PURE MOSEL FROM EVA

Weingut Ansgar Clüsserath in Trittenheim on the Mosel has been owned and operated by the family since its founding in 1670. In charge of the winemaking these days is Ansgar Clüsserath’s daughter Eva, who happens to be married to 2014 Gault Millau Winemaker of the Year, Philipp Wittmann. Like Rheinhessen superstar Wittmann, Eva is a member of Germany’s new generation of winegrowers who are committed to traditional, ecologically sound viticultural practices as well as forward-looking methods. Her personal style in the vineyard and cellar brings forth the characteristics of the Mosel’s unique cultural landscape. Some 97% of the vineyards are planted to Riesling. Eva and Ansgar seek to express the grape through the prism of the soils, marginal climate and steep slopes of the Mosel. The wines are produced with patience and resolve. Between January and March, Eva and her father prune to one cane per vine, which is bowed and tied. After budbreak, surplus shoots are removed, and the Clüsseraths have ramped up their pre-harvest canopy management. Thinning out, shoot positioning and green harvesting take place in August. Regardless of ripeness level, all grapes are 100% hand harvested in several stages, and far more selectively than in the past. Between crushing and pressing , the grapes are left to macerate for up to 48 hours on their skins, depending on vintage conditions. After settling, the pure, unfiltered, and naturally cloudy grape juice is transferred to casks for fermentation. The cool, damp cellar provides an optimal setting for its 50-year-old Füder, the round-bellied, 1000- litre casks that are traditional in the Mosel. This is where they undergo a slow, natural fermentation. The wines are left on their lees after fermentation, with no treatment except a single filtration prior to bottling. As a result, the wines have tremendous aging potential. They need at least a year of bottle age before they open up and don’t develop completely until a few years afterwards.

fin is the exclusive importer of Ansgar Clüsserath wines in Thailand.