Summary
Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein in Winningen is one of the defining addresses of the Terrassenmosel, that dramatic steep-slope stretch of the lower Mosel just before Koblenz. Across around 14 hectares – almost entirely Riesling – it produces dry, uncompromisingly terroir-driven wines from pure slate terraces. What makes the estate unmistakable is its stance: the wines ferment spontaneously with the vineyard's and cellar's own yeasts, without technical intervention, and the Große Gewächse are aged for a long time before they ever reach the bottle. Since its founding in 1980 by Reinhard Löwenstein and Cornelia Heymann-Löwenstein, the estate has become a benchmark for single-site Mosel Riesling.
History
The history of the estate in its present form begins in 1980, when Reinhard Löwenstein and his wife Cornelia Heymann-Löwenstein founded the winery in Winningen. From the outset the two committed themselves to the laborious steep slopes of the terraced Mosel – in a stretch that had long stood in the shadow of the more famous Middle Mosel.
Over the decades Reinhard Löwenstein became one of the most distinctive and articulate voices in German winegrowing. He understood his work as a deliberate return to terroir and rejected technical fining and manipulation in the cellar. In 1997 the estate joined the VDP, the association of Germany's leading Prädikat wine estates. Responsibility has since passed to the next generation: Sarah Löwenstein now runs the estate in the spirit of its founders.
Location & Terroir
Winningen lies on the lower Mosel between Koblenz and the confluence with the Rhine – a stretch known as the Terrassenmosel (terraced Mosel) for its spectacular dry-stone terraces. The vineyards climb the slopes in dizzyingly steep terraces, which turns every task in the vineyard into pure handwork.
The subsoil is decisive: the vines root in weathered Devonian slate in several forms. These slate soils store heat, force the roots deep into the rock and give the wines their unmistakable, often smoky and mineral imprint. Because the type of slate, the aspect and the steepness change from terrace to terrace, each site brings forth its own character – the basis for the estate's single-site philosophy.
Style & Philosophy
At the heart lies the idea of "making" the wine as little as possible and letting the vineyard speak as much as possible. The musts ferment spontaneously with the vineyard's and cellar's own yeasts, without the addition of cultured yeasts, bentonite or enzymes. Sustainable viticulture that protects the terroir is a high priority for the estate.
The Rieslings are overwhelmingly dry and carry a dense, mineral structure. Rather than quick fruit, they seek depth, salinity and ageing potential. The Große Gewächse from the best sites are deliberately bottled late – after around 24 months of ageing – and thus show more calm and complexity from the start than many classic Mosel Rieslings.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is clearly tiered: from estate wines through village wines to the Große Gewächse from the top sites around Winningen. Among the best-known vineyards are:
- Winninger Röttgen – a steep slate terrace, source of one of the estate's Große Gewächse
- Winninger Uhlen – classified as a grand cru site and subdivided into three parcels:
- Uhlen Laubach
- Uhlen Roth Lay
- Uhlen Blaufüßer Lay
- Steep slopes in Hatzenport such as Kirchberg and Stolzenberg
The three Uhlen wines make the fine geological differences within a single site audible – a prime example of how the slate of the terraced Mosel expresses itself in the glass.
Awards
Heymann-Löwenstein is regularly listed among the top producers of the Mosel in the leading wine guides and, as a VDP estate with its Große Gewächse, is firmly anchored in the front rank of German Riesling. Well beyond the scores, the estate – not least through the voice of Reinhard Löwenstein – has contributed significantly to bringing the terraced Mosel and its single-site slate Riesling back to the centre of attention.