Weingut Josef Rosch

Still young and only three years after starting his Mosel estate in 1985, Werner Rosch made his first mark on the wine world by gaining national recognition in Germany for the wines from his 1988 harvest.

The Bernkasteler Ring e.V. Wine Society rated his 1988 dry Spätlese wine from the "Laurentiuslay" vineyard as one of the top tendry Mosel Rieslings of that vintage. This taste of success whetted his appetite for more.

Several years of hard work and patience paid off. His stellar 1995 collection brought him international recognition.

Germany’s "Feinschmecker" Magazine rated the Estate Josef Rosch as one of Germany’s best (a distinction they gave to only thirteen of the more than nine hundred German wine making properties).

They also selected the 1999 JR Selection Spätlese trocken being one of the TOP-10 dry Rieslings of the vintage.

Gerhard Eichelmann writes in his book ‘Deutschlands Weine 2002', "...in 1999 Werner Rosch increased the quality of his wines again! He took chances no one else would dare and produced wonderful dry and semi-dry Riesling wine, crowning his achievement with a superb series of noble wines. His Millennium vintage (a difficult year by any measure) is perhaps even better. I tasted a total of eight wines and scored not one less than 89 points. The only Estate to have ever shown so well in my years of wine evaluation."

(G. Eichelmann rates the Estate Rosch with ***** (five) stars: World Class – International Top Producer.)

The small estate has a total of only 5.5 Hectare (13 acres) and produces approximately four thousand cases a year. Some would consider this size a handicap; Werner Rosch views it as an opportunity. The small size enables him to handcraft his wines, so that only the finest bottles reach his customers. His best crus are ‘Trittenheimer Apotheke’, Leiwener Laurentiuslay and Leiwener Klostergarten.

A little bit about Riesling from the Mosel river
 

Grape growing in the Northern Mosel-Saar-Ruwer valleys is changing. In 1964 Riesling represented eighty per cent of wine-grape planting in the area. By 1990 that percentage had dropped to fifty-four. Most of the rest of the plantings are high yielding Müller-Thurgau and Elbling grapes. Economic pressures have forced many producers to adopt a philosophy of quantity over quality. The finest estates, however, are - without exception - dedicated to Riesling; one of the five noble varietals (Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay) which they grow on their best, historically tested sites, eschewing all other temptations.

Some would argue that Riesling finds its finest expression on the steep banks of the Mosel River and its Saar and Ruwer tributaries.

It is ideally grown on a slope with a 30 per cent gradient and facing South. These conditions maximize precious sunlight, because as well as basking in the direct rays, the vines also enjoy the reflected sunlight coming off the river.

Estate Rosch’s vineyards are also situated on easily warmed slate soils, so typical of the region’s best vineyard sites. This fortunate circumstance helps the ripening process in an agricultural climate always wanting any advantage of heat.

The result of the aforementioned, fortuitous marriage of coincidence produces wines unique in the world for their combination of low alcohol, striking aroma, high extract and delicacy of texture. Estate Josef Rosch humbly, offers some of the finest examples.