- Region
- Moselle
- Producer
- Weingut Hermann Ludes
- Vintage
- 2023
- Grape varieties
- 100% Riesling
- Bottle size
- 75 cl
- Alcohol
- 10.5%
- Prädikat category
- Kabinett
- Special characteristic
- Contains sulphites
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.
Slightly reductive on the nose at first, opening up with air to reveal an intense note of slate as well as kumquat and lime zest, and herbal notes. Compact, tight palate with fresh, juicy acidity dovetailing with the residual sweetness. The finish is persistent, showing a fine line of salty, chalky minerality.
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.