2004 Riesling, Auslese, Erdener Prälat, Dr. Loosen, Mosel, Germany
Critics reviews
David Schildknecht - 23/02/2006
About this WINE
Dr. Loosen
Ernst Loosen runs one of the great estates of Germany. His 11.6 hectares of vines lie on the banks of the Mosel and include the famous vineyards of Treppchen and Prälat in Erden, Würzgarten in Urzig and Sonnenuhr in Wehlen.
80% of the grapes grown are Riesling and many of the vines are 60-70 years old - the area around Bernkastel and much of the middle Mosel was never affected by phylloxera, so these are the original ungrafted vines. Loosen has an organic approach to viticulture and yields are very low by German standards. These are impeccably crafted wines that display the character of their respective vineyards as well as Loosen`s winemaking genius.
Mosel
The Mosel wine region in Germany is renowned for its high-quality white wines, especially Riesling. Its unique terroir of steep slopes, slate soils, and cool climate contributes to the wines' distinctive character.
Riesling dominates the vineyard plantings, and the region follows a vineyard classification system based on ripeness levels. Historic vineyards, such as Erdener Prälat and Wehlener Sonnenuhr, produce exceptional wines.
The Mosel offers various styles, from crisp Kabinett and rich dessert wines. The region's wine culture is celebrated through multiple festivals, making it a must-visit destination for wine enthusiasts.
Riesling
Riesling's twin peaks are its intense perfume and its piercing crisp acidity which it manages to retain even at high ripeness levels.
In Germany, Riesling constitutes around 20% of total plantings, yet it is responsible for all its greatest wines. It is planted widely on well-drained, south-facing slate-rich slopes, with the greatest wines coming from the best slopes in the best villages. It produces delicate, racy, nervy and stylish wines that cover a wide spectrum of flavours from steely and bone dry with beautifully scented fruits of apples,apricots, and sometimes peaches, through to the exotically sweet flavours of the great sweet wines.
It is also an important variety in Alsace where it produces slightly earthier, weightier and fuller wines than in Germany. The dry Rieslings can be austere and steely with hints of honey while the Vendages Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles are some of the greatest sweet wines in the world.
It is thanks to the New World that Riesling is enjoying a marked renaissance. In Australia the grape has developed a formidable reputation, delivering lime-sherbet fireworks amid the continental climate of Clare Valley an hour's drive north of Adelaide, while Barossa's Eden Valley is cooler still, producing restrained stony lime examples from the elevated granitic landscape; Tasmania is fast becoming their third Riesling mine, combining cool temperatures with high UV levels to deliver stunning prototypes.
New Zealand shares a similar climate, with Riesling and Pinot Gris neck to neck in their bid to be the next big thing after Sauvignon Blanc; perfectly suited is the South Island's Central Otago, with its granitic soils and continental climate, and the pebbly Brightwater area near Nelson. While Australia's Rieslings tend to be full-bodied & dry, the Kiwis are more inclined to be lighter bodied, more ethereal and sometimes off-dry; Alsace plays Mosel if you like.
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Description
Beginning last year, there was a change of strategy at Dr. Loosen when it comes to harvesting their most celebrated vineyard. That conscious attempt to enhance fresh fruitedness, brightness, and clarity is impressively reflected in their 2004 Erdener Pralat Rieslng Auslese. Chartreuse-like herb and flower distillates, tangerine, lemon, and honey arise from the glass. In the mouth, it exhibits a long, elegant line and a bright, sorbet-like expression of tangerine, along with salty mineral and nut oil depth. The finish is terrifically long, involved, and refined, with floral and herbal top notes and clarity of citrus that I dont recall from Loosen Pralats of past years. Any of this years crop of Loosen Auslesen should easily be worth watching for at least a quarter century, and this Pralat in particular. Its astonishing purity and poise arise from fruit that had only a subtle but noble blush of botrytis, the fruit having been for the most part, Schug reports, tiny, healthy and golden.
David Schildknecht - 23/02/2006
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