The Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), organized and led by Annette Schiller, took place from September 6 – 12, 2015. The group was small - there were 7 of us, including Annette and Christian Schiller.
The tour took us to the Rheingau, Mittelrhein, Ahr, Mosel and Nahe. In the Mosel area (Mosel – Saar – Ruwer), we visited 3 producers: Dr. Loosen, St. Urbans-Hof Nik Weis and Van Volxem (Saar).
This posting covers the visit of Weingut Dr. Loosen. For the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), see here: Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
Ernst Loosen has become a global player, with the Mosel Valley remaining his home base.
Markus Schulte was our host; Ernst Loosen was in Switzerland.
Ernst Loosen in the World
Ernst Loosen is a winemaker based in Germany, who, broadly speaking, now makes 4 different wines in Germany and the USA: First, Mosel Valley Rieslings, traditionally fruity-sweet that made him so famous in the world, but increasingly dry; second, Pinot Noirs and other wines from the Pfalz, all dry, where he owns Weingut J.L. Wolf; third, the J. Christopher Wines, a collaboration of Ernst Loosen and Jay Somers, mainly Pinot Noir, from Oregon and fourth, the Eroica Riesling wines, a collaboration between Dr. Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle, the giant wine producer, in Washington State. In addition, jointly with his brother, Ernst Loosen is an importer in the US of German, but also other wines.
Ernst Loosen in the Mosel Valley
The wines of Weingut Dr. Loosen are known all around the world as prime examples of Germany’s famous delicious low alcohol, fruity-sweet Rieslings from the Mosel. These are exceptional wines, skillfully made by first-class winemakers like Ernst Loosen, essentially made by not letting the fermentation going its full course so that natural sugar remains in the wine. Alternatively, German winemakers are allowed to add sweet-reserve (sterilized grape juice) to increase the sweetness level in the wine, but today, this is mostly done, if at all, for fine tuning the residual sweetness. These fruity-sweet wines are the wines that are so popular among the fans of German wine in the world.
But today, wine loving Germans drink dry. There is no doubt about it. The large majority of the premium wines produced in Germany is dry. And the German (dry) grand cru Rieslings can compete with the best wines in the world. The word is getting around - slowly but surely - and more and more dry German Rieslings appear on the international market.
“While in Germany the demand for my fruity sweet wines is low, the Grosses Gewächs wines are very high in demand. In the US, it is the other way around” said Ernst a couple of years ago. But this is changing and Ernst Loosen has started to aggressively market his dry wines, both entry level and ultra-premium, in the US market.
Weingut Dr. Loosen is located just outside Bernkastel in the Mosel wine region. The vineyard area totals 22 hectares. Production amounts to 15.000 cases.
Ernst Loosen was Germany’s Winemaker of the Year in 2001 (Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland).
The American Wine Portfolio of Weingut Dr. Loosen
Markus Schulte explained to us that the Dr. Loosen wines available in the American market can be grouped into 3 quality categories.
Single Vineyard Wines
These are wines from the premium vineyards of Weingut Dr. Ernst Loosen. In fact, all of Weingut Dr. Loosen’s six major vineyards were designated as Grosse Lage (grand cru) in the 1868 Prussian classification of Mosel vineyards, which was undertaken for tax assessment purposes. This classification predates the grand cru system in Burgundy, and was updated by Stuart Pigott and Hugh Johnson in the Wine Atlas of Germany (1995). “We use this historically proven classification at Dr. Loosen. Only wines from the six top-rated sites (indicated on the map to the right) are bottled with a single-vineyard designation. All others are labeled simply as estate wines” Markus Schulte said.
Berkasteler Lay, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Graacher Himmelreich, Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Prälat, Erdener Treppchen - A full range of Prädikat wines is made from the six grand cru single-vineyard sites. In addition, Weingut Loosen makes Grosses Gewaechs wines – ultra premium dry wines from these exceptional vineyards.
Markus Schulte explained that the vineyards of Weingut Dr. Loosen owe their excellent quality to three major factors: the exceptional regional climate of the Middle Mosel area, the mineral-rich slate and volcanic soils, and the incredible age of the estate’s ungrafted Riesling vines. These elements are the building blocks of each vineyard’s terroir and have long been recognized for their importance in producing outstanding wines.
Estate Wines
All the grapes that do not go into single vineyard wines are used for the 2 Estate Wines, Blue Slate and Red Slate. In the USA, Ernst offers a dry Red Slate wine and a fruity sweet (Kabinett) Blue Slate wine.
The Red Slate Riesling is sourced from parcels in Uerzig and Erden, while the Blue Slate Riesling is sourced from vineyards in Bernkastel, Graach and Wehlen, where the soil is pure blue slate.
Dr. L
Dr. L is Ernst Loosen’s hugely popular entry-level wine. It is made with grapes bought from other grape growers in the Mosel Valley. As a new development, Weingut Dr. Loosen now offers two Dr. L wines, one with some residual sweetness and one dry. The latter was introduced to the American market just recently.
Ernst Loosen in Oregon
Ernst Loosen’s most recent project is a joint venture with Jay Somers in Oregon. Located in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, J. Christopher Wines is a small winery that specializes in Pinot Noir made in the traditional style of Burgundy. The winery also produces Sauvignon Blanc modeled after the great wines of Sancerre. The philosophy at J. Christopher is to produce wines in an Old World style that emphasizes focus, length and balance. Jay Somers is not only a gifted winemaker, but also a killer guitarist.
Jay Somers is not only a gifted winemaker, but also a killer guitarist.
Picture: Christian Schiller at the J. Christopher Winery Ernst Loosen in the Pfalz
In 1996, Ernst Loosen took over the J.L. Wolf estate so that he could make traditionally crafted Pfalz wines to complement the light and elegant Dr. Loosen Rieslings he produces in the Mosel. In the classic style of the Pfalz, these wines are more full-bodied than Mosel wines, with higher alcohol and rich flavors of ripe fruit and stone.
Ernst Loosen in Washington State
Promoting the worldwide ascendancy of Riesling was a big reason why Ernst Loosen began a joint venture with Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington State a bit more than 10 years ago. He was convinced that it would take a seriously good New World Riesling to help bring the variety back to the forefront. Eroica was launched in 1999. Named for Beethoven’s Third Symphony, Eroica is supposed to reflect not only its variety and site, but also its heritage: bold and forward from its Washington roots, elegant and refined from German inspiration.
The wine is made at Chateau Ste. Michelle from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley. They make three kinds of the Eroica. The regular Eroica, an icewine and a single berry selection. The latter is made in the traditional German Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) style and is one of the few TBAs in North America.
Loosen Bros. Imports in the USA
Ernst Loosen is not only a producer of wines, but also runs – with his brother Thomas Loosen - an import company, with a remarkable portfolio.
Dr. Loosen (Mosel, Germany),
Villa Wolf (Pfalz, Germany)
Weingut Robert Weil (Rheingau, Germany),
Weingut Fritz Haag (Mosel, Germany),
C. von Schubert - Maximin Grünhaus (Ruwer, Germany),
Weingut Wittmann (Rheinhessen, Germany)
Domaine de Bellene and Maison Roche de Bellene (Burgundy, France),
Gantenbein (Graubünden, Switzerland)
Bodegas Nuñez (Spain) and
J. Christopher Wines (Willamette Valley, Oregon)
Tasting
2014 Dr. Loosen Blauschiefer Riesling trocken
2014 Dr. Loosen Rotschiefer Riesling trocken
2013 Dr. Loosen Graacher Riesling trocken
2014 Dr. Loosen Blauschiefer Riesling trocken
2013 Dr. Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling trocken GG
2013 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling trocken GG Alte Reben
2013 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling trocken GG Alte Reben
2011 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling trocken GG Reserve
2013 Dr. Loosen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling feinherb
2014 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett
2014 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
2014 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
2009 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling TBA
Bye-bye
On the way out, we had a chance to take a look at Ernst's Oldtimers.
schiller-wine: Related Postings (Ernst Loosen)
Riesling from Germany and Pinot Noir from Oregon: A Winemaker Dinner with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen and J.Christopher Wines, at Black Salt in Washington DC
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
Ernst Loosen and Dr. L. Riesling - His Hugely Popular Entry-level Wine Sold Throughout the World
The Doctor Made a House Call - A Tasting with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC, USA
A Riesling Guru and a Killer Guitarist cum Cult Winemaker: Ernst Loosen and Jay Somers and their J. Christopher Winery in Newberg, Oregon
Wine ratings: Two American/German wines - Eroica and Poet's Leap - on Top 100 Wines from Washington State list for 2009
German American Wines: (1) Pacific Rim Riesling (2) Eroica and (3) Woelffer's Schillerwein
The German Winemakers at the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, USA
Riesling Revolution in China: Weingut Dr. Loosen, Germany, Domaine Hugel et Fils, Alsace and Jim Barry, Australia - China Tour to Promote Riesling
A Riesling Guru and a Killer Guitarist cum Cult Winemaker: Ernst Loosen and Jay Somers and their J. Christopher Winery in Newberg, Oregon
Ernst Loosen Presented his Wines at Weingut Dr. Loosen, Bernkastel-Kues, Mosel Valley, Germany
The World of Riesling in Seattle - Fourth Riesling Rendezvous in Washington State, USA
On the Way from Düsseldorf, Germany, to Portland, Oregon: Winemaker Jay Somers, J. Christopher Wines, Stops in Northern Virginia, USA
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