We tasted a full range of Dr. Loosen wines from the Mosel Valley with Ernst Loosen here at the Bottle Shop as well as his line from the Pfaltz called J.L. Wolf. Although all of the wines were very good to outstanding, this Spatlese was our absolute favorite. Flowers, spices and yellow stone fruits abound in a tightly knit Riesling which is intense yet light on its feet. Ernst told us that when he was a child, he always remembered his grandfather offering a glass of Kabinett or Spatlese to friends or family dropping by in the afternoon. Afterall, a wine like this with only 8% alcohol can be enjoyed any time of the day!

“I want real Kabinetts,” says Ernst Loosen, “with crisp acidity and freshness; you can’t wait around, especially when you have five, maybe seven days of Kabinett-picking to do and every day ripeness is rising. The difference between Kabinett and Spatlese should be well-delineated, as well as a distinct difference between Spatlese and Auslese.” In practical terms, this means among other things that the levels of residual sugar has been decreased in the Kabinetts (Loosen says that trend will continue incrementally); and that Loosen has reserved botrytis fruit solely for wines labeled “Auslese".

Price:$29.99 in mixed case $26.99 SKU01664

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