Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2020 Half Bottle

Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, Mosel, Germany, Half Bottle (37.5cl), 2020 

Grape: 100% Riesling, unoaked

Producer Tasting Note:

This selection from the world-renowned Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard exemplifies the Mosel's great sweet wine tradition. The nose reveals intense aromas of ripe peach, apricot, and mirabelle plum, complemented by delicate notes of honey, blossoms, and citrus. On the palate, the wine is juicy and concentrated, with a harmoniously integrated sweetness perfectly balanced by a lively, precise acidity. The characteristic slate minerality lends the wine depth, elegance, and a long, clean finish. An expressive Riesling with excellent ageing potential.

One of the most elegant and delicately scented, sweet white wines in the world grows in this very steep vineyard. The stony, shallow, blue slate soil gives the wine fresh acidity and a unique character. The wines of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr (the "sundial" vineyard) are the most charming from the Loosen winery in their youth and captivate with the scent of white peach and green apple. These Auslese wines will also age for many years, gaining dramatically in richness, depth of flavour and turning a deep gold in colour. Actual sweetness levels will drop over the decades, but the richness of the wine on the palate will easily compensate for this. Drink now, or over the next two decades.

Critics' Tasting Notes: 

"Fine scent of ripe citrus fruits, there is also dried fruit, apricot, lime peel, lemon balm, mint. Melting fruit on the palate, fine acidity, citrus fruit, concentrated and tightly woven, very long, easy to drink, lots of potential."

93/100 points, FALSTAFF (Austria), November 2021

"This is a delicacy, with a rich, almost creamy mouthfeel, and array of orchard, stone and tropical fruit flavors. Lavender honey decorates the plush midpalate as this flows to the lingering finish of ripe spice and mineral. It is lusciously graceful."

94/100 points, WINE ENTHUSIAST, March 2023

Auslese means “selected from the harvest,” and is a luscious, limited production sweet wine made from very ripe clusters that are about 50 percent affected by botrytis. The botrytis mould, (aka “Noble Rot”) draws moisture from the grapes, dehydrating them and concentrating the juice. The resulting wine is dense, intensely flavoured and rich on the palate. 

Food Match: An ideal pairing for lovers of rich desserts (Fruit based: Apricot or quince tarts, peach compote, apple strudel. Creamy: Crème brûlée, panna cotta, custards. Honey: Semifreddo). Also, the sweetness contrasts with intensely flavoured blue cheeses, or savoury-spicy dishes.