Grape Spotlight: Mosel's Leiwen & Weingut Nikolaus Köwerich Riesling

The previous Grape Spotlight focused on Mosel's Bernkastel district and specifically the Bernkasteler Doktor vineyard.  In this post, the focus remains on Bernkastel but specifically on Riesling grown in the Leiwen sub-region. The town of Leiwen is located on the western side of a hairpin in the Mosel river near Trittenheim and far upstream from Bernkastel. As opposed to the south-southwest exposure of the Bernkasteler Doktor, Leiwen vineyards follow the river and can face east, north, or as in the case of the Leiwener Laurentiuslay vineyard, west-southwest. Vineyards facing east are planted on more gradual slopes, whereas vineyards on the northeast-oriented banks and west-southwest are planted on steep slopes. 

Leiwener Laurentiuslay is the farthest upstream of all the Bereich Bernkastel sites rated as Grosse Lage by the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter). "The grey slate soil provides excellent natural water management, balancing good drainage with sufficient water retention for warmer summers. Lizards can be found sunning themselves on the slate in the near-Mediterranean mesoclimate". -- wine-searcher.com

Weingut Nikolaus Köwerich is a German producer utilizing Riesling grown in Leiwener Laurentiuslay and on the similar sunbaked blue devon slate soils of the Köwerich Allemagne vineyard.  Church records show that Nick Köwerich's family has been living in Leiwen since 1548, potentially part of the Riesling Mosel wine tradition that began in 1465.  Both he and his wife Annette are agricultural engineers and apply modern techniques to the traditions Nick learned from his father's vineyard.

Weingut Nikolaus Köwerich Allemagne - Mosel Herr Mosel Köwericher Laurentiuslay - 2020 Riesling
If you seek a dry, minerally driven Riesling, then look no further. Expect bright lemons, racy minerals, a hint of tannins, and a long dry finish.

Weingut Nikolaus Köwerich Allemagne - Mosel Fräulein Mosel Leiwener Laurentiuslay - 2016 Riesling
On the other hand, if you prefer a sweeter, more full-bodied Riesling with similar salinity then Miss Mosel is your wine. There are a plethora of fruit flavors from citrus to stone fruits to green apples -- all combined in a creamy body -- and balanced with sufficient acidity. 

Grape Spotlight: Mosel's Bernkasteler Doktor & Weingut Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch Riesling

Viticulture started in the Mosel in the 2nd century when Romans planted vines on the steep slopes bordering the Mosel River. These slopes can reach 68-75 degrees and adds to the picturous charm of this wine region.  As the river meanders from its confluence with the Rhine River to Germany's border with Luxembourg and France, it passes through famous wine villages along the valley such as Brauneberg, Erden, Graach, Piesport, and Bernkastel. 

Bernkastel is located right on the banks of the Mosel river, between Graach (to the north) and Piesport (to the west). This is the very heart of the Mittelmosel ("middle Mosel") and is arguably Germany's top wine-growing location. The Mosel river forms a hairpin bend here, inside which lies a finger of land dominated by steep, towering, vineyard-lined slopes. -- wine-searcher.com. 

This sub-region shares many characteristics of the larger Mosel region, a long growing season featuring a cool, northern continental climate. Yet there are several factors that facilitate the ripening of grapes. The vineyard slopes optimize the vines' exposure to the sun while simultaneously solar radiation is reflected off the rivers' surface. And the dark slate soil absorbs heat during the day and radiates it back to the vines at night.  The disadvantages of such steep vineyard sites and porous soil are that it requires hand harvesting and in winter, after heavy rain, workers must carry back soil that has run off the vineyards.  

One of Bernkastel's most famous vineyards is Bernkasteler Doktor -- a small (3.25 acre / 1.8ha) plot that directly borders the village of Bernkastel. The Riesling vines are planted on a south-southwest exposure and a steepness between 60 and 70 percent -- providing ideal conditions for all-day sunshine. The vines are also predominantly ungrafted as the grey slate provides protection against phylloxera and average 60 years of age with some over 100 years old.  

Parcels of the Bernkasteler Doktor vineyard have belonged to members of the Thanisch family for more than 200 years and the family has a documented winegrower pedigree since 1654. Today Weingut Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch is now up to its twelfth generation and is also proud of their female tradition. The name “Wwe. (widow) refers to Katharina Thanisch who was only 30 years old when her husband, Dr. Hugo Thanisch, died. In 1996 Sofia Thanisch became the fourth successive female family to operate the winery and will be succeeded by her daughters, Juliane and Christina. 

The grapes from the Bernkasteler Doktor vineyard are handpicked, slightly squeezed, and then left for 14 hours to macerate before being gently pressed. The wine is then naturally fermented without any addition of cultured yeast or enzymes for a period of four to five months. After fermentation, the wine matures for several more months on the lees in order to gain more stability and complexity. A recent Hopwine salon provided me an opportunity to sample two of their Bernkasteler Doktor wines along with another Bernkastel Riesling.  

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch, Erben Müller-Burggraef Allemagne - Mosel Berncasteler Doctor 2020 Riesling
Lots of senses in play here. Petrol, herbaceous, spicy, stone fruit, minerals, and lively acidity.  

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch, Erben Müller-Burggraef Allemagne - Mosel Berncasteler Doctor 2020 Riesling Grosses Gewächs (GG)
A beautiful wine, full-bodied and complex with citrus and ripe apples finishing with refreshing acidity. 

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch, Erben Müller-Burggraef Allemagne - Mosel Bernkasteler Riesling Kabinett 2020 Riesling Bernkasteler Kabinett
The non-Doctor but still excellent with creamy citrus and stone fruit, racy minerality,  and lively acidity.