Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese Nr15
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Extremely long-lived; typically best enjoyed 10 to 35 years from the vintage release, though it can easily cellar for half a century under ideal conditions.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Spicy Sichuan or Thai cuisine, rich blue cheeses such as Roquefort, and classic fruit tarts or apple tarte tatin.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The Urziger Wurzgarten, or 'spice garden of Urzig,' is one of the Mosel's most dramatic and singular vineyards. Rising like a towering, steep amphitheater directly above the river, its striking red volcanic soil and slate composition set it apart from the region's typical blue slate. This unique terroir imparts a famously exotic, spicy, and tropical character to the 100% Riesling grapes grown here. Crafted by the legendary Ernst Loosen, the Auslese Nr15 represents a meticulous selection of botrytis-affected grapes, often harvested from ancient, ungrafted vines. The wine undergoes a slow, cool fermentation in traditional Fuder oak casks, preserving its vibrant acidity and intense mineral core. Historically, the Wurzgarten has been celebrated for centuries, with its wines once commanding prices higher than the finest Bordeaux, prized for their uncanny balance of rich sweetness and electric, tongue-tingling acidity.
🍾 wine.about_producer
The historic Dr. Loosen estate, located in Bernkastel-Kues in the Mosel region of Germany, has been in the same family for over two centuries. Since taking ownership in 1988, Ernst Loosen has propelled the winery to international acclaim by focusing on the estate's extraordinary heritage of ungrafted, old Riesling vines—some over 120 years old—situated in historic grand cru sites such as Erdener Pr$lat, $rziger W$rzgarten, and Bernkasteler Lay. The winery's philosophy centers on minimalist winemaking and a deep respect for the region's diverse slate soils, which yield intensely mineral-driven, expressive wines. Dr. Loosen is globally renowned for its precise, elegant Rieslings, spanning from dry (Trocken) styles to exquisitely concentrated sweet expressions like Auslese, Beerenauslese, and rare Eisweins.