Dr. Loosen, le riesling d'ardoise à Bernkastel
10 bouteilles, du Grosses Gewächs sec à la BeerenausleseOld ungrafted parcels clinging to slate slopes that only the hand can work: that is the capital Ernst Loosen received when he took over the family estate at Bernkastel in 1988. Low yields, harvesting in successive passes, gentle pressing, native yeasts and fermentation in old foudres — the cellar keeps a low profile so the hillside can speak.
Each cuvée carries the name of its vineyard, from Wehlener Sonnenuhr to Ürziger Würzgarten. You will find both faces of the estate here, the dry wines classified as Grosses Gewächs and the whole Prädikat scale, from the light Kabinett to the sweet wine for the end of the meal.
Dr. Loosen - Wehlener Sonnenuhr Dry GG AR 2022
A great dry Mosel Riesling, precise, crystalline, and deeply mineral, from the mythical Wehlener Sonnenuhr hillside.
Dr Loosen - Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2023
A magnificent Moselle Riesling, combining crystalline purity, controlled sweetness, and vibrant mineral energy.
Dr Loosen - Urziger Wurzgarten Dry GG AR 2022
A great dry Mosel Riesling, precise, spicy, and deeply mineral, from the spectacular Urziger Würzgarten hillside.
Dr. Loosen - Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett 2024
An airy and precise Moselle Riesling, where the gourmet fruit meets vibrant minerality.
Dr Loosen - Urziger Wurzgarten Auslese 2023
A Moselle Riesling that is both intense and ethereal, where sweetness marries a vibrant freshness.
Dr Loosen - Kinheimer Rosenberg Trocken GG 2023
A dry Mosel Riesling with precise minerality, combining aromatic purity and a mouth-watering finish.
Dr Loosen - Graacher Domprobst Dry GG 2023
A dry Moselle terroir Riesling, precise and mineral, combining aromatic intensity and great finesse on the palate.
Dr Loosen - Erdener Treppchen Kabinett 2024
A precise and ethereal Mosel Riesling, where delicate sweetness meets crystalline freshness.
Dr Loosen - Erdener Treppchen Auslese 2024
A Mosel Auslese combining refined sweetness, crystalline tension and the mineral purity of the red slate from Erdener Treppchen.
Dr Loosen - Beerenauslese 2018
A Mosel Riesling Beerenauslese of great purity, where the luscious richness is balanced by a vibrant acidity.
The estate's great vineyards, one by one
The estate spreads over the best slopes of the Middle Mosel, between Kinheim and Graach. Each hillside has its own rock and its own colour of slate, blue at Wehlen, red and volcanic at Ürzig, and that difference can be tasted before you even look at the label.
| Le coteau | La commune | Le sol | Ce que donne le vin | Prix à la bouteille |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wehlener SonnenuhrLe cadran solaire de Wehlen | Wehlen | Very stony blue slate, due south | Pureté cristalline, finale saline longue | dès 36,80 €, par lot de 3 |
| Erdener TreppchenThe terraced steps of Erden | Erden | Schiste rouge décomposé, sud sud-ouest | Fruit mûr, tension citronnée | dès 23,20 €, par caisse de 6 |
| Ürziger WürzgartenLe jardin d'épices, en amphithéâtre | Ürzig | Ardoise rouge volcanique, riche en fer | Épices, agrumes, bouche large | dès 23,80 €, par caisse de 6 |
| Graacher DomprobstClassé Grosse Lage, au-dessus du village | Graach | Ardoise grise décomposée, minérale | Sec profond, bouche serrée, élevage en foudre | 47 €, par lot de 3 |
| Kinheimer RosenbergAu cœur historique de la maison | Kinheim | Ardoise décomposée, exposition sud | Sec précis, finale salivante | 42,40 €, par lot de 3 |
The estate's Beerenauslese carries only the name of its Prädikat, with no mention of a hillside: botrytised berries sorted one by one, €40.80 a bottle, in packs of 3. The Wehlen sundial is shared with another great name of the valley, to be found on the Joh. Jos. Prüm page.
Du Grosses Gewächs sec jusqu'au liquoreux
The estate works its hillsides in both styles, and one word settles the question of sugar: Trocken announces a dry wine, even when a Prädikat term appears beside it. Used on its own, the Prädikat indicates the ripeness of the grapes at harvest, so the higher it climbs the scale, the sweeter the wine.
| Sur l'étiquette | Le goût annoncé | Quand l'ouvrir | Garde |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trocken GG | Sec franc, douze degrés environ, élevé en foudre | Poisson au beurre blanc, volaille à la crème, comté | Cinq à dix ans |
| Trocken GG, mention AR | Alte Reben, vieilles vignes franches de pied, sec et dense | Une grande table, après une heure de carafe | Dix ans et plus |
| Kabinett | Huit degrés et demi, léger, une pointe de sucre | Apéritif, poisson fumé, cuisine épicée douce | Cinq à dix ans |
| Spätlese | Vendange tardive, fruit plus mûr et bouche plus ample | Volaille rôtie, cuisine aigre-douce, tarte à l'oignon | Dix ans et plus |
| Auslese | Moelleux, grappes triées, miel, coing et abricot | Duck terrine, Bleu d'Auvergne, plum tart | Dix ans et plus |
| Beerenauslese | Liquoreux, baies botrytisées, sept degrés et demi | End of the meal, dessert with yellow fruits | Dix ans et plus |
The same hillside can therefore give a taut dry wine and a sweet dessert wine: what changes is the harvest date, not the parcel. The full scale of the German terms is set out on the Riesling page, and the whole range can be browsed from German wines.
A bottle for every mood
Ce que chaque cuvée de la maison sait faire, du premier verre à la fin du repas.
Entering the estate through the Kabinett
The lightest register in the estate's range, 8.5% abv, green apple and lemon zest over red slate. Serve it very cold as an aperitif.
Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Kabinett 2024 · 23,20 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6The spicy dry wine from old vines
Red volcanic slate, ungrafted vines, slow fermentation in old foudres: a spicy, deep dry Riesling, built for the cellar.
Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Trocken GG AR 2022 · 57 € la bouteille, par lot de 2A dry cru for the table
The hillside where the estate began, straight and saline, with a mouth-watering finish. The most affordable Grosses Gewächs of the estate, to open with fish in butter sauce.
Dr. Loosen Kinheimer Rosenberg Trocken GG 2023 · 42,40 € la bouteille, par lot de 3Le coteau au cadran solaire
Late harvest on the steepest blue slate in the valley: a broad palate, ripe fruit and that mineral energy which signs the terroir of Wehlen.
Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese 2023 · 36,80 € la bouteille, par lot de 3Le moelleux qui répond au foie gras
Grappes triées à la main, miel, coing et abricot confit, relancés par une acidité qui nettoie le palais. Également parfait sur un fromage bleu.
Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Auslese 2024 · 31,80 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Une fin de repas liquoreuse
Baies botrytisées triées une à une, sept degrés et demi d'alcool, une densité de sirop tenue par l'acidité. À servir bien frais, en petites doses.
Dr. Loosen Beerenauslese 2018 · 40,80 € la bouteille, par lot de 3Comparing with the neighbour at Wehlen
The other great name on the sundial hillside, in a more reserved style that takes longer to open. Comparing the two on the same slope is worth the detour.
Page du rayon · Joh. Jos. PrümRemonter toute la vallée
The other estates of the Mosel and the Saar, from dry hillside wines to sweet wines for the end of the meal, gathered on a single page.
Page du rayon · Moselle et Sarre
Ce que change une vigne franche de pied
Phylloxera spared part of the slate slopes, too poor and too steep for the insect. The estate still keeps parcels there planted on their own roots, some of them for more than a century, which Ernst Loosen insisted on keeping standing when he took over in 1988. These vines give little and send their roots far down into the fissured rock in search of water.
The rest of the method follows the same logic: hand harvesting in successive passes, gentle pressing, native yeasts, slow fermentation in old oak foudres chosen for their neutrality. The wine keeps its acidity, its low alcohol and that wet-stone salinity still recognisable ten years later.
Comment on choisit
We taste every cuvée before adding it to the catalogue. With this estate, two things hold us: the clarity of the fruit from the moment the bottle is opened, and the length of the saline finish, the one still there thirty seconds after the sip. The price then follows the hillside and the rarity of the old vines, from a village Kabinett to a Grosses Gewächs off the steepest slopes.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur Dr. Loosen
Pourquoi ces cuvées partent-elles par lot ou par caisse ?
The estate ships its wines in full cases, and we keep that packaging to hold the price down. The price you read on a product page is the price of the bottle, with the format shown right beside it: packs of two or three for the rare cuvées, cases of six for the Kabinett and Auslese wines.
Are these Rieslings sweet?
It depends on the word carried by the label. Trocken means dry, and the estate's Grosses Gewächs wines sit at 12% abv with a frankly dry finish. The terms Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese and Beerenauslese used on their own announce increasing sweetness instead, always held in check by lively acidity.
Combien de temps peut-on garder ces bouteilles ?
Allow five to ten years for a Kabinett or a village Grosses Gewächs, ten years and a good deal more for the old-vine cuvées, the Auslese wines and the Beerenauslese. Acidity and sugar act as preservatives here. The wine often goes through a quiet phase around its fifth year, then opens up again on honey and lime blossom.
Que signifie GG sur ces étiquettes ?
GG is short for Grosses Gewächs, the term reserved by the VDP, the association of leading German estates, for dry wines from a vineyard classified as Grosse Lage. It implies limited yields and a hand harvest. It is the closest equivalent to a grand cru, applied only to the dry register.
À quoi correspond la mention AR ?
AR is short for Alte Reben, old vines. These cuvées come from the oldest parcels of the estate, ungrafted on their original roots, with tiny yields. The wine gains in density and in length, which explains the price gap with a classic Grosses Gewächs from the same hillside.
Quelle différence entre Wehlener Sonnenuhr et Ürziger Würzgarten ?
The rock, above all. Wehlen sits on a very stony blue slate that gives crystalline, straight wines with a saline finish. Ürzig stands apart with its red slate of volcanic origin, rich in iron, which brings spice, candied citrus and a broader palate. Same grape variety, two accents.
À quelle température servir ces vins ?
Allow 10–12 °C for a dry Grosses Gewächs, which even gains from an hour in a decanter before the meal. Serve the Kabinett, Auslese and Beerenauslese cooler, at around 8 °C: the cold tightens the sugar and pushes the acidity forward. Take the bottle out of the fridge a quarter of an hour beforehand.
Which dish should you serve with an Auslese?
The reflex is still foie gras, whose richness calls for sugar and acidity. A duck terrine, a Bleu d'Auvergne or a Roquefort work very well too, as does a plum or mirabelle tart at the end of the meal. Serve small quantities, in a classic white wine glass.
Par quelle bouteille commencer chez ce domaine ?
Take a Kabinett to grasp the style of the valley, light and perfumed, then a dry Grosses Gewächs to measure what the slate brings in tension. Those two glasses set out the grammar of the estate. The Mosel and Saar page then widens the selection to the whole valley.