Ritsch, Grosses Gewächs, Riesling,

Between 1900 and 1950, Thörnicher Ritsch was considered a great Mosel vineyard. Over the latter half of the twentieth century, though, the best vignerons either died off or left with nobody to pick up the mantle. Loewen bought a parcel in 1998, knowing its aptitude for late harvests with high acidity. For the first ten years they only produced Auslese and gradually weaned the site off fertilisers. During that time, they observed the grapes naturally reducing in size year to year, so on the eleventh year the dry wine trials began. The soils are blue slate and quartzite and Ritsch is officially the second steepest vineyard in Europe after the Bremmer Calmont, also in the Mosel. Being open on both sides, it benefits from constant cool air circulation. In 2022 this helped to produce notes of freshly cut white peach and grated citrus delivered with the cold, refreshing purity of a Martini. It thrums with energy, finishing on line and length – a Riesling of great focus. Fermented and aged in traditional German fuder.