Mosel Riesling: tasting through some of the best examples at the VDP tasting 2026
Riesling is Germany’s great strength, and one of its heartlands is the Mosel. In the second article on the VDP tastings of the soon to be released GG wines (an explanation of these terms is in the first piece where I looked at the Pinot Noirs), I’m writing up all the Mosel Rieslings that were on show. A lovely bunch of wines. They are in the order of tasting, and the vineyard names are in capitals.
Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Riesling Saarburg RAUSCH 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Wonderfully expressive chalky, floral nose with nice bright fruit. The palate is linear, keen and precise with amazing intensity and purpose. Light and expressive, but with intensity. 95/100
Peter Lauer Riesling Ayl SCHONFELS 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Some eggy reduction on the nose. Supple with expressive citrus fruits and a hint of green apple. 86/100
Peter Lauer Riesling Ayl LAMBERTSKIRCH 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Quite atypical for Riesling. Has this done malolactic? Slightly creamy apple and citrus fruit with nice texture and a soft finish. 91/100
Peter Lauer Riesling Ayl KUPP 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Juicy and bright with nice energy to the crisp citrus fruit. Crystalline and focused with a lovely mouthfeel, finishing light and expressive. 93/100
Van Volxem Riesling Ockfen GEISBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Beautiful aromatics with a touch of apricot and honey complementing the vivid lemony notes on the nose. The palate is crystalline and quite dense with keen acidity under the layered fruit. Lovely. 95/100
Peter Lauer Riesling Biebelhausen SAARFEILSER 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Compact and quite focused with nice pure citrus fruit, backed up by good acidity. Understated and chiselled and really good. 94/100
Van Volxem Riesling Wawern GOLDBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Crisp but substantial with lovely lemon and mandarin notes as well as a crystalline quality in the mouth. Linear, chiselled and detailed, finishing fresh. Light on its feet. 95/100
Van Volxem Riesling Kanzem ALTENBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Juicy and grainy with nice chalky, mineral detail under the crystalline citrus fruit. Lovely purity and finesse here with a nice tapering finish. 95/100
Van Volxem Riesling Wiltingen VOLZ 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Bright with nice energy and some ripeness to the citrus fruit, with a touch of apricot and pear. Stylish and balanced, and quite approachable. 94/100
Van Volxem Riesling Wiltingen SCHARZHOFBERG PERGENTSKNOPP 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
This has beautiful concentration and depth with lovely crystalline detail to the ripe citrus fruit, with hints of apricot and orange peel. Beautiful balance in the mouth with nice acidity countering the ripe fruit. 96/100
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling SCHARZHOFBERGER 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Zippy, bright and linear with keen citrus fruit and high acidity. Pure with a touch of pink grapefruit on the finish. Chiselled and taut. 94/100
Van Volxem Riesling SCHARZHOFBERGER 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Concentrated, taut and pure with compact citrus fruit, some chalky minerality, and a long, tapering finish. This is very stylish and impactful. 95/100
Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Maximin Grünhaus HERRENBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Concentrated, acidic and very dry, with tightwound citrus fruit. This is firm, acidic and quite backward. Needs time. 93/100
Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Maximin Grünhaus ABTSBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
So chiselled, dry and acidity, with some green apple and sharp lemon, as well as some herby notes. Austere at the moment. 92/100
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Kasel NIES’CHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Bright and lemony with nice weight. Some grapefuit. High acidity. Perhaps a little simple now, but with some potential. 92/100
Van Volxem Riesling Longuich MAXIMINER HERRENBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Delightful nose is floral, open and enticing with delicate sweet citrus fruit. The palate is beautifully textured and well balanced with refined citrus fruit and fine grained spiciness. 96/100
Grans-Fassian Riesling Leiwen LAURENTIUSLAY 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Chiselled, bright and lemony with good acid. Nice fruit but quite simple in style. 91/100
Grans-Fassian Riesling Trittenheim APOTHEKE 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Pure, dry, crisp lemony fruit with some herby hints. Nice weight, but a bit simple. 90/100
Grans-Fassian Riesling Dhron HOFBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Juicy and vivid with an appley edge to the focused lemony fruit. Good energy here. 92/100
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Piesport DOMHERR 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Balanced and harmonious with nice citrus fruit as well as a touch of green apple. Has nice weight and balance. 92/100
Grans-Fassian Riesling Piesport GOLDTRÖPFCHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Bright, tight and linear with vivid lemony fruit and some wet stone on the nose. Old school. 90/100
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Piesport GOLDTRÖPFCHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Textured and vivid with sweet citrus fruit, a touch of grapefruit, and a twist of sweetness at the end. High acidity. 91/100
Schloss Lieser-Thomas Haag Riesling Piesport GOLDTRÖPFCHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Some eggy reduction on the nose. Bright, taut and linear with focused lemony fruit. 85/100
Fritz Haag Riesling Kesten PAULINSHOFBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Textural with nice complexity, showing layered citrus fruit with some depth to it, finishing spicy. 94/100
Fritz Haag Riesling Brauneberg JUFFER 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
This has a nice spicy mineral character as well as dense citrus fruit finishing fresh, but with some depth. 93/100
Fritz Haag Riesling Brauneberg JUFFER SONNENUHR 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Detailed, bright, lemony and refined with nice presence on the palate. Focused citrus fruit, some texture, and good acidity. Lovely. 95/100
Schloss Lieser-Thomas Haag Riesling Lieser NIEDERBERG HELDEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Subtle egg reduction on the nose. Crisp, open, fruity palate with bright lemons and grapefruit. Nice weight in the mouth, finishing tapered. 92/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Bernkastel JOHANNISBRÜNNCHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Fresh, bright, dry, stony and quite mineral with crystalline citrus and some green apple. Lots of zingy energy here. 94/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Bernkastel LAY 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Textural and fine with some pear and peach depth to the ripe citrus fruit. Nicely complex with layers of flavour, and a delicately spiced, tapering finish. Fine. 95/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Graach HIMMELREICH 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Juicy and expressive with fine spicy detail to the fresh citrus, pear and apple fruit. Nice mineral characters flow around the fruit, which is ripe but well defined. 94/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Graach DOMPROBST 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
There’s lovely ripeness and generosity here, but also some tension, with sweet citrus fruit and some richer peachy notes. Has lovely definition with some mineral complexity. 95/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Wehlen SONNENUHR 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Compact and fine. This has ripe citrus with some depth, but also nice tension and minerality. Delicate and crystalline. Pure. 96/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Ürzig WÜRZGARTEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Distinctive with some ginger and white pepper on the nose as well as ripe citrus. Lovely plump, weighty citrus fruit palate with nice freshness and weight. It’s rich, spicy and beautifully balanced. 96/100
Dr. Hermann Riesling Erden TREPPCHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Sweetly aromatic on the nose, with a bright lemony palate, some richer pear notes, and a green herby character on the finish. 91/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Erden TREPPCHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Fresh, textured and gently spicy on the finish, with focused lemony fruit and a hint of green tea. 93/100
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Erden TREPPCHEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Zippy, bright and quite pure with balanced lemony fruit. There’s some nice texture here, although it lacks a bit of intensity. 92/100
Dr. Hermann Riesling Lösnich FÖRSTERLAY 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Textured and refined with bright lemony fruit, supported by good acidity. Compact, showing nice purity and balance. 93/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Lösnich FÖRSTERLAY 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
This is restrained, taut and quite mineral, with lemons and wet stones, finishing with some subtle oxidative hints. Appley and energetic. 91/100
Dr. Loosen Riesling Kinheim ROSENBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Compact, taut herb-scented nose with bright lemons. The palate is dry and lemony, showing nice intensity as well as good acidity. 93/100
Clemens Busch Riesling Pünderich MARIENBURG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Pure, delicate and quite textural with nice weight and balance to the fruit. Juicy with some energy. Crystalline and fine. 94/100
Clemens Busch Riesling Pünderich MARIENBURG FAHRLAY 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Nice weight and delicacy here with stylish citrus and pear fruit, showing good balance and a tapering finish. 94/100
Clemens Busch Riesling Pünderich MARIENBURG FALKENLAY 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Elegant, expressive and well balanced with delicate, pure citrus fruit and a tapering finish. Stylish and beguiling. 94/100
Clemens Busch Riesling Pünderich MARIENBURG ROTHENPFAD 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Juicy, finely spiced and quite delicate with lovely citrus fruit. Not big or showy, but nicely complex and layered with nice precision. 94/100
Heymann-Löwenstein Riesling Hatzenport KIRCHBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Honeyed citrus fruit on the nose leads to a textured, quite rich palate with crystalline citrus to the fore. Juicy and layered. 93/100
Heymann-Löwenstein Riesling Hatzenport STOLZENBERG 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Textured and showing some ripeness and depth with rich yellow plum and citrus fruit. Nicely dense with lots of fruit here. 93/100
Knebel Riesling Winningen UHLEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Juicy and expressive showing concentrated lemony fruit with a crystalline quality, and a tapering finish. Stylish. 94/100
Heymann-Löwenstein Riesling UHLEN LAUBACH 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Lovely depth of ripe fruit here. Yellow plum, peach and ripe citrus. This is a ripe style and it’s quite deliciously fruit-laden. 94/100
Heymann-Löwenstein Riesling UHLEN ROTH LAY 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Really nice balance here between the ripe, full fruit and the nice crystalline citrus fruit. Has some fine, spicy character as well a a touch of peachy richness. 94/100
Heymann-Löwenstein Riesling Winningen RÖTTGEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Ripe yellow fruits and some citrus on the nose. So inviting. The palate is bright and full with nice intensity of crystalline citrus fruit, as well as some richer riper tropical notes. So lovely. 95/100
Knebel Riesling Winningen RÖTTGEN 2025 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Fresh, pure and delicious with some chalky minerality and firm acidity under the crisp citrus fruit. Very stylish showing nice intensity. 93/100
Nik Weis-St. Urbans-Hof Riesling Mehring LAYET 2024 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Brisk and energetic with crisp green apple and lime, showing lovely fruit hemmed in by high acid. 93/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Kesten PAULINSHOFBERG 2024 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Some sweet honied, candied citrus fruit on the nose. The palate has nice weight with some stony, mineral notes under the sweet citrus fruit. Very appealing. 94/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Bernkastel DOCTOR 2024 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Layered pear and citrus fruit with some nice wet stone minerality and good acidity. This hangs together well. 93/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Bernkastel GRABEN 2024 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Juicy, focused and energetic with bright citrus fruit, finishing all lemony and bright. Very appealing in a compact style. 94/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Graach HIMMELREICH 2024 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Some honied notes on the nose with nice focus and brightness. Juicy, crystalline and lemony with nice precision and weight. Tapering finish. Stylish. 93/100
Geheimrat J. Wegeler Riesling Wehlen SONNENUHR 2024 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Fresh, juicy and textural with nice precision to the crisp citrus fruit. This has real balance and nice acidity. 93/100
