Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling GG Alte Reben
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2042
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Spicy Thai or Vietnamese cuisine, roasted pork belly with crackling, and rich seafood dishes such as seared scallops with ginger.
✨ Technical Specifications
The Urziger Wurzgarten, or 'spice garden of Urzig,' is one of the Mosel's most dramatic and singular vineyards. Unlike the blue slate that dominates the region, the Wurzgarten is defined by a striking, iron-rich red volcanic soil mixed with slate. This unique terroir imparts a famously exotic, spicy character to the 100% Riesling grapes grown here. Dr. Loosen's 'GG Alte Reben' (Grosses Gewachs Old Vines) is sourced from ancient, ungrafted vines—some over a century old—whose deep roots draw complex mineral nutrients from the earth. Winemaker Ernst Loosen employs traditional methods, fermenting the juice with indigenous yeasts in historic, neutral 1,000-liter oak casks (Fuder) and allowing it extended contact with the yeast lees. The resulting dry white wine is a masterpiece of power and elegance, showcasing vibrant acidity, rich tropical fruit notes, and a distinct, lingering herbal spice that pays homage to its legendary vineyard name.
🍾 About the Producer
The historic Dr. Loosen estate has been in the Loosen family for over two centuries, situated along the dramatic, slate-lined slopes of the Middle Mosel in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany. Since taking over management in 1988, Ernst Loosen has revitalized the winery by strictly focusing on low yields, meticulous vineyard stewardship, and minimal intervention in the cellar. The estate is blessed with extraordinarily old, ungrafted Riesling vines in legendary Grand Cru (Grosse Lage) vineyards such as Erdener Prälat, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Bernkasteler Lay. Dr. Loosen is globally celebrated for producing pure, expressive, and age-worthy Rieslings that range from vibrant dry bottlings to lusciously complex, mineral-laced Prädikat and dessert wines.