Wine & Spirits - February 2021 - 62

Year's Best
Mosel Rieslings

Our blind panels tasted 216 new-release
Mosel rieslings over the past 12 months.
Tara Q. Thomas, our critic for German
wines, rated 65 as exceptional (90+) and
25 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of
wines tasted and all reviews at
wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

S PA RK L I N G

93 | Schloss Lieser

$54

93 | Dr. Loosen

$54

92 | Dr. Loosen

$92

91 | Dr. Loosen

$54

90 | Maximin Grünhaus

$70

280948

87 | Von Schleintz

$17

86 | Dr. Loosen

$16

2018 Mosel HD Bubbly (Best Buy) ^ Winemaker Konrad Hähn calls this his " HighDef " riesling, as it's cool, crisp and lightly
sweet, with riesling's peachy fruit and light,
foamy bubbles. Terrific brunch wine. § Scoperta Importing, Cleveland Heights, OH
280888
Mosel Dr. L Sparkling (Best Buy) ^ Gentle
bubbles and soft, citrusy flavors make this
an easy-going match with spicy Thai noodles. §
Loosen Bros. USA, Oregon City, OR

WHITE
DRY: GROSSES
GEWACHS & TROCKEN

some Grosses Gewächs can be); instead, it
wraps its searing acidity in apricot tones and
a brothy, savory richness. Round and full, it
has a driving energy that will preserve it as
it ages; if you open it now, have food at the
ready-like a roast chicken NoMad-style,
with foie gras under the skin. (W&S 10/20) §
Loosen Bros. USA, Oregon City, OR
280880

94 | Dr. Loosen

94 | Fritz Haag

95 | Dr. Loosen

$54

2018 Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr GG
Alte Reben Riesling ^ Ernst Loosen bottles
this wine from a parcel of vines planted in
Wehlener Sonnenuhr's blue-slate soils some
130 years ago. Spontaneously fermented in
large old barrels and left for a year on the lees
without any stirring, it's so concentrated in
its succulent fruit that it seems sweet at first
go. But it's not; it's simply packed, radiating
pure, sunny lemon and clementine flavor
from a firm mineral core. Delicious now, this
should age well for another decade or more. §
Loosen Bros. USA, Oregon City, OR
278610

95 | Maximin Grünhaus

$70

2018 Mosel Abtsberg GG Riesling ^ Abtsberg is Maximin von Schubert's warmest
site, and its steep blue-slate slopes produced
an exceptional dry riesling in the warmth of
2018. It's powerful but not mean (the way
62

WINE & SPIRITS

FEBRUARY 2021

$92

2014 Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr GG
Réserve Riesling ^ For his Réserve rieslings,
Ernst Loosen leaves his wines on the lees in
old oak fuders for 24 months without any lees
stirring. Then they spend another two years
in the bottle. The result is a complete outlier in Mosel riesling expression: This 2014 is
fully dry and powerful in its leesy notes and
rich texture; the flavors, on the other hand,
are pale and delicate, with a seawater salinity
and earthy umami savor. It's long and compelling, a fascinating bottle to age, or to serve
now with a scallop risotto. § Loosen Bros. USA,
Oregon City, OR
280836
$58

2019 Mosel Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr GG Riesling ^ From the sunniest
slice of the Brauneberger slope, this is a huge
wine in 2019, a generous mouthful of flavor.
It starts off quietly, with a warming spice
note, then rises in a crescendo from earth
and stone to yellow apple, white cherry and
clementine. Those flavors last, feeling wholesome and happy-this is a generous GG to
serve now with a pork loin, or to tuck into
the cellar where it will gain more complexity. §
Loosen Bros. USA, Oregon City, OR
280839

93 | Fritz Haag

$46

2019 Mosel Brauneberger Juffer GG Riesling ^ This starts out broad-shouldered and
backward, the fruit enveloped in warm
yeasty scents and notes of sandalwood spice.
Then the acidity comes in like a laser, bringing everything into focus. The fruit has the
intensity of lime cordial and yellow grapefruit; the mineral notes give the impression
of tannic grip. If you open this now, make
sure you have something rich to match, like
pork belly; otherwise, put this away for at
least another five years. § Loosen Bros. USA,
Oregon City, OR
280868

2019 Mosel Juffer Sonnenuhr Grosses
Gewächs Riesling ^ This estate is run by
Thomas Haag, son of Wilhelm and brother
of Oliver, owners of Weingut Fritz Haag. The
style is similar-everything is handpicked,
all the fermentations are spontaneous and
take a long time in the cold cellars; all the
wines spend months on their lees and they
can have some funky reductive aromas right
out of the bottle. But give this 2019 some oxygen and the air clears, bringing cold notes of
lime and peach cascading over mineral tones
like water over river stones. It feels strict, in
search of a whole roast trout or pork loin to
focus its intensity. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits,
NY
280881
2018 Mosel Graacher Himmelreich GG
Alte Reben Riesling ^ From old, own-rooted
vines rooted in Himmelreich's cool blueslate slopes, this feels cool and restrained. It's
100 percent savory, more about earth than
fruit, with a gingery spice that adds verve.
The combination of fine-boned delicacy and
steadfast strength is appealing, and suggests
that the wine will have more to say with age. §
Loosen Bros. USA, Oregon City, OR
280882
2014 Mosel Urziger Würzgarten GG
Réserve Riesling ^ Two years on the lees
imbued this 2014 with a cashmere texture,
plush and enveloping, as well as a savory,
spicy, nutty warmth. In its size, creamy richness and flinty notes, it brings to mind an
aged Burgundy, but the linear line and spicy
acidity stake it as Urziger Würzgarten riesling. § Loosen Bros. USA, Oregon City, OR
280883
2018 Mosel Urziger Würzgarten GG Alte
Reben Riesling ^ Notes of sandalwood and
cumin add spice to this wine's pale peach and
pear flavors. It feels succulent and youthful,
with a chewy texture that suggests this will
have more detail to show with age. § Loosen
Bros. USA, Oregon City, OR
280829
2019 Mosel Abtsberg GG Riesling ^ This is
pithy and tight, with a mineral-water clarity

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Wine & Spirits - February 2021

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