Riesling Rocks

Dr Loosen is one of the top producers in Mosel, arguably Germany’s most famous region for Riesling. Ernst “Ernie” Loosen took the helm in 1988 with acute focus on one thing: his vines. With the good fortune to inherit vines averaging sixty years old in some of the Mosel’s best terroir, he’s reduced yields, moved to organic farming and placed great emphasis on the vineyard site itself. Loosen wines are perhaps some of the most iconic in the region. Kabinett is the lightest of Germany’s fruity styles of Riesling. Off dry, and coming in at just 8.5% alcohol, it’s an utterly delicious wine: the perfect bottling to start - or end - a meal. Kabinett is a style of wine you have to discover, and this is the perfect way to do so.

Eva Fricke is a superstar of the Rheingau, with her 13 hectare estate, that she only started in 2006. Not from winemaking stock - both her parents are doctors - she only discovered an interest in wine, and more specifically farming, when she did an internship at Buitenverwachting in South Africa at the age of 18. She’s worked at numerous top estates, from Château Cissac to Schloss Johannisberg, from Pingus to Castello di Verduno, before settling down as operations manager at Leitz from 2004 to 2011. Since then she’s been fully committed to her own project. She works with parcels of older vineyards across the region, and her 2019s have received incredible critical acclaim. From the vineyards around the village of Kiedrich, this is an elegant, finessed, beautifully balanced Riesling: the perfect way to discover her wines.

Eva Fricke is one of our favourite producers, from anywhere in the world. So when she agreed to bottle a dry Rheingau Riesling exclusively for us, we jumped at the chance. This comes from vineyards across the Rheingau, from the 2019 vintage - a year when Eva’s top wines have received a number of 100 point scores. It’s fresh, zesty, and utterly delicious, and we’re incredibly proud to put our name to it, alongside Eva’s.

In the beautiful Nahe region of Germany, Dönnhoff reigns supreme. Now run by the perfectionist Cornelius Dönnhoff, who’s fully taken over from his father Helmut, this charming, generous family makes it one of our favourite estates to visit, anywhere in the world. Spätlese might just be the most underrated of all Germany’s styles of wine: sweeter than the juicy, vibrant Kabinetts yet less sweet than the luscious, pudding-friendly Ausleses, it’s in danger of being lost. Yet this demonstrates exactly why it shouldn’t be overlooked. Juicy, pure, and oh-so-moreish, from one of the Nahe’s most historic vineyards that was named after a cherry tree, everyone should have a bottle or two of this in their cellar. And with a few years’ bottle age, it will be the perfect match for roast pork, or for Asian cooking.

Hans-Joachim (“Hanno”) and his wife Ruth Zilliken mark the tenth generation to make wine predominantly around their famed Saarburger Rausch vineyard, and they’ve now been joined by their daughter, Dorothee. They barrel ferment all of their wines using natural yeasts and traditional “moselfuder casks”, some of which are more than a half-century old. With long, cool fermentations allowing complex flavours to emerge slowly, these are Rieslings to age with the very best. For many, the sweet Auslese category is where German Riesling reaches its pinnacle, with incredible complexity and longevity, and remarkable acidity balancing that ripeness. This is the perfect example: a wine that wows with its explosive fruit yet stunning freshness.

Impressive depth and texture, very good length and ripe, and intense. Lovely orange blossom, blood orange, really open and lovely length. Very typical Riesling. Much more about fruit and texture. Lovely richness. Johannes Hasselbach is making stunning wines from some of Rheinhessen’s best sites on the Roter Hang, the red slate slopes that overlook the river Rhine. Johannes took over the family domaine (which bears the name of its 1890 founder, Carl Gunderloch) a few years ago, with his father Fritz moving into the background, but remaining ever present to help and support his son. Sadly Fritz passed away in December 2016, but Johannes has continued the upward trajectory: these are stunning wines that offer incredible value for money. Grosses Gewächs are dry wines from the very top sites, and Hipping is one of Rheinhessen’s greatest - you may recognise it from the Keller portfolio, too, where the wines sell for many times the price. This is all about texture: it’s an utterly delicious dry Riesling, from a talented young winemaker.