Clemens Busch, Riesling Vom Roten Schiefer, 2023
Clemens Busch, Riesling Vom Roten Schiefer, 2023
- 75cl
- 11%
- White Still
- Riesling
- Organic
- Biodynamic
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2050
The Vom Roten Schiefer hails from Germany’s Mosel, around Piesport and the steep vineyards lining the river. This cool-climate region is famed for its dramatic slopes and slate-rich soils, which are ideal for precise, expressive Riesling.
The red slate (Roten Schiefer) gives the wine its name and character, storing daytime heat to aid slow ripening and lending a vivid mineral edge, clarity and racy acidity that define top Mosel wines. The 2023 vintage offers a luminous character with floral notes, lively acidity, and remarkable aging potential.
Clemens and his wife Rita are a humble yet hugely respected duo, having built a cult following over the past 30 years for their incredibly precise, richly textured, and terroir-driven wines. Produced biodynamically and organically since 1984, they are a compelling choice for Riesling enthusiasts who appreciate a mineral-driven profile.
Currently showing its youthful, mineral-driven character with primary fruit still integrating into the stony framework. Over the next 2-3 years, expect the smokiness to soften slightly while honeyed complexity begins to emerge. The wine should hit its sweet spot around 2030-2040, when fruit and minerality achieve perfect balance. It will hold this plateau for several years before very slowly developing tertiary petrol and spice notes that define aged Mosel Riesling, remaining vibrant to 2050 thanks to that trademark acidity.
What the critics say:
"So expressive and elegant, this is remarkable for a de facto village wine. Generous wild herb, red berry and red-fleshed vineyard peach aromas on the barely medium-bodied palate. Then the stony minerality comes through in the long, very straight and pure finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Drink or hold."
"Red spice and stone, hints of caramel and, like the Grauen Schiefer, defined by a taut, edgy thrill. Fruit finesse is not yet on the menu, rather a dense foundation of smoky stone and ginger spice. Given time, a radiant and balancing juiciness evolves. Wild, salty, long."
"The 2023 Riesling vom Roten Schiefer hails from the pre-harvest of the Nonnengarten and the younger vines on the Rothenpfad. Reductive smokiness wraps itself around red-cheeked peach and crushed tansy. This contains delicate aromas of dried, peppery blueberry and peach. The palate is crystalline, stony and taut but full of tingling, citrusy, herbal notes. It has wonderful spiciness on a super-taut palate. (Bone-dry) "
Tasting Notes
AppearancePale gold with green highlights, crystal clear and luminous.
NoseWild herbs and red-fleshed peach emerge first, followed by that distinctive smoky minerality from red slate. There's crushed tansy, dried blueberry, and a reductive, almost flinty edge that speaks to the wine's youth. Ginger spice and red spice notes add complexity.
PalateCrystalline and taut, with tingling citrusy acidity that's perfectly integrated. The stone-fruit character is present but restrained, overshadowed by stony minerality and herbal notes. Wonderful spiciness runs through a super-taut, barely medium-bodied frame that feels both delicate and powerful.
FinishLong, straight, and pure with smoky stone persistence and a wild, salty edge.
Overall impressionA wine that perfectly captures the thrilling tension between elegance and intensity that defines great Mosel Riesling.
Food Pairings
Along the Mosel, locals pair this style of Riesling with the river's famous trout, simply prepared with butter and herbs to let the wine's minerality shine. Wild boar with juniper and regional mushroom dishes complement the wine's herbal complexity, while the traditional Himmel un Ääd (heaven and earth) of mashed potatoes and apples with black pudding creates a beautiful contrast to the wine's crystalline precision. The local Döppekuchen, a hearty potato casserole, provides the perfect rustic foil to such refined terroir expression.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve well-chilled at 8-10°C to preserve that electric tension and mineral clarity. No need to decant, but do allow it to warm slightly in the glass to reveal its full aromatic complexity. Use a proper Riesling glass with a narrow bowl to concentrate the delicate aromatics and channel that laser-like focus onto the palate.
The red slate vineyards around Piesport sit on steep south-facing slopes that plunge toward the Mosel river. This Roter Schiefer (red slate) retains daytime warmth to aid ripening in the cool climate while imparting a distinctive smoky minerality and vivid clarity. The dramatic gradients force vines to struggle, concentrating flavours and creating the racy acidity that defines great Mosel Riesling.
Mosel is Germany's most prestigious Riesling region, stretching along the winding river from Koblenz to Trier. The impossibly steep vineyards carved into slate hillsides create wines of unmatched elegance and mineral precision. Unlike the richer styles from Rheingau or Pfalz, Mosel Rieslings are defined by their crystalline purity, electric acidity, and ability to express individual vineyard character with startling clarity.
The 2023 Mosel vintage turned out rather better than anyone expected after a tricky start. Spring brought late frosts that had growers lighting candles in their vineyards like some medieval ritual, followed by a wet summer that made everyone nervous about rot and dilution. But September saved the day with crisp, sunny weather that let the Riesling ripen slowly and completely, building the sort of crystalline precision that makes the Mosel special.
What we've tasted so far shows wines with lovely tension – that tightrope walk between ripe fruit and snappy acidity that great Mosel Riesling does better than anywhere else. The quality is surprisingly consistent across the region, from the steep slate slopes of Bernkastel to the iron-rich soils around Ürziger Würzgarten. These wines are drinking beautifully now if you fancy them young and zippy, but the better bottlings have the structure to develop for a decade or more in your cellar.
FAQs
What does this wine taste like?
Crystalline and mineral-driven, with red-cheeked peach, wild herbs, and that distinctive smoky stone character from red slate soils. Think electric precision rather than rich fruit.
When should I drink this wine?
Drinking beautifully now for its youthful energy and mineral clarity, but will reward patience until the mid-2030s as it develops honeyed complexity.
What food pairs well with this Riesling?
Try it with simply prepared river trout, wild mushroom dishes, or spicy Asian cuisine. The mineral backbone and herbal notes make it brilliant with anything that benefits from crisp acidity.
How should I serve this wine?
Serve well-chilled at 8-10°C in a proper Riesling glass. No need to decant, just let it warm slightly in the glass to reveal its full aromatic complexity.
Is this wine worth cellaring?
Absolutely. While gorgeous now, this has the mineral backbone and acidity to develop beautifully over 10-12 years, gaining honeyed complexity while retaining that signature Mosel precision.
What makes Clemens Busch special?
They're among the Mosel's most respected producers, farming biodynamically for over 30 years and achieving cult status for wines that capture individual vineyard character with remarkable clarity and precision.
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