Dr. Loosen Riesling Eiswein 2016

RIESLING EISWEIN

Eiswein (“ice wine”) is another of nature’s rare and wonderful gifts in our area. We hold aside certain plots of vines, hoping for a deep enough freeze (minimum –8° C, or 17° F) to harvest frozen grapes. These grapes are picked in the wee hours of the morning and pressed while they are still frozen, to slowly squeeze out a few drops of precious nectar, leaving the water behind as ice. The result is a vibrant, racy dessert wine that is strikingly different from the rounder, more honeyed style of the wines concentrated by botrytis This estate-grown Dr. Loosen Riesling Eiswein comes from special parcels in Erden and Ürzig that we hold aside every year, hoping that it will freeze before the grapes fall victim to overripeness.

THE 2016 VINTAGE

In 2016, the Mosel valley had a cool, wet spring and summer. The prospects for an excellent vintage were rather gloomy until sunny, hot weather arrived in September. Ripeness had been delayed, but came on quickly with the warmer temperatures. Good weather continued through October, giving us beautifully ripe fruit that we could harvest at a measured pace.