- Region
- Mosel
- Producer
- Weingut Hermann Ludes
- Vintage
- 2010
- Grape varieties
- 100% Riesling
- Bottle size
- 75 cl
- Alcohol
- 8.5%
- Prädikat category
- Auslese
- Special characteristic
- Contains sulphites
- Rare bottle
- Net item
Manual harvest followed by wild-yeast fermentation in stainless steel. No subsequent yeast inoculations or enzyme additions. No acidification or deacidification – not now, not ever. After a long period of lees ageing, the wines receive the bare minimum of sulphur and are bottled under screw top.
This Auslese opens on the nose with a firework of flint alongside chalk, ripe pear, citrus zest and herbal tea. A wave of crisp acidity on the palate keeps the residual sugar well in check, offsetting the sweetness throughout. This is framed by intense, salty minerality. Still very young with potential for at least another 20 years.
The slate terraces carved into Ritsch, the steep Grosse Lage (grand cru) in the Mittelmosel village of Thörnich, are home to old Riesling vines, many of which are ungrafted. The Ludes family farm their 12 hectares of vineyard in an environmentally friendly manner, without fertilisers or any other chemical interventions.