Carl Loewen

In the village of Leuwen, on the Middle Moselle, lies a winery that has gradually established itself as one of Germany’s most respected producers of Riesling. Today, Weingut Carl Loewen is run by Christopher Loewen and his father Karl-Josef, along with one full-time employee. A small team for an estate with such a distinguished reputation.

History

The estate’s origins date back to 1803. During the secularisation under Napoleon, the vineyards of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Maximin were sold at a major auction in Paris. A predecessor of the Loewen family, who at the time managed the abbey’s estate in Detzem, acquired the first plots in Maximin-Klosterlay. These vineyards still form the backbone of the business today. In 1982, plots in Laurentiuslay were added, and in 1995, part of Thörnicher-Ritch. In 2008, Karl-Josef Loewen acquired the neighbouring estate of Karl Schmidt-Wagner in Longuy, and as the ‘icing on the cake’, a wonderful historic vineyard in Maximin-Herrenberg.

Vineyards

The estate currently covers around 18 hectares, spread across four villages: Leuven, Longwich, Detzem and Törnich. A major part of the vineyards consist of old, ungrafted vines aged between 60 and 120 years, growing on steep slopes. The jewel in the collection is the plot in Maximin-Herrenberg, planted on its own roots in 1896, almost certainly the oldest Riesling vineyard in the world that still yields a harvest. The higher-altitude section, simply known as Herrenberg, dates back to 1903 and has a slightly cooler climate. The Ternicher Ritsch is considered the second steepest vineyard in Germany.

Terroir

The Mosel is known for its slate, and several varieties can be found in Loven: blue slate in Klosterlay, grey slate in Laurentiuslay, and a mixture of grey slate and quartzite in Rich. On the Maximin Herrenberg lies a rare strip of red slate with volcanic red rock, a soil type found only between Urzig and Longig. Thanks to its location near the river, this vineyard receives reflected light and is regularly affected by healthy botrytis.

Grapes

The story here is brief: almost exclusively Riesling. Small quantities of Pinot Blanc are also produced. Christopher Loven describes his ideal Mosel Riesling as light and full of character, not heavy, but with a rich flavour.

Winemaking

In the cellar, the rule is: interfere as little as possible. The grapes are pressed whole at a pressure of no more than 2 bar, and the pomace is left untouched to avoid bitterness from the stems. The juice is deliberately oxidised before fermentation. Fermentation takes place spontaneously using wild yeasts, without enzymes, nutrients or temperature control. The finest wines are aged in old oak barrels of around 1,000 litres, with an average age of 25 years. Simpler wines remain in stainless steel vats. The wine itself decides when fermentation is complete.

Wines

The range varies from affordable village and estate wines to Grosse Gewächse from Maximin-Herrenberg and Risch. The most famous wine is the 1896 Riesling, made from those ancient ungrafted vines. Christopher also produces a Maximin-Herrenberg Kabinett in an old-fashioned, light style with low residual sugar. The alcohol content often hovers around 12.5%, a classic Mosel, and exactly as the winery intends.

Three interesting facts

1. The Riesling 1896 vineyard is so old that the vines were producing wine even before the invention of the radio.

2. Stuart Pigott, one of the world’s leading wine critics, named Christopher Loven ‘Winemaker of the Year’ in 2017 — and he was only just over thirty at the time.

3. And if you ring the winery during the day, chances are no one will answer: the whole team is out working in the vineyards.