Dr. Loosen Graacher Himmelreich Alte Reben Grosses Gewachs 2017
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Erni Loosen has quickly established himself as one the premier GG producers in the Mosel Valley. This Graacher Himmelreich GG is sourced from 100-year-old vines, is meticulously hand-picked, fermented bone dry from immaculate, botrytis-free fruit, and is fermented and aged in neutral oak, remaining on the lees for a full 12 months. This is an intensely mineral-driven wines with aromas and flavors of wet stone, sweet herbs, baked green apples, white peaches and lemon zest.
A serious, world-class dry riesling. Try with fresh oysters, broiled ahi tuna, asian chicken salad, mild cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very attractive apple, pear and cassis notes with a sprinkling of herbs make this an enticing 2017 riesling GG. I love the juiciness and the long, fresh yet silky finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From three parcels with ancient vines, the 2017 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling GG Alte Reben is bright, fresh and coolish on the crunchy and flinty nose with white peach and some lemon aromas. Full-bodied, lush and elegant on the palate, this is a big and powerful yet crystalline, vital and salty-piquant Himmelreich with firm searing acidity on the concentrated, energetic finish. This 2017 is still a baby and should be cellared for at least 3 to 5+ years to gain more subtleness and elegance. I tasted the wine again one week after opening the bottle, and it had significantly improved.
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Wine Enthusiast
Earthen shades of smoke and struck slate mingle into flavors of lime sorbet and crisp nectarine in this sleek, medium-bodied Riesling. Refreshingly dry and briskly concentrated, it’s a bit closed in its youth but should gain greater complexity and mouthfeel from 2022 and improve longer still.
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Wine Spectator
Open and giving, featuring notes of cardamom and dried honey, accented by ripe pear and apricot details. The acidity gives this focus and forms the structure, while crunchy minerality adds to the experience. Turns dry on the spicy finish. Drink now through 2027
Other Vintages
2020-
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The Dr. Loosen Estate has been in the same family for over 200 years. With ungrafted vines averaging 50 years old, some of the best vineyard sites in Germany (four rated grand cru and two premier cru by both the 1868 German classification and the more current Wine Atlas of Germany), Ernst Loosen has the raw materials for stunningly intense, world-class wines. With crop yields almost half of what is permitted by law, only moderate use of organic fertilizers, and old-fashioned cellar practices, Loosen strives to create wines that unmistakably say, "Riesling, Mosel, and Dr. Loosen." In his own words, "The great winemakers I have met invariably possess a clear concept in their mind of what their wine should be. It's a vision that places terroir over technology, and grape quality over quantity. This is the level of winemaking we pursue at Dr. Loosen. Our goal is to produce wines that are luscious, complex, and true to their roots."
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Following the Mosel River as it slithers and weaves dramatically through the Eifel Mountains in Germany’s far west, the Mosel wine region is considered by many as the source of the world’s finest and longest-lived Rieslings.
Mosel’s unique and unsurpassed combination of geography, geology and climate all combine together to make this true. Many of the Mosel’s best vineyard sites are on the steep south or southwest facing slopes, where vines receive up to ten times more sunlight, a very desirable condition in this cold climate region. Given how many twists and turns the Mosel River makes, it is not had to find a vineyard with this exposure. In fact, the Mosel’s breathtakingly steep slopes of rocky, slate-based soils straddle the riverbanks along its entire length. These rocky slate soils, as well as the river, retain and reflect heat back to the vineyards, a phenomenon that aids in the complete ripening of its grapes.
Riesling is by far the most important and prestigious grape of the Mosel, grown on approximately 60% of the region’s vineyard land—typically on the desirable sites that provide the best combination of sunlight, soil type and altitude. The best Mosel Rieslings—dry or sweet—express marked acidity, low alcohol, great purity and intensity with aromas and flavors of wet slate, citrus and stone fruit. With age, the wine’s color will become more golden and pleasing aromas of honey, dried apricot and sometimes petrol develop.
Other varieties planted in the Mosel include Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), all performing quite well here.