Wednesday Night Newsletter 8-17-22

While the Mosel is best known for sweet Riesling, some of the best producers in the region focus their attention on serious dry (and barely off-dry) bottlings. As you’d expect given our massive selection of German wine, we’ve got a number of great dry Rieslings to choose from. If you’re looking for richer, more powerful expressions, look no further than Carl Loewen.

Carl Loewen has taken over some of the oldest vineyards in the Mosel, returning them to their historic esteem and in many cases elevating them to new heights. The wines are textural, rich and complex, often from old, ungrafted parcels within vineyards. These are staff favorite Rieslings that always seem to exceed our already lofty expectations.

In Stock Now from Carl Loewen:

(Grey label)
Weingut Carl Loewen ‘1896’ Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg Alte Reben Riesling Feinherb, Mosel 2018 750ml ($99.95) $79 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Grapelive 97+ points “One of the wine world’s great unicorn wines, the Carl Loewen 1896 Feinherb is from the oldest Riesling vines in Germany and from a Grand Cru steep Mosel vineyard that transmit absolute purity of terroir. There may not be a more authentic and pleasing Riesling than this, especially in a vintage such as 2018… Since the first time I tried this wine, I knew it was something extraordinary and special. It is brave example of letting a wine make itself, with vigneron Christopher Loewen picking the grapes at perfect ripeness and allowing the fermentation to go as nature demands, which in this case comes in just above (outside) the legal limit to be called a Trocken… The glorious detail and layers in this 2018 Maximin Herrenberg 1896 are mesmerizing with flinty/smoking mineral leading the way on the nose before lime blossom, rose petal and white orchard (stone) fruits lift from the glass. The revelation is on the medium bodied palate with its incredible play between hedonistic pleasures and chiseled and steely precision with layers of vivid citrus, apricot, delicate tropical notes and white cherry fruits as well as spiced/crystalized ginger, wet shale, citron and saline, where all these flavors combine and flow with a graceful crispness and a (light residual sugar) lingering creaminess. This 1896 Feinerb, dressed up in its special label and dark red wax capsule, is a profound example of Riesling and one of the absolute best, one of the top wines I’ve tasted this year.”

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The next best price is $89.99

(Grey label)
Weingut Carl Loewen ‘1896’ Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg Alte Reben Riesling Feinherb, Mosel 2020 750ml ($119.95) $99 special, 18 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 99 points “A moment of stillness in the midst of a crazy world. Take only a quick sip and you’ll understand rather little. But if you allow yourself to sink into this deep riesling chasm, you’ll discover an underworld of mineral fascination, married to super-ripe stone fruit. Enormously long and refined finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.”
Mosel Fine Wines 95 points “The 1896, as it is simply referred to on the front dark-grey label (the reference to the vintage and the vineyard is left for the back label), is a just offdry wine (with 11 g/l of residual sugar) picked on century-old un-grafted vines (planted in 1896) in the Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg, and was made using traditional winemaking methods dating back to the early 1900s. It immediately catches one’s attention through a refined yet very complex and layered nose of fine spices, aniseed herbs, pear, fresh pineapple, almond, greengage, and a dash of passion fruit. The wine is hugely delicate and creamy on the smooth and suave palate packed with flavors of almond, coconut milk, and fine spices. It leaves one with an immense sense of focus in the hugely long and gorgeously intense finish. A touch of off-dry sweetness still needs to integrate in the spicy and salty aftertaste. This is a magnificent and playful Riesling mixing delicacy with intensity and focus. 2024-2040.”

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Weingut Carl Loewen ‘1896’ Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg Alte Reben Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2018 750ml ($49.95) $41.90 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Grapelive 95 points “The fantastic Old Vine Trocken from Christopher Loewen is a great way to celebrate Riesling’s birthday…especially well honored by this wine that comes from Germany’s oldest known Riesling vines dating back, to as the label and name suggest, 1896! This particular bottling is Loewen’s alternative top dry Riesling, labeled Alte Reben instead of Grosses Gewachs or a GG, it is a secondary special selection from this Grand Cru site…The dry 2018 Alte Reben Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg is a striking and crisply focused Riesling with classic slate soil influence showing intense minerallity along with brisk citrusy fruit with layers lime, tangerine, white peach, quince along with hints of kumquat, green apple, pineapple fruits as well as flinty wet shale (stoniness), chamomile, saline, verbena and white flowers. This is a wonderfully complex and thrilling Riesling that expands on the medium bodied palate with gripping extract and the sensation of textural grace making for a profound experience!  The Maximiner Herrenberg vineyard was originally planted in 1896, and is now farmed by Loewen using organic methods and carefully sorted….Using modern natural methods in the cellar, the grapes are all whole cluster pressed, and Loewen is careful not to move the pomace so to not get bettering phenolic flavors…Loewen’s ferments are “Sponti” completely natural without addition of enzymes or nutrition, with these single vineyard wines, Christopher notes, being individually block picked with the juice going directly into classic Fuder barrels (or oak casks around 1000L in size) which average 25 years old to age. While the GG’s are awesome, especially the sister Herrenberg version, and Loewen’s majestic Ritch, there are two wines that you don’t want to miss, the 1986 Feinherb, one of the most sought after cult wines in the Mosel and this Alte Reben (Old Vine) Maximiner Herrenberg Trocken, both from the VDP Grand Cru (Grosse Lage) vines, these are exotic beauties that deserve your attention and a space in your collection! Happy Birthday Riesling! Loewen is quickly becoming a name on Riesling lovers lips, he is an outstanding talent and his collection of 2018 wines are stunning.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

(White label)
Weingut Carl Loewen ‘1896’ Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg Alte Reben Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2020 750ml ($54.95) $45 special, 34 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “Lots of red-fleshed peach and delicate spice notes make this a very striking dry riesling. Rich and concentrated, but with that special lightness of touch that sets the Mosel apart. Long, complete finish that’s gentle rather than dramatic. Drink or hold.”

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Weingut Carl Loewen Alte Reben Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2020 750ml ($29.95) $24 special, 13 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 94 points “This stunning dry Mosel riesling proves that you don’t need more than 12% alcohol to shine in this category. So much flinty and slatey character and a wonderful interplay between this and precisely nuanced, citrusy fruit. Then comes a firework display of minerality at the breathtaking finish. Drink or hold.”
Mosel Fine Wines 91 points “The 2020er Riesling Alte Reben is a just off-dry wine (10 g/l of residual sugar) made from very old vines planted between 1949 and 1962, mostly situated in the Leiwener Klostergarten and for a tiny part in the Detzemer Würzgarten. It offers a beautifully spicy, fresh, and zesty nose of lime, orange blossom, fresh herbs, mint, a hint of almond cream, anise, and smoke. The wine is superbly balanced on the palate where some fine fruity and creamy elements are wrapped into playful and animating zest. It leaves a great sense of focus and almost sharpness in the long finish. The aftertaste is still rather monolithic but hints at greatness to come. This hugely successful dry-tasting wine cruises far above its mere Estate Riesling level! All it needs now is a few years of bottle aging to reveal its underlying complexity 2023-2030.”

Weingut Carl Loewen Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml ($37.95) $29 special, 9 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 93 points “Grapefruit, lime and orange mingle with Persian melon and mango on the nose and the lusciously citric, brightly juicy yet subtly tropical palate. The feel is polished and, for all of the wine’s animating brightness, also subtly creamy. The finish offers a vibrant and engaging interaction of crystalline, stony and citrus fruit elements. Allowing this wine to ferment to 9% alcohol had a salutary effect on its balance, rendering sweetness discreet (even though there are 60 grams of residual sugar), but without sacrificing a sense of levity. For my taste and from my historical perspective, this is a perfectly balanced Mosel Spätlese. Yet Karl Josef Loewen related that “in early summer [2019], this is the wine that most disappointed me. At that point I wasn’t happy with the aromatics or the integration of sweetness.” Incidentally, the wine was picked very early in October and a full week ahead of the corresponding (also highly successful) dry “Alte Reben” bottling.”

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Weingut Carl Loewen Thornicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2018 750ml ($49.95) $41.90 special, 16 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 94 points “In striking contrast with its vintage 2017 counterpart, this Auslese issued from healthy grapes, even though the Loewens said that these were picked into two buckets per harvester, so as to allow for the possibility that a Beerenauslese might also result. Musky narcissus, sweetly perfumed honeysuckle, earthy passion fruit and ripe pear offer an alluring as well as site-typically intriguing aromatic display. The polished, subtly creamy palate evinces not just luscious fruitiness but also a remarkable sense of levity and wafting inner-mouth perfume. As Christopher Loewen observed, “This is not one of your opulent Auslesen, but instead a delicate, juicy, glass-clear one.” “This is my favorite wine of the vintage,” added Karl Josef. Liquid florality persists right along with the wine’s luscious fruitiness on a seductively sustained finish that is transparent to slate underpinnings and mouthwateringly salt-tinged, and does an incredible job of hiding 100 grams of residual sugar.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2018er Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese was made from almost fully clean fruit harvested at 95° Oechsle and was fermented down to fully sweet levels of residual sugar. The wine offers a rather discreet and herbal nose where the fruity elements (including pear, lemon, starfruit, passion fruit and a hint of coconut) only gradually emerge from the glass. The wine may still be on the sweet side on the palate, but it already shows beautifully alluring and multi-layered flavors of pear, lemon, melon, lemoncello and coconut, all wrapped into some apricot blossom in the finish. This is a ripe but complex sweet wine in the making. 2033-2058.”
Terry Theise note “[++] This though is one shining gorgeous piece, and what a piece! As glorious, green and salty as it has ever been. Zero botrytis, fruit to the max, like a confiture of aloe vera and verbena.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $54.60

The Lafage family produces some of the best values in big French reds.  Based in the Roussillon, with its wealth of old vines and warm sun, they make wines that are massively built, with rich, sumptuous fruit and seductive textures.  These are highly rated, powerful reds from a variety of old vines across the Roussillon. 

In Stock Now from Domaine Lafage:

Domaine Lafage Miraflors Rosé, IGP Côtes Catalanes 2020 750ml ($21.95) $18 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 91 points “White peach, orange blossom, and white flower notes emerge from the 2020 Miraflors. It’s another clean, balanced, beautiful effort with bright acidity and a clean, dry finish.”
Joe Czerwinski-Wine Advocate 90 points “The 2020 IGP Cotes Catalanes Miraflors Rose is a blend of 50% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache Gris and 20% Grenache Noir. Light to medium pink and copper-tinged in the glass, it offers up scents of melon and peach, with hints of strawberry as well. Medium-bodied, it’s round and silky in the mouth, showing ample concentration and length on the citrus-tinged finish. With its relatively high proportion of Mourvèdre, it should drink well at least through the first half of 2022.”
Eric Solomon Imports note “Mourvedre, Grenache Gris, Grenache Practicing Organic 80 yr old vines. Light Pink-colored with beautiful white peach, orange zest and salty sea breeze aromas and flabros in its vibrant, crisp profile. Pure and vibrant as it gets, a classic, provencal-style beauty.”

Domaine Lafage Fundacio, Côtes du Roussillon Villages 2016 750ml ($39.95) $33 special, 15 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 96 points “One of the finest wines I’ve tasted from the estate is unquestionably the 2016 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Fundacio, which is 60% Syrah from Maury with the balance Mourvèdre and Grenache, vinified and aged in small barrels. Full-bodied, incredibly pure, elegant, and silky, it boasts awesome notes of crème de cassis, black olives, leafy herbs, and subtle gamey, salty nuances. It’s a rich, powerful wine yet just glides over the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It should keep for a decade.”

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Domaine Lafage ‘Tessellae’ Carignan Vieilles Vignes, IGP Côtes Catalanes 2017 750ml ($19.95) $16 special, 21 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 91 points “Moving to the reds, the 2017 Côtes Catalanes Tessellae Carignan (100% Carignan) comes from the Agly Valley and was brought up all in tank. Blackberries, leather, dried herbs, and licorice notes all emerge from this spicy, medium-bodied, silky Carignan that has terrific purity and elegance. It’s another wine from Jean-Marc that over-delivers. Drink it over the coming couple of years.”

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Domaine Lafage Lieu Dit Narassa, IGP Côtes Catalanes 2018 750ml ($24.95) $19.90 special, 14 bottles in stock now
Jeb Dunnuck 93 points “Almost all Grenache yet with 8% Syrah, the deep purple 2018 Narassa gives up a gorgeous bouquet of blueberries, kirsch liqueur, smoked game, violets, and lavender. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and has a great finish.”