2018 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Grosses Gewächs Alte Reben

A mesmerizing dry Riesling that displays the characteristic delicacy and depth of the iconic “sundial” vineyard.

The famous “sundial” vineyard, in the village of Wehlen, produces the quintessential Mosel style of Riesling: delicate and refined, with racy minerality and endless charm. Grosses Gewächs (GG) means “great growth” in German and is the designation for an estate’s best dry wine from a Grosse Lage (grand cru) vineyard. Dr. Loosen is one of the most highly acclaimed wine estates in the world. In the family for over 200 years, Ernst “Erni” Loosen assumed ownership in 1988 and quickly propelled the reputation of Dr. Loosen into the highest echelon of Germany’s finest producers. With a focus on the old, ungrafted vines the estate owns in some of the Mosel valley’s best-rated vineyards, the wines clearly express their cool-climate origins through environmentally sensitive viticulture, strict harvest selection and gentle cellar practices.

---

Viticulture

The 2018 Mosel harvest was the earliest ever recorded, but this we also had an early budbreak and flowering, so the development period for the grapes was still within the ideal target range. The harvest was characterized by good yields, healthy fruit at the beginning of harvest, and very good quality. As the harvest progressed we were able to produce an excellent range of dry wines, as well as wines from every Prädikat level, from Kabinett to Trockenbeerenauslese.

---

Vinification

This wine was fermented naturally and kept on the full lees for a year to allow the wine time to develop greater texture and to find its natural harmony Fermented with indigenous yeasts in traditional 3,000-liter, neutral oak, cask; matured on the full lees for 12 months; no bâtonnage