Graceful Grosses Gewächs - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Graceful Grosses Gewächs


Karl-Josef and Christopher Loewen (Photo by David Maupile)

The Maximin vineyards belonged to the Benedictine monastery of Saint Maximin before secularization in 1802; the Loewen family began investing in them in 1805, purchasing the Maximin Klosterlay. In 2013, Karl-Josef Loewen acquired another section, the Herrenberg, purchasing it from a farmer whose family had cared for the vines for six generations. The oldest plantings date to 1896, the younger ones to 1903. Those old vines gave a profound Grosses Gewächs wine in 2020, with a sense of depth and roundness that makes it stand out. Fermented with ambient yeasts and aged on the lees in old, 1,000-liter fuders, it’s impressively inviting for a GG wine, delivering pretty floral delicacy and riesling’s fresh fruitiness without any sweetness. The flavors last, held firm by an earthy acidity so well integrated it’s imperceptible except in the wine’s verve and resilience. It would be easy to drink this today, but it’s worth losing a few bottles in the cellar as this should age well over the next two decades.

Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

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Carl Loewen 2020 Mosel Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg GG Riesling

Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.

is W&S’s editor at large and covers the wines of the Mediterranean and Central and Eastern Europe for the magazine.


This story appears in the print issue of December 2021.
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