Dr Loosen Bernkastler Lay Kabinett 2007
Ernie Loosen has singlehandedly put German wine on the world stage and in the 21st century. He has done it by a mixture of irreverence, tireless traveling and an uncompromising quest for quality." — Jancis Robinson Decanter, April 2005
The Devonian slate of the Mosel valley comes in a range of colors because of differing mineral content. These differences, in conjunction with the various vineyard climates and soil compositions, give distinctive flavors to the wines.
I can't think of a more scintillating white wine than a great German Riesling from the Mosel Valley. Ernie Loosen is making some of the best Riesling in Germany at the Dr Loosen estate at Bernkastel. At just 7.5 per cent alcohol, I could sip this juicy, zesty, honeysuckle- and lime-scented wonder for hours. Huon Hooke
The concept of quality at Dr. Loosen begins with the vineyards themselves. It is the quality of the site, the suitability of the vine variety to that site, and the age of the vines that make great wines possible. The Dr. Loosen estate has been in the same family for over 200 years. When Ernst Loosen (pronounced Low-zen) assumed ownership of the estate in 1988, he soon realized that with ungrafted vines averaging 60 years old, and vineyard sites rated according to his estate-specific classification and the more current Wine Atlas of Germany, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense, world-class wines.
Ernst reduced his crop size. He stopped all chemical fertilization, preferring only moderate use of organic fertilizers. And, most importantly, he reached back to a gentler century for cellar practices that allow the wine to develop its full potential with a minimum of handling and technological meddling.
The Loosen family, proprietor of the famed Dr Loosen Estate, is one of Germany's finest producers, and has been the subject of many international wine articles and of Jancis Robinson's BBC Wine Course. Great Rieslings, with the harmony of fruit and acidity.
Bernkasteler Lay
(The Slote of Bernkatel)
Situated around the Loosen estate house on the river bank just outside Bernkastel, this vineyard has a gentler slope and richer soil than the estate's other vineyards. Natural springs provide all the water the vines need to produce full-bodied, assertive wines that are ideally suited to vinification in the dry style.
