Calling all Clemens Busch fans and novices...
3/11/23 -
Like Manna from Heaven, the siren song of our importer telling me the new Clemens Buschs were landing in March brought tears of joy to my eyes. In addition, Chambers is proud to announce a surprise tasting with him and another winemaker to be announced soon at our sister restaurant at the end of the month...more manna from heaven! In honor of this great bounty of beauty, we are proud to offer the most comprehensive lineup to date of his breathtaking wines from the humble trockens to the GGs.
As a recap, or for those whom aren't familiar with the winery, Clemens Busch hails from the dividing line on the Mosel between the Middle Mosel, or the home of the "Hollywood Mile," and the more remote northern Lower Mosel. As per the importer: " The geology here is unique, based on a volcanic formation hundreds of millions of years old, manifested in a long, undulating cliff face that is nothing short of epic. The three main colors of slate (blue, red and grey) are all found here, dominating different parcels along the slopes across the river from the village. Clemens identifies the different terroirs of the original hillside on his labels by their historical names: Fahrlay, Falkenlay, Rothenpfad, Felsterrasse, and Raffes. He further delineates his wines by their soil type, using an ingenious method: the color of the capsule on the bottles indicates the type of slate (blue, gray or red) that dominates the source from which each wine comes." Most importantly, Clemens is considered to be The Master of Biodynamic Viticulture in Germany; converting to organic viticulture in 1984 and then certified Biodynamic in 2005. Billy the goat pictured above is one of his most important vineyard workers and a relative rarity in the Mosel.
The majority of Clemens's production is grown on the extremely steep Pündericher Marienburg, a 25 hectare vineyard that spans and entire hillside facing the village of Pünderich. Exposed full South/Southwest and right on the edge of the river, it is widely considered amongst the very best sites in the Mosel.
We start our exploration with two of his entry level trockens; the 2021 Roten Schiefer (Red Slate) and Grauen Schiefer (Grey Slate). They illustrate perfectly the difference the soil type makes in the wine's profile and I highly recommend trying them side by side. Next, we were lucky to scoop up an older vintage, the 2015 Grosse Lage (Premier Cru) Falkenlay before moving on to the current release of 2021 GGs (Grand Cru) : Marienburg, Rothenpfad, Falkenlay and .Fahrlay. Upon tasting the GGs, the aromatics were so pronounced and evocative that I immediately associated them with various Chanel perfumes that I know. As a disclaimer, I never have this reaction, but I find that these perfumes, if one is familiar with them, perfectly describe the wines olfactorily! Match your perfume to your wine!
65-90 year old ungrafted vines planted on grey slate. A dry wine from a site famous for its noble sweets. Firm, vivid, gingery, incredibly ripe and saline with acidity that elevates it to a quiveringly “alive” state of being.
This large grey slate parcel is from the original Marienburg parcel which has been in the Busch family for generations.
Clemens’ only parcel of blue slate on the Marienburg, which imparts luster, florality, sizzling acids and fantastic staying power to the wine.
The Big Red One. The Rothenpfad interestingly is the terminus of the iron- and copper-rich red-colored geological formation that starts in the Saar, pops up at the Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Prälat and Enkircher Steffensberg sites in the Middle Mosel, and ends at Pünderich. Clemens’ GG from here, like all wines made from such soil, is pungent and exotic with pronounced ripeness and great staying power.
In order to provide the most complete lineup of Clemens Busch, we are offering exceptionally, a discounted tasting pack of all 6 wines of the 2021 vintage! (The 2015 is just too limited) All wines will be available next week for delivery, shipping and pickup (except for the 2021 Roten Schiefer which is already in stock). Giselle Hamburg
