Tasting notes from Italy (and beyond!)
2 June 2011
Dr Loosen in the Mosel
When I decided to visit Germany, the Mosel region was top of my list. And in terms of producers, Dr Loosen topped the Mosel list. I was familiar with Dr Loosen wines – readily available at varying quality levels in Australia – and of course, with Ernst Loosen himself.
Ernie Loosen has won more awards than you can poke a stick at, including being Decanter’s Man of the Year in 2005. Many of his vineyard sites contain very old Riesling vines (over 120 years old) on their own rootstocks (phylloxera cannot trouble the vines in the red/grey slate).
When I sent him an email, he kindly forwarded it to Michael Stahlman, Event Manager, who kindly arranged to see me. Ernst Loosen’s dynamic, ebullient and irreverent nature extends to selecting staff with the same qualities.
Though I arrive late (I got the Bernkastel and Kues sides of the River confused…) Michael kindly agreed to see me. A sommelier of some note, and with extensive experience in the on-premise trade in the past, Michael and I chatted for almost two hours, tasting as we went along. The mood became less formal, and Michael’s cheeky and playful nature emerged.
“What is the residual sugar in that one?!” Time and again, I underestimated it – all because of the (superb) rousing level of acidity.
Other gems I picked up from Michael included the debunking of the term “balance” in a wine – between tannins and fruit, or acidity and sweetness for example. He spoke instead of a triangle involving a third factor, that of the individual taste preference of the client or taster. In his work as a sommelier he rarely recommended a wine until he understood the preferences of the client. And then and only then did he ever so gently nudge them out of their comfort zone. He used this method to introduce his father to halbtrocken (“semi dry”), no I really should say feinherb (“elegant dry”) these days, wines.
He spoke of four methods to match food and wine – the wine supporting the food flavours, the food supporting the wine flavours, a matching of flavours in both (such as a smoky cheese with a ‘smoky’ wine), or going for contrasts (like a Beerenauslese with paté, for example).
What did we try?
Dr L – Riesling – 2010. Superb quality for the price – 40g/l residual sugar (RS) and 8.5% alc – widely available in Australia
Bernkasteler Lay – Riesling – Kabinett – 2009. RS 50g/l with greater complexity – I thought field mushrooms – and depth.
Erdener Trepchen – Riesling – Kabinett – 2009. This site has red slate soil, and I found a core of citrus wrapped around minerality and shitake mushrooms! Michael liked that – “People say normal mushrooms, but I don’t agree…shitake mushrooms I like!”
Graacher Himmelreich – Riesling – Kabinett – 2009. Grown on blue slate, and at 10% alcohol, this was like crunching into a crispy ripe Pink Lady apple…!
Ürzinger Würzgarten – Riesling – Kabinett – 2009. This time the soils are volcanic, with the palate displaying hay, pepper and herb, and tropical fruit in the background. 7.5% alc
Wehlener Sonennuhr – Riesling – Kabinett – 2009. Grown on rocky blue slate, I found the minerality in this wine the highest, with lively underlying lychee fruit.
Wehlener Sonennuhr – Riesling – Spätlese – 2009. Sweeter yet balanced by the acidity, with the signature minerality and this time citrus and passionfruit. 7.5% alc
Dr. Loosen – Riesling – Beerenauslese – 2006. Needless to say we finished on a high. No cloying sweetness here, just clarity and balance (oops! Sorry Michael). At only 6.5% alcohol, I could swallow with a clear conscience.
All the wines were of exceptional quality, irrespective of style and price point. I would venture to suggest even the entry level wines would age gracefully. I am grateful to have had the opportunity of meeting Michael Stahlman and try Dr Loosen wines – it was well worth the 2 hour drive from Mainz!
Ciao! Auf wiedersehen!
Brendan Jansen