Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2040
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Spicy Thai or Sichuan dishes, roasted pork belly, and blue cheeses.
✨ Technical Specifications
The Ürziger Würzgarten, or 'spice garden of Ürzig,' is one of the Mosel's most dramatic and unique vineyards. Rising precipitously from the river on a sheer, amphitheater-like slope of up to 70% gradient, its terroir is defined by a rare pocket of iron-rich red volcanic soil and slate, contrasting sharply with the blue slate found elsewhere in the region. This unique geology imparts a remarkably exotic, spicy character to the 100% Riesling grapes grown here, many of which come from ancient, ungrafted vines. Ernst Loosen of the historic Dr. Loosen estate coaxes this terroir into a brilliant Spätlese (late-harvest) style, utilizing traditional fermentation in large, neutral oak casks to preserve the wine's vibrant, natural acidity and intense fruit profile. The result is a legendary white wine that beautifully balances luscious sweetness with a fiery, mineral-driven tension.
🍾 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.
🍇 Grape Varieties
100% Riesling