LOERSCH
Saar, Germany
From Berlin to San Francisco to Beijing, word has spread that wine from Germany has the potential to be considered among the finest in the world and is well-deserving of attention. Indeed, the country exports increasing quantities of wine to all manner of destinations with each passing vintage. Weingut Loersch, from its estate overlooking precipitously steep inclines leading down to the Moselle, is on the cutting edge of this renaissance. Though the Loersch family can trace their lineage in winemaking and viticulture all the way back to 1640, they have had no issue pivoting to modern winemaking. The generational know-how in the vineyard and winery shows in their bottlings of Riesling and Spätburgunder: some of the most pristine, structured, and well-balanced wines in their categories. This focus has not gone unnoticed by the press as accolades have collected quickly over recent vintages.
After years of tutelage under his father Ernst-Albrecht, the current generation is led by Alexander Loersch and has implemented a philosophy of ultra-specific terroir, varietal accuracy, and age-worthy wine production in the winery and cellar. The commitment to precision here is unmatched, and while the wines are clearly expressive of the promises made by each label when opened young, true complexity and development can be experienced by laying them down for years.
A list of the vineyards Loersch tends and bottles reads like a pantheon of legends: names like Apotheke and Altärchen in Trittenheim, Goldtröpchen in Piesport, Hofberg in Dhronn. The parcels belonging to the Loersch endeavor total just eight hectares; though tiny in overall size, this allows them to be incredibly focused on quality and specificity of place. All the grapes are hand-harvested, and though the plots are not certified organic, the team works in as environmentally friendly a manner as possible, with a special consideration for biodiversity in the vineyard. The vines themselves range up to 100 years of age, many of them at the very least over 50.
In the cellar, Alexander is no less exacting. All wines are spontaneously fermented, never adding yeast or sugar to quicken the process, always allowing the wines the time they need to fully develop into themselves. The wine press is state of the art, crushing berries as gently as possible so as not to extract bittering tannins from the seeds and to maintain purity of fruit. All wines are fermented in stainless steel, then the red and the Große Gewächse are placed into oak or acacia barrels for ageing.
While all of the wines of Weingut Loersch are of superior quality, Alexander holds a special place in his heart for his sweet wines, such as the Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, “the gold of the Mosel.”
Wines
Loersch Blauschiefer Riesling Trocken
Loersch Glimmerschiefer Riesling Feinherb
Loersch Trittenheim Apotheke Riesling Kabinett
Loersch Dhroner Hofberg Riesling Gross Gewachs Trocken
Loersch Trittenheimer Altärchen Riesling Kabinett Trocken
Loersch Devon-Terrassen Trittenheim Riesling Apotheke Große Gewächse Trocken
Loersch Neumagener Rosengärtchen Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
Loersch Trittenheim Apotheke Alte Reben Riesling Spätlese
Loersch Trittenheim Apotheke Riesling Auslese
Loersch Trittenheim Apotheke Riesling Beerenauslese
Press