Bottler: Winery Clemens Busch, Kirchstrasse 37, 56862 Pünderich / Germany
In the glass
Colour
Bright, sparkling golden yellow with distinct green reflections.
Nose
Intense notes of vineyard peach, orange, red apples and dried apricots, accompanied by honey, ginger and cardamom.
Palate
Juicy with lively acidity, peppery spice and grip; grapefruit and green apple linger in the long finish.
Character
Young, complex and a true long-distance runner – its full complexity will reveal itself after another one to two years of bottle ageing.
Pairing
Spicy Asian dishes with ginger, crispy duck or hearty roast pork dishes.
Notes
The cuvée of the light, soft clay slate of the Rothenpfad and the heavier, earthier soils of the Nonnengarten has complemented each other perfectly since 2003 – red slate gives the Riesling its typical smoky, spicy depth; the estate has farmed its steep slopes biodynamically since 1986 (Demeter-certified).
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Bright, sparkling golden yellow with distinct green reflections — youthfully radiant, a wine whose freshness is visible in the glass.
Nose
Intense yet precise: vineyard peach, orange and red apple, with dried apricot behind. Spicy hints of honey, ginger and cardamom join in — a young but astonishingly multi-layered opening that already hints at the smoky undertone of the red slate.
Palate
Juicy, with lively acidity, peppery spice and noticeable grip. The moderate alcohol of 11 per cent keeps everything feather-light, while grapefruit and green apple provide drive. A dry Riesling with tension that already brings pleasure now, but will only reveal its full potential in a year or two.
Finish
Long, citric and saline, with an earthy, crisp aftertaste — a true long-distance runner that matures beautifully in bottle and deserves it too.
Terroir & origin
The grapes come predominantly from the Rothenpfad parcel, above the railway viaduct opposite Pünderich: light, soft, weathered red clay slate. A second portion grows in the Nonnengarten to the west, below the Marienburg — where one parcel bears the old name “Rote Ader”, the soil is heavier and more mixed. Since the 2003 vintage, both origins have complemented each other in this cuvée. The rare red slate of the Mosel — of volcanic origin — lends the wine its smoky depth.
Grape variety & vinification
Pure Riesling, vinified dry. Clemens Busch has farmed biodynamically since 1986 (Demeter-certified since 2015); fermentation takes place mainly spontaneously in centuries-old 1,000-litre wooden casks, without cultured yeasts, followed by long ageing on the fine lees. The deep-rooted vines — reaching up to eight metres into the slate rock — provide the mineral coolness of this wine.
Food recommendations
The ginger and cardamom spice calls for Asian cuisine: Pad Thai, Vietnamese summer rolls or mildly spicy curry dishes. Equally convincing with smoked trout, pork fillet with apple or a goat’s cheese gratin.
Special features
The red capsule reveals the secret in the soil: Busch colour-codes the three slate colours of his terroir at the neck of the bottle. This wine carries the rarest of the three soils in the glass — smoky depth, peppery spice and that earthiness which clearly sets it apart from its taut grey and cool blue siblings.
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