youthful, shy and there’s some minerality in the background.
Concentrated, intense palate with rich spiciness and some citrus and
honey complexity – the sweetness is quite evident. This is nice
stuff in a full-on style. I’d expect this to improve with some
bottle age. Very good+
1999 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 1999
AP no. 2 57616224 00; 8.5% alcohol. Complex full nose of limes,
honey and spice, with some minerality. The palate is rich and rounded,
with come class. It’s powerful, bold Riesling, showing creamy
lime/citrus flavours with honey notes, some acidity and lots of
extract. Very good/excellent
Eroica
A collaboration between Ernst
Loosen and Ch Ste Michelle in Washington State, USA
Eroica Riesling 2000, Washington State, USA
Eroica produces just two wines, this and a trockenbeerenauslese.
The regular Riesling is a blend of three vineyards, with an average
vine age of 30 years. Ernst Loosen is adamant that he is not trying to
make a Mosel Riesling; just the best Washington State Riesling
possible. There's no way you'd mistake this for a Mosel wine. It has
quite a prominent boiled sweets edge to the nose and some bright
fruity notes. The palate is quite strongly flavoured, with a touch of
citrus fruit, some spice and a little residual sugar (actually 12-13 g
residual sugar). I'm not overly keen on this style. Good/very good
Tasted May 2001
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