Riesling "vom roten Schiefer" 2024 3000ml Doppel-Magnum

A dry Riesling with smoky spice and saline tension. At 11.0% ABV it stays lean without losing substance. In this 3000-millilitre format it matures more slowly, which benefits it over the years.

The grapes come from the steep slopes of the Pündericher Marienburg on the Mosel. Clemens Busch farms 20 hectares of steep vineyards, eleven of them in the legendary Marienburg, whose terroir is defined by three colours of slate: red, grey and blue. The red slate is rare and of volcanic origin, giving the Riesling smoky depth. The oldest, ungrafted vines reach up to eight metres deep into the slate rock, tapping mineral layers that shallow-rooted vines never reach. This depth is possible because the soil has been farmed without herbicides since 1976; the estate has worked biodynamically since 1986.

Pure Riesling. In the cellar, 80 percent of the wines ferment spontaneously in centuries-old 1000-litre wooden casks, without cultured yeasts, without enzymes, without fining. Some take over a year to complete fermentation. The long ageing on fine lees adds complexity, while sulphur additions remain minimal.

Smoky spice, lemon zest and yellow apple, followed by a fine herbal note. The acidity is taut, the minerality compact and saline, carrying the long finish.

Grilled char with herb butter, mussels in white wine broth and smoked trout. Also pairs well with Asian dishes featuring ginger and lemongrass as well as mature Comté.

The capsule colour indicates the soil: red for the red slate. Clemens Busch runs the estate in Pünderich in its seventh generation, today together with his wife Rita and son Johannes. He stopped using herbicides in 1976, at the age of 19.