Fritz Haag Riesling Brauneberger Juffer Grosses Gewchs Trocken 2023

Variety: RieslingStyle:Trocken (dry)Country, Region: Germany, Mosel

This Grosses Gewchs is a liquid ambassador of the estates philosophy.

The 32 hectare Brauneberger Juffer lies on the opposite bank of the Mosel from the town and is planted to Riesling. Its loose, weathered blue Devonian slate soil contains veins of iron oxide that give individual layers of the stone a light brown hue. This composition is more than just the source of the Brauneberg name; it also lends this unique terroir its typical characteristics. These steep vineyards, with gradients reaching up to 80 %, give rise to delicate, finely fruity, and mineral wines. This dry, single vineyard wine is given some skin contact before natural yeast fermentation in varying proportions of 1000 litre oak fuders and stainless steel, followed by maturation on fine lees for several months.

These dry Rieslings are slender, focused, and precise with playful fruit, herbal spice and a mineral, almost saline, finish.

12.5 % Alc/Vol; 4.3 g/L RS; 7.4g/L TA.

‘Very youthful on the nose, the pear and quince aromas slowly opening up as the wine aerates. Enormous power and stony depth on the concentrated, compact but extremely bright medium-bodied palate. Wonderful forest floor and wet stone complexity in the very long finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. [2027-2033]’ 96 points, Stuart Pigott, JS Wine Ratings, August 2024.

The historic Fritz Haag wine estate is located in the heart of the central Mosel River Valley. The earliest documentation of the estate dates back to 1605. At that time, the village in which it is situated was known as Dusemond. In 1925, this village was renamed Brauneberg (brown mountain, a reference to the color of the slate soil in this area of the Mosel) in an endeavour to further promote the reputation of its world-renowned vineyards Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr and Brauneberg Juffer.

The name of the famous vineyards Juffer, which translates as old maid or virgin in the local dialect, goes back to 1790. The proprietor of these exceptional vineyard slopes at the time, the aristocratic Kurpflzische Kammerherr Wunderlich, had three daughters who all remained unmarried and lived the lives of spinsters. As a consequence, when they took over the vineyard management from their father, the name Brauneberger Juffer was born and the wines soon became well-known and famed in the wine world. The vineyards are recognised as true pearls of the Mosel region and were treasured even by Napoleon.

For many years, the Fritz Haag wine estate was successfully headed by the endlessly energetic Wilhelm Haag, and achieved, under his guidance a world-renowned reputation. Wilhelm Haag was the first to win the acclaim winemaker of the year, a highly coveted accolade introduced in 1994 by the famous Gault Millau Wineguide. Since 2005, son Oliver has taken over the
reins and has joined his successful father in leading the estate into the future.

The Fritz Haag estate owns 18.5ha of vineyards which are all exclusively planted with Riesling. The excellent micro-climate and the deep slate soils of the Brauneberger Juffer slope form the basis for some of the most intensely flavored and elegantly-structured Riesling wines of the Mosel region. Oliver Haag, the current proprietor, rigorously selects the clones most suited to the microclimate of his vineyards in order to achieve the maximum potential in the grapes. As a winemaker, Olivers skills are matched by few. His wines, which display a pleasing subtle colour, show a well-defined palate that reaches from honeysuckle to pears and apples. They are laced with citrus and underlying mineral tones, reflecting the brown slate vineyards of Brauneberg.

The Fritz Haag estate produces wines that cover the full style spectrum, starting from a dry style and ranging to lusciously sweet. A mineral slate character and a pronounced and fruity acidity give the wines their elegant sophistication and their great aging potential. The estates graceful, well-refined Rieslings are rated as impressive examples of the finest wines the Mosel region has to offer.