Guten Tag!
Bernkastel is a beautiful village, flanked by castles and 60:1 gradient slate covered vineyards on the banks of the Mosel River.
Doctor Loosen- Book ahead for a very formal tasting. You are invited into a big, Bavarian like study and given a personal run through of the wines with the manager.
Parkerised and in high demand, a great opportunity as the wines very expensive when they make it to Australia.
2002 Bernkastler Lay- Delicate but full bodied riesling. Bone dry but a hint of sweetness. The nose is elegant and muscat like, the palate minerally and a long, flinty finish.
2002 Wehnler Sonnenuhr-Spatlese style with the complex fruit sweeetness impeccably balanced by crisp acid.
2002 Urziger Wurzgarden- Spatlese again. Spiciness like Gewurtztraminer but classic minerality too. Again balanced by flinty acid.
A few more but lost in the experience.
Loosen wines are classic expressions of the middle-Mosel terroir. Old vines, extremely different aspects due steep vineyard slopes and a see for yourself look at the two types of slate, made the usual European terroir hoo-hah convincing.
The sweeter Auslese wines were amazingly rich, the sweetness complex but not one bit cloying due the harmonious balance.
2002 Wegeler Bernkasteler Doctor Spatlese-Powerful but subtle, again the complex fruit sweetness balanced by acid. The effect seamless.
2002 Dr H Thanisch Bernkasteler Doctor Auslese-Again, the array of sweet fruit characteristics balanced by racy acidity. Got another bottle and will post more than just impressions at a later date.
Weingut Albert Gessinger 1976er Ausles- A wine for nosing. Sublime! Marzipan, Tiger Balm, a guess at the more complex descriptors. A freshness I haven't seen in aged riesling-used to honey and toast if lucky, jet fuel if not, with old Australian riesling. Good weight and high viscosity, seamless. A close to perfect white wine and testament to the aging qualities of sweet Auslese!
In Summary: A great experience. I spent a good deal of money trying to understand the great wines of the middle Mosel as a one off-though still confused. They are very good at the high end but incredibly poor at the low end.
German interpretation of Parkerisation a contrast to ours. No mention of him affecting the style of Mosel white as to the degree of our shiraz.
Holiday euphoria but to pay 40 to 100 Australian dollars for 375ml of pleasant drinking white wine will not be a future drinking trend for me!