Dr. Loosen Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr GG Grosses Gewachs Alte Reben 2023
(Mosel, Germany) -
Regular price $108.00 Sale price $54.97 Save $53.03
About the Winery:
The Dr. Loosen estate has been in the same family for over 200 years. When Ernst Loosen assumed ownership in 1988, he realized 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, Ernst dramatically restricts crop size, prohibits chemical fertilization, insists on very strict fruit selection, and employs gentle cellar practices that allow the wine to develop its full potential with a minimum of handling.
About the Wine:
The vineyard name, Wehlener Sonnenuhr translates to 'The sundial of Wehlen' and is famous throughout the Mosel for its steepness as well as the rocky, blue Devonian slate soils. The wines that hail from this vineyard consistently show racy minerality and elegant structure. The vines age averages around 100 years on their own original rootstocks, and are farmed sustainably. These specific grapes are grown on the very old Laichen and Sandpichter parcels of Wehlener Sonnenuhr. After harvest the grapes are fermented with indigenous yeast in a 3,000-liter, neutral oak cask. The wine is matured on the full lees for 12 months with no bâtonnage.
Aromatically the wine has notes of crunchy green apples, lemon zest, and spicy cloves. The palate is extremely direct with its acidity, with pairing notes of pineapple, wet rock, steel, and a slightly honey-ed finish.
Ratings & Reviews
96 Points - James Suckling:
"I love the interplay of smoke and licorice with white peach and flower aromas of this dry riesling Mosel beauty. Concentrated and succulent yet vibrant and elegant, this glides over your palate at warp 5. Terrific freshness and purity in the very long, silky finish. Drink from release." - Stuart Piggot (Aug 2024)
95-97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2023 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Alte Reben Grosses Gewächs presents slate and lemon zest on the nose, promising chiseled elegance. The palate is immensely elegant and fine-boned. It's streamlined, precise and stony, with lemon juiciness driving deep into the stone, leaving a statuesque feel. (Drink between 2028-2060)." - Anne Krebiehl (Dec 2024)
95 Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2023 Wehlener Sonnenuhr GG Alte Reben is clear and coolish on the subtly flinty or smoky, (blue/gray) slate-driven and lemony nose that is rather discreet given the ancient age of most of the vines but very deep on the other hand. Round, lush and savory on the palate, this is a full-bodied, tight, still very young and rather farouche Sonnenuhr that can be irresistibly charming in its youth. However, the 2023 remains shy in flavors, whereas it remains seriously complex and persistent in structure and terroir expression. The 2023 is a rich and salivating, still tannic but also concentrated long-distance runner from one of the most famous sites along the Mosel River. 12.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in December 2024." - Stephan Reinhardt (Jan 2025)