2001 Riesling Auslese, Ürziger Würzgarten Goldkapsel, Dr. Loosen

From the sinuous slopes of the Mosel’s most flamboyant vineyard comes a wine that feels like a symphony in slow motion. The 2001 Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese Goldkapsel bursts with exotic aromatics, candied pineapple, baked apricot, orange blossom and warm spice all wrapped in a golden haze of honey and slate. The palate is sensual and weightless all at once, its luscious sweetness lifted by that electric Mosel acidity that keeps everything dancing. Two decades on, it’s evolved into pure poetry: deep, seamless, endlessly perfumed, and glowing with vitality.

For when: the night deserves something unforgettable.
Pairs with: blue cheese, spiced desserts, or a quiet moment to yourself.
If this wine were: a scent, it’d be amber, citrus and wildflowers after rain.

Dr. Loosen is one of the great names of the Mosel, a family estate that has been crafting Riesling on steep slate slopes for over two centuries. Since Ernst Loosen took the reins in the late 1980s, the domaine has redefined what German Riesling can be, combining meticulous vineyard work with an almost artistic sensitivity to site. The Ürziger Würzgarten (“Spice Garden”) vineyard, planted on volcanic red slate, is among the Mosel’s most distinctive crus, yielding wines of heady perfume, exotic fruit and a trademark touch of spice.

The Goldkapsel designation marks the estate’s most concentrated, late-harvest selections, berries hand-picked at optimal ripeness, often touched by noble rot, then fermented slowly to preserve nuance and balance. The 2001 vintage is a legend in the Mosel: cool nights, perfect botrytis and pristine fruit combined to produce wines of thrilling tension and longevity. In Dr. Loosen’s hands, this Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese Goldkapsel remains one of the purest expressions of Mosel magic - a wine of both hedonism and harmony, still glowing after all these years.