By Raymond Chan &
Sue Davies
The 2007
vintage in the Mosel is regarded one of the
very finest. It continues an outstanding
run of excellent harvests in Germany
over the last decade, excepting 2000, where rain resulted in compromised fruit
and rot. There are those who espouse the
benefits of global warming. 2007 is
particularly notable in the Mosel for allowing
site character, ‘terroir’ in other words, to manifest itself in the kabinett
and spatlesen wines. Auslesen and higher
praedikat wines were also highly successful.
The wines of
the best sites of Dr Ernst Loosen, based at Bernkastel, are distinctive in
their character, and this tasting of a range of the wines tested and showed
this very clearly. The main theme of
this tasting was to compare the wines of Erden, from the Treppchen and Pralat
sites alongside those of the neighbouring Urziger Wurzgarten site, looking for
their consistency of personality from kabinett level to the botrytis-affected
‘goldcap’ auslese level. The Erdener
wines more elegant, aromatic and exotic whereas the Urziger wines broader and
more spicy. Here are our notes and
scores on the wines tasted:
Pretaster
Served first
as a sighter, a Loosen ‘Dr L’ Riesling
2007 (16.5/20), at 11.5% alc., was pale straw light delicate floral and
mineral flavours, and a touch of reduction on palate. Dryish, this was crisp and fresh and moderate
in depth and length.
The Kabinetts
Leading the
pair of kabinetts was the Loosen Erdener
Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2007 (18.0+/20), at 8% alc. Pale straw yellow, this had a light, but
lifted nose of florals, esters and a touch of the exotic. Off dry, a touch of honey flavour added to
the lifted florals. There was a
lusciousness and excellent acidity to give balance, proportion and length. Ethereal in nature. Slightly more favoured by the group was the Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett
2007 (17.5/20), at 8.5% alc. Very
pale straw coloured, this was fullish and broad with warmth and spice, plus a
slight reductive sulphide note on bouquet.
Off dry, this had a honied sweetness that gave a softness and slightly
lower acidity feel, but also a degree of richness. Quite mouth-filling and with substance. This should improve.
The Spatlesen
To confirm
the site character, the same order of serving the wines was maintained for the
spatlesen. Both a step up in richness,
sweetness and weight over the kabinett wines.
Firstly the Loosen Erdener
Treppchen Riesling Spatlese 2007 (18.5+/20), at 7.5% alc. Brilliant straw yellow with some golden hues,
this possessed a broad range of florals and blossoms, almost spicy, and quite
lifted and aromatic in the nose. Medium
sweet, this had good concentration of honey and florals, a little botrytis
even. Lovely fresh acidity in excellent
balance kept the sweetness in check. It
was the preferred wine of the pair. The Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese
2007 (18.0/20), at 7.5% alc., was very pale in colour. A little shy on the nose, there were citrus
notes and subtle spices along with a touch of reduction. Medium sweet on the
palate, this was full and weighty on palate, with depth. The flavours of earth and spice showed
through, but a thread of sulphide bitterness was present. This will no doubt integrate into the wine
with 2-3 years bottle age. Classical.
The Auslesen
Heading up
the richness level to auslese, the Erdener Pralat wine was presented instead of
the Treppchen. This site is Erni
Loosen’s specialty and prized site. The Loosen Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese 2007
(19.0-/20). At 7.0% alc., was pale starw yellow with a golden hue. The bouquet had great concentration and
density of complex florals, spices, earth and honey. Simply sensational on the nose. Very sweet, the sheer density and concentration
of the wine was amazing. Florals, and
honey from botrytis influence, the wine was soft and rich, and a touch heavy
stylistically. It just needed a slightly
greater acid cut to be perfect. Easily
the preferred wine of the pair for the group of tasters. Next was the Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese 2007 (18.0+/20), at 7.5%
alc. Very pale in colour, this was
typical Wurzgarten on nose with a full breadth of aroma, quite soft,
earthiness, spices, warmth and honey.Surprisingly quite elegant in expression. Very sweet, but a softer, quieter wine,
unmistakable in its origins with its warmth and spice. A touch of reduction yielding a slight
bitterness at present. This will
integrate over the next few years, and the wine will no doubt be one of long
life.
The ‘Goldcap’ Auslesen
This flight
of wines was served ‘blind’ for the tasters to attempt to recognise the
vineyard characters already presented in the previous wines. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr was introduced here. The wines from this site markedly crisper,
leaner, and more minerally. There was
the added complexity of increased botrytis levels to contend with, making the
exercise an interesting and difficult one.
First served was the Loosen
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ‘Goldcap’ 2007 (18.5+/20), at 7.5%
alc. Very youthful and pale in colour,
the bouquet was especially refreshing with steel, slate, mineral and herb notes
along with limes, apples and honied botrytis.
Very sweet on palate, the steely acidity was the feature of the palate,
crisp, tightly bound and not quite as generous in typical Wehlen fashion. Slight textural grip added to the
firmness.This will age 10-15 years
easily. Marginally the lesser preferred
of the flight for the tasters. Next was
the Loosen Erdener Pralat Riesling
Auslese ‘Goldcap’ 2007(20.0/20), at 7.0% alc. Light golden straw incolour, this wine had
the perfect balance between elegance of presentation, depth, rich, complexity
and restraint. Very sweet, closer to
beerenauslese in richness, the fl