MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.3

#riesling #mosel #sonnenuhr #kabinett #loosen off-dry — 9 years ago

Dade Thieriot

10

A fond farewell to the 20th century--1999s came on like gangbusters at first, but were also rather clumsy, clunky #Rieslings when they first hit the market in 2000. However, patience and plenty of #bottleaging have spawned some real gems and this #Loosen #Prälat knocked our socks off!
Don't rush to drink it all up--it's got loads of life ahead of it! #1999 #ErdenerPrälat #Auslese — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

#2002s were generally overshadowed by the international press in favor of the 2001s, which, in themselves, were indeed lovely #Mosel #Rieslings. However, as time goes by, it's becoming more and more obvious that the the tables have turned now that some of the baby fat has been assimilated into what have turned out to be utterly beautiful examples of what Mosel Rieslings are all about: finesse, elegance, minerality & harmony!
I could drink this all day until the cows come home and still want more! #2002 #ÜrzigerWürzgarten #spätlese #Loosen — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

The fourth member of the #Loosen #GG club and one of our favorite sites that is based on #blueslate--elegant and very mineral-driven with a fine balance. One very serious wine to lay down for 10-15 years if possible. #2013 #ErdenerTreppchen #AlteReben #Riesling — 11 years ago

with Petra

Dade Thieriot

10

Erni #Loosen's first foray into #dry #Riesling came shortly after he took over the estate in 1987, and it is a lovely bottle that is nicely balanced with just enough residual sugar to avoid any austerity. It was the perfect food wine! #1990 #Spätlese — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.2

#oregonpinot is always a little more rustic and scratchy than other regions of #pinot It has the alcohol of Cali and the funkiness of some parts of #burgundy This is a specially strange Pinot because #loosen imports it into #europe well long story short, I like it and my middle name is Christopher so there you go. — 11 years ago

Dade Thieriot

10

A bottle from the old days when terms such as "#feine", "#feinste", "#hochfeine" etc. were used to describe greater levels of sweetness and concentration in #German #Rieslings. However, in the wake of the 1971 German wine law, producers have replaced such nomenclature with #Goldkapsel, #Weissgold, #LangeGoldkapsel etc. as well as the equally confusing, non-standardized star system to indicate gradations of sweetness. I like the old system, but I can also read German so the new system in ultimately easier for consumers who cannot understand the language. Either way, the answer is in the bottle and this #1966 recently rocked our Riesling World in LA! #Loosen #ErdenerPrälat — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

Here's where it all began... #Loosen decided to experiment with different durations of time with yeast contact...the "#Reserve" having 24 months on the #lees which gives the wine greater complexity and depth of flavor, not to mentioned aging potential. #Riesling #2011 #altereben #ErdenerPrälat — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

The kingpin of the #PRÄLAT CLUB group and by far the rarest of all, given the minuscule size of the vineyard. The rich, red #volcanic soil plays to the intensity, depth, and sheer complexity of the wine as does the #ungrafted root stock throughout the site. When #Loosen says "old vines", he's understating his case. These are amongst the oldest original root stock vines in Europe! #2013 #ÜrzigerWürzgarten #AlteReben #Riesling — 11 years ago

with Petra

Dade Thieriot

10

One of the greatest #Riesling vineyards anywhere on earth. The #WÜRZGARTEN or "spice garden" also boasts extremely old root stocks as well as the PRÄLAT and SONNENUHR, but the tremendous concentration of #redslate in combination with volcanic soil give these wines an amazing complexity. With very steep slopes, acidity and structure are never an issue. The excellent balance found in the #Loosen 2011s is the key to their projected longevity. #GG #ÜrzigerWürzgarten #altereben — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

Talk about " closet vintages"...2004s are rarely mentioned in discussions of great German vintages over the past 15-20 years, but people are really missing the boat.
The'04s are classic #Mosel #Rieslings with awesome balance and structure, together with ideal acidity levels for long term aging.
Cooler weather vintages such as #2004, which produce wines of greater restraint and less opulence, are less and less common with the onset of global warming, but they are the ones that true Riesling freaks covet most highly--this #Prälat was totally mind blowing!!! #Loosen #ErdenerPrälat #Auslese — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

HELLO! #1971 is my inaugural vintage for #German #Riesling and just seeing a bottle from this vintage immediately puts a big smile on my face because they are still some of the most perfect wines I've ever tasted...and this bottle of #Loosen #Prälat was still so insanely fresh that I felt like I was back in my 20s all over again--the word "awesome" sells it short--it's SPECTACULAR! #Auslese #erdenerprälat — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

My personal favorite amongst these 2011s as it shows tremendous complexity and great depth. This is mouth-filling, luscious #Mosel #Riesling that is unquestionably a wine for the ages--one dreams about laying down magnums of this sleeping giant! #2011 #GG #altereben #Loosen — 11 years ago

with Petra and Wietske

Dade Thieriot

10

The newest member of the #Loosen #GG club, joining Ürziger Würzgarten & Erdener Prälat. A full 12 months on the unstired #lees. A magnificent mineral display supported by a fine core of ripe acidity. The most elegant of the three sites due to its #grayslate soil base. Expect this to go at least 10-15 years in bottle--another triumph! #2013 #WehlenerSonnenuhr #AlteReben #Riesling
— 11 years ago

with Petra

Dade Thieriot

10

2001s continue to be crowd-pleasers...loaded with tremendous fruitiness and marvelous mineral character--balanced to perfection--this #Loosen #Kabinett was consumed by three of us within minutes...one glass leads to another...what the #Germans call:"TRINKFLUSS"!!! — 11 years ago

with Petra