Dr. Loosen, Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese 2019

95 points James Suckling
"How can a wine be so succulent, yet so tightly wound? Serious concentration and a very long, spicy finish with stunning minerality. Drink or hold."

94 points Wine Enthusiast
"Light as a feather yet piercing and powerful, this zippy spätlese juxtaposes luminous gooseberry and white-peach flavors against streaks of lime and cut stone. Medium sweet in style, it’s an intensely ripe yet breathless, cutting wine that finishes long and pure. It is delicious already but should improve through 2035 and hold further."

Vinous Reverie Notes
The Dr. Loosen estate has been in the same family for over 200 years. When Ernst Loosen assumed ownership in 1988, he realized that with ungrafted vines averaging 60 years old in some of Germany’s best-rated vineyards, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense, world-class wines. To achieve this, Ernst dramatically restricts crop size, prohibits chemical fertilization, insists on very strict fruit selection, and employs gentle cellar practices that allow the wine to develop its full potential with a minimum of handling.
Erdener Treppchen translates to 'The Little Staircase of Erden', and is aptly named as the  vineyard is so steep that long ago, stone steps were built into the hillside to enable workers to reach the vines. The site is filled abundant with iron-rich, red slate soil with a firm mineral structure. The vines themselves are over 100 years old and are planted to their own rootstock. The grapes are selectively hand harvest at Spätlese level of ripeness, therefore they are left on the vines a week or two longer.  After harvest the grapes undergo cool fermentation takes place in a combination of stainless steel tanks and traditional Fuder barrels. The fermentation process is stopped by chilling. Tasting Notes: Aromatically the wine has scents of fresh herbal tea leaves, slate, and mixed orchard fruits. On the palate the wine is a combination of sweet and smoky, with crisp acidity hinting towards flavors of lemon and lime.