From the Importer: " Even though we are blessed with our growers in the Mosel, well, we’ve always wanted more. Why? This is a magical place; its wines are unlike anything else on earth. We wanted more of this place. And this is the first Mosel Estate in 9 years that we've taken, let that tell you something about how important we think it is"

The young grower is Julian Ludes, whose grandfather Hermann Ludes had started the eponymous estate in the 1950s. Ludes has flown under the radar for decades for a number of reasons. First, the village Thörnich is located in an upper section of the Mosel, far away from the famous “Hollywood Mile” of the Mosel. Further, Thörnich is legendary for shaping wines that are raw and tensile; the wines of Hermann Ludes especially can be brutally structured. In other words, these are not easy wines.

“Julian Ludes completely nailed the vintage and the estate’s collection will go down in history as one of the finest at this traditional winery. The uncompromising style embracing acidity and finesse delivered wines of great vibrancy and cut yet with great aromatic depth, and this right from the entry-level wine, the Riesling “Hermann.” In many ways, they are all cut from a hypothetical blend of Joh. Joh. Prüm’s early backwardness and Hofgut Falkenstein”s zing while embracing the delicacy and finesse of both estates. While these wines are exceptionally good, they are also exceptionally old-school and still often firmly marked by residual scents from their spontaneous fermentation. But we cannot wait to taste these beauties in 8-12 years: It is going to be a feast! Bravo to young Julian and his team for this incredible collection.”

The Thörnicher is the “village-level” bottling; it is always sourced from choice parcels in the Thörnicher Ritsch and Enggass.