The Loosen family has been growing Riesling and producing wine in the Mosel valley for over 200 years. The current owner, Ernst “Erni” Loosen, assumed ownership in 1988, embarking on a quest to greatly improve the quality and international reputation of the estate, the Mosel region, and Riesling in general. Today, Erni is one of the most iconic and influential winemakers in the world. A full range of Riesling styles is produced, following the traditions of both family lines: dry wines from the paternal Loosen side, and Prädikat wines inspired by the maternal branch (the Prüm family).

In the 1868 viticultural map for the Trier administrative district, which was drawn up as a tax assessment basis for wineries on the Mosel, seven of Dr. Loosen sites were designated as Grosse Lage. This classification is similar to the Grand Cru system in Burgundy and was updated in 1995 by Stuart Pigott and Hugh Johnson in their German Wine Atlas. Today, Dr. Loosen make a deliberate effort to use this culturally and historically proven classification. Since 1988, they have exclusively bottled Rieslings from the classified Grossen Lagen as single vineyards, while all other wines are designated as Estate or Village Rieslings.

Great wines only come about through the clear ideas of the winemakers which affect every aspect of production, from the vineyard to the cellar. For Dr. Loosen, the key insight was the return to traditional winemaking as the way to produce great, distinctive Rieslings that can showcase their uniqueness in a globalized wine world. So, starting with the 2008 vintage, Dr. Loosen switched the entire vinification of their dry wines back to spontaneous fermentation in wooden barrels. Subsequently, all dry Rieslings were initially left on the lees for twelve months, without bâtonnage. Starting with the 2011 vintage, they began to age the wines from their best and oldest sites, from three different Grosse Lage vineyards, on the full lees for 24 months. After bottling, these wines are held for another one to three years before they are released. Thus, Dr. Loosen has embarked in a journey of innovation with very clear roots in the past.

. . . less

Weingut Dr. Loosen