Carl Loewen, Riesling 1896 [Grey Label], 2023
Carl Loewen’s “1896 Grey Label” isn’t just another dry Riesling—it’s a piece of Mosel history, made from some of the oldest documented Riesling vines in the world. Planted in 1896 on their own roots, these ungrafted vines sit on steep, slate-covered slopes near Longuich, and the wine they produce is pure, linear, and profoundly expressive.
The 2023 vintage brings crystalline precision: lime zest, green apple, crushed slate, and a flicker of wild herbs, with racy acidity and a firm mineral backbone. But what sets this apart is the texture—deep, tactile, and slightly smoky, the kind of mouthfeel only truly old vines (and meticulous winemaking) can deliver.
Loewen ferments with native yeasts in old foudres, with long lees contact and no manipulation—a style that feels traditional but alive, giving the wine both tension and soul. It’s dry, but not bone-rattling; elegant, but with an edge. A Riesling that drinks like it knows where it comes from.
Drink it young for its snap and verve, or cellar for a decade to watch it stretch into something even more layered and savory.
Original: $105.99
-65%$105.99
$37.10Product Information
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Description
Carl Loewen’s “1896 Grey Label” isn’t just another dry Riesling—it’s a piece of Mosel history, made from some of the oldest documented Riesling vines in the world. Planted in 1896 on their own roots, these ungrafted vines sit on steep, slate-covered slopes near Longuich, and the wine they produce is pure, linear, and profoundly expressive.
The 2023 vintage brings crystalline precision: lime zest, green apple, crushed slate, and a flicker of wild herbs, with racy acidity and a firm mineral backbone. But what sets this apart is the texture—deep, tactile, and slightly smoky, the kind of mouthfeel only truly old vines (and meticulous winemaking) can deliver.
Loewen ferments with native yeasts in old foudres, with long lees contact and no manipulation—a style that feels traditional but alive, giving the wine both tension and soul. It’s dry, but not bone-rattling; elegant, but with an edge. A Riesling that drinks like it knows where it comes from.
Drink it young for its snap and verve, or cellar for a decade to watch it stretch into something even more layered and savory.
