Bernkasteler Lay is a Grosse Lage (grand cru) vineyard situated directly along the Mosel between the village of Bernkastel and the Dr. Loosen estate house. The rocky blue slate soil here produces richly textured, assertive wines. Kabinett is the German designation for the lightest, most delicate style of Riesling, produced from barely ripe grapes picked early in the harvest.

About Dr. Loosen

Dr. Loosen is one of the most highly acclaimed wine estates in the world. In the family for over 200 years, Ernst “Erni” Loosen assumed ownership in 1988 and quickly propelled the reputation of Dr. Loosen into the highest echelon of Germany’s finest producers. With a focus on the old, ungrafted vines the estate owns in some of the Mosel valley’s best-rated vineyards, the wines clearly express their cool-climate origins through environmentally sensitive viticulture, strict harvest selection and gentle cellar practices.

The 2020 Vintage

The 2020 growing season and harvest both got off to an early start here in the Mosel, but ended up giving us picture-perfect fruit for excellent dry wines, as well as brilliant off-dry and medium-sweet wines at the lower end of the Prädikat spectrum. When describing the 2020 vintage overall, our cellar master, Bernhard Schug, summed it up best by simply calling it “a Kabinett/Spätlese year.” Erni concludes that “the 2020 vintage should be a showcase for the typical mineral structure of Mosel Riesling.”

92 Points James Suckling – “Plenty of white-currant and herbal freshness. Sleek and racy with just enough sweetness to harmonize the acidity very nicely. Bright mint and lemon-zest finish.”