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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2019 Erdener Prälat Grosses Gewächs Réserve Alte Reben Riesling, Dr Loosen

2019 Erdener Prälat Grosses Gewächs Réserve Alte Reben Riesling, Dr Loosen

Mosel, Germany

The Red Slate Crown

Deep, majestic and extraordinarily refined, this is dry Mosel Riesling from one of the region’s smallest and most revered vineyards. Ripe peach, apricot and mirabelle plum mingle with candied citrus, mango and hints of passion fruit, while white pepper, ginger and a smoky, saline mineral note run underneath. There is real richness here, but the fruit is held beautifully in check by vivid acidity and the distinctive red-slate character of Erdener Prälat.

The palate is powerful and intensely concentrated yet remarkably composed, with ripe stone fruit and citrus wrapped around fine acidity, subtle tannic grip and layers of stony minerality. Twenty-four months on the full lees in traditional old fuder adds breadth and texture, while extended bottle maturation has softened the edges without diminishing the wine’s extraordinary energy. The finish is long, saline and complex, with citrus peel, smoke and bitter almond lingering long after the fruit has faded. A genuinely profound dry Riesling with decades of life ahead.

For when: The bottle itself needs to be the occasion.

Pairs with: Grilled turbot, lobster, prawns, sushi and sashimi, ceviche, roast veal, rack of lamb, Vietnamese pho, mushroom dishes, Gruyère or herb-crusted mountain cheeses.

Erdener Prälat is one of the jewels of the Middle Mosel. At only around 1.5 hectares, it is among the region’s smallest celebrated single vineyards, squeezed between the Mosel and a vast wall of heat-retaining rock. Its extremely steep south-facing slopes, warm microclimate and finely weathered red slate create exceptionally ripe, concentrated Rieslings while retaining the acidity required for balance and longevity.

Dr Loosen describes Prälat as its finest vineyard. The protected site is warm enough to produce both powerful dry Rieslings and highly concentrated sweet wines, with mango, passion fruit and bitter almond regarded as particularly characteristic expressions of the site. Dr Loosen also holds the largest share of the vineyard.

Whats in the bottle
Riesling 100%

Notable Awards
100 Points, James Suckling

£159.95 - £159.95
£159.95
£159.95 - £159.95
£159.95
Availability:
In stock

Dr Loosen is one of the defining estates of the Mosel and one of the names most closely associated with the modern international reputation of German Riesling. The Loosen family has owned vineyards in the region for more than 200 years, with Ernst “Ernie” Loosen taking charge in 1988. The estate has been a member of the prestigious VDP since 1993.

Ernie inherited an extraordinary collection of old, often ungrafted Riesling vines in some of the Middle Mosel’s greatest historic sites. His approach places vineyard character at the centre of the wines, with reduced yields, meticulous hand selection and restrained cellar work designed to allow differences in soil, exposition and microclimate to speak clearly.

The GG Réserve programme grew from Loosen’s fascination with the astonishing longevity of dry Rieslings made by previous generations of his family. Since the 2011 vintage, selected wines from the estate’s greatest vineyards have been given dramatically extended maturation rather than being released according to the usual Grosses Gewächs timetable. Today the programme includes Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Ürziger Würzgarten and Erdener Prälat.

Each vineyard gives an entirely different expression. Wehlener Sonnenuhr brings the delicacy of blue slate, Ürziger Würzgarten the exotic spice of volcanic soils, while Erdener Prälat is built on warm red slate, producing the most powerful and concentrated expression of the three.

For customers, this wine represents the summit of Dr Loosen’s dry Riesling range: ancient ungrafted vines, an exceptionally rare Grand Cru site, spontaneous fermentation, years of maturation and one of the most acclaimed dry Rieslings the estate has produced.

The 2019 Erdener Prälat GG Réserve Alte Reben is made from 100% Riesling grown on one of the steepest and warmest sites in the Mosel. The vines used for this bottling are more than 103 years old and ungrafted, surviving on their original rootstocks because phylloxera struggles in the vineyard’s extremely rocky conditions.

The vineyard’s south-facing position is unusually protected. The Mosel reflects warmth into the vines, while enormous cliffs surrounding the site absorb heat during the day and release it slowly. Combined with the red slate soils, this creates an exceptionally warm microclimate capable of producing Rieslings with unusual ripeness, power and concentration.

The extreme gradient means everything must be carried out by hand, from pruning and canopy management through to harvest. Each vine is trained individually to a single pole using the traditional Mosel system. The old vines can flower irregularly, producing millerandage, where very small seedless berries develop within the bunch. These berries have a high skin-to-juice ratio, while the naturally loose bunches improve airflow and reduce susceptibility to botrytis, allowing a long period of healthy ripening.

The grapes were hand harvested and carefully selected, then left on their skins overnight. This short maceration helps provide additional texture and integrate Riesling’s naturally high acidity. Following gentle pressing, the juice was transferred into traditional German oak fuder of 1,000 and 3,000 litres.

Fermentation took place spontaneously with wild yeasts under temperature-controlled conditions. After fermentation, the wine remained in fuder on its full lees for 24 months without bâtonnage. According to the technical sheet supplied for your exact SKU, it was then lightly filtered, bottled and cellared for a further three years before release.

The 2019 vintage began with a warm spring followed by a hot summer, requiring careful canopy management to protect the fruit. Rain in August provided welcome relief, while warm September days and cool nights concentrated flavour while preserving acidity. The estate reported fruit arriving in excellent condition, with both intensity and fine freshness.

At 12.5% alcohol and 9.5 g/L residual sugar according to the exact supplied technical sheet, the wine is firmly dry in style. Its richness comes not from sweetness but from ripe fruit, ancient vines, a particularly warm terroir and prolonged maturation.

The result is perhaps the most imposing of Dr Loosen’s three 2019 GG Réserves: ripe peach, apricot and exotic fruit set against citrus, smoke and intense red-slate minerality. Despite its concentration, it retains the clarity and freshness that great Mosel Riesling needs, making it impressive now but particularly compelling as a wine for long-term ageing.