Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed from 5 to 25 years from the vintage release, as it gains complexity and depth with age.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Spicy Thai or Sichuan dishes, roasted pork belly, and blue cheeses.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
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.
🍾 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.