Weingut Ansgar Clüsserath in Trittenheim on the Mosel has been owned and operated by the family since its founding in 1670. But once again, it came to us through a CellarHand 'family' connection. In charge of winemaking 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 committed to traditional, ecologically sound viticultural practices as well as forward-looking methods.

Some 97% of the vineyards are planted in Riesling. The Clüsseraths have ramped up their emphasis on canopy management for fruit health and ripeness, and harvest all grapes by hand in several stages. Between crushing and pressing, the grapes are left on skins for up to 48 hours. The cool, damp cellar is the ideal setting for its 50-year-old Füder, the traditional round-bellied, 1000-litre casks in which they must undergo a slow, natural fermentation. Afterwards, the wines are left on lees, receiving no treatment except a single filtration prior to bottling.

This is Eva Clüsserath’s top dry bottling from this grand cru site. Trittenheim’s finest individual vineyard, Apotheke, lies on the right bank of the Mosel, opposite the village of Trittenheim. Although Apotheke literally means pharmacy, the vineyard’s name does not refer to the medicinal/healthful properties of its wines but rather derives from a foundation established by the “Abtsberg” Abbey of Trier. It numbers among the top sites on the Mosel, not least due to its extreme slope of up to 78%. The southwest-facing hillside benefits from direct solar radiation well into the late evening, a long time during which the slate soils store heat – warmth that lengthens the ripening period. Weathered slate slopes with subterranean water veins ensure an optimal supply of nutrients and enable the vines to develop deep roots. Single-stake training is practiced in the family’s oldest parcels on this site planted with 60- to 80-year-old vines. The grapes yield wines that have great aging potential and reflect complex minerality. In their youth, the wines show finesse; as they mature, rich fruitiness reminiscent of apricot and peach.