Clemens Busch 'Marienburg' Grosses Gewächs Riesling, Mosel, Germany 2023

Clemens Busch, based in the village of Pünderich, is recognized as one of the Mosel’s great champions of biodynamics, single-vineyard expression, and dry (“trocken”) Riesling. The estate’s Marienburg vineyard, which dominates the steep slopes above the village, is a mosaic of slate parcels—gray, red, and blue—each imparting subtle nuance. Clemens and Rita Busch, working with their son Johannes, farm their old vines with meticulous care, crafting wines of energy, tension, and transparency.

• WINEMAKER: Clemens Busch & Johannes Busch
  
• FARMING: Certified Biodynamic (Demeter); organic since 1986; hand-harvested from estate vines
  
• VARIETY: 100% Riesling (old, ungrafted vines)
  
• TERROIR: Marienburg is a steep, south/southwest-facing vineyard above Pünderich on the Mosel’s left bank, famed for its complex slate geology: parcels of gray slate (cool, herbal structure), red slate (spice, depth), and blue slate (minerality, floral lift). Vines average 50+ years old, rooted on shallow, stony slopes, exposed to sun and river fog, yielding wines of crystalline acidity and mineral intensity.
  
• VINIFICATION: Hand-harvested in small bins; only the ripest, healthiest fruit selected. Whole bunches gently pressed; wild yeast fermentation in large, neutral German oak fuder barrels. Long, slow fermentations on gross lees. Bottled with minimal sulfur, unfined and unfiltered.
  
• AGING: Aged on full lees in neutral 1000L fuder barrels for 10+ months, fostering texture and complexity while preserving vibrancy.
  
• TASTING NOTES: Intense aromas of stone fruit, lime zest, crushed slate, flint, and white flowers. The palate is dry, layered, and electric, with racy acidity, deep minerality, and notes of lemon pith, wild herbs, and salt. Long, precise finish with a tactile, slate-driven tension.
  
• FOOD PAIRINGS: Ideal with shellfish, sushi, smoked trout, white asparagus, fresh chèvre, or classic schnitzel.
  SCORES: 96 points, Wine Advocate, 95 points, James Suckling