Clemens Busch

Clemens and Rita Busch built the estate in its current form. Clemens did not found it: he is the fifth Clemens to make the wines, and his sons are Florian and Johannes. The manor house, built in 1663, stands directly on the banks of the Mosel with a view of the Marienburg vineyards. The cellar, with traditional stone vaulting for the old Fuder barrels, was built in 1974 by Clemens Busch senior. The building at Hauptstraße 3, which holds the office and bottle store, has belonged to the estate since 2012. In 2024 the vaulted cellar was extended and a press house was added. Asked by the VDP about his next goals, Clemens Busch named the handover to his son Johannes; Johannes Busch is named as owner.

• Manor house built in 1663, on the Mosel bank facing the Marienburg vineyards
• Vaulted barrel cellar built in 1974 by Clemens Busch senior; extended in 2024, with a new press house
• Office and bottle store at Hauptstraße 3, part of the estate since 2012
• Owner: Johannes Busch

Johannes Busch is the owner, and Johannes and Clemens Busch are the cellar masters. Clemens and Rita Busch work the estate's 20 hectares together with Johannes. Clemens Busch names Pierre Masson as a role model for having made biodynamics tangible for viticulture.

• Johannes Busch: owner (October 2026)
• Johannes and Clemens Busch: cellar masters (October 2026)
• Clemens and Rita Busch: built the estate in its current form

The estate converted to controlled organic viticulture in 1984 and has been certified as a biodynamic estate since 2015. Its practice rules out chemical-synthetic plant protection, herbicides and mineral fertilizers, and the vines are cared for predominantly by hand. Teas and herbal mixtures of nettle, horsetail and chamomile strengthen the vines, and sulfur and copper, supported by herbal mixtures, protect against fungus. The estate has been a member of Respekt, a group of biodynamic winemakers, since 2015, and presents its Rieslings as part of La Renaissance des Appellations, the organization founded by Nicolas Joly. Its VDP profile also lists EU organic certification and Fair'n Green sustainability certification.

• Organic conversion in 1984; certified biodynamic since 2015
• Respekt member since 2015; La Renaissance des Appellations; Fair'n Green
• Nettle, horsetail and chamomile preparations; sulfur and copper against fungus
• Organic control body code DE-ÖKO-039

Most of the estate's vines are in the Pündericher Marienburg, which lies on the opposite bank of the river from Pünderich and faces south to southeast. Its soils are stony to deep weathered slate in grey, red and blue. In the site's original area, directly below the former Marienburg monastery, grey slate dominates; these vineyards were replanted after a land consolidation around 1988 and supply the Marienburg Grosses Gewächs. Rothenpfad, above the Pünderich viaduct, is soft weathered red slate; it is especially steep with no road access, so machines cannot be used, and its Grosses Gewächs comes only from the oldest vines, at least 80 years old, trained on single stakes. Fahrlay, next to the Pünderich ferry landing, is the only part of the Marienburg where blue slate dominates; its oldest parcel, the Fahrlay-Terrassen, has vines about 110 years old. Falkenlay lies between Fahrlay and Rothenpfad on somewhat deeper grey slate, sheltered from cool winds from the east, and includes the Felsterrasse and Raffes parcels. Felsterrasse has five terraces between rocky outcrops, 70-year-old vines, and light grey slate threaded with iron-bearing layers; Raffes, the name in the cadastral records, is a selection of grapes from one of the estate's oldest terraces within Falkenlay. The estate also farms the Pündericher Nonnengarten, a VDP.ERSTE LAGE.

• Marienburg (VDP.GROSSE LAGE): across the river from Pünderich, facing south to southeast
• Rothenpfad: red slate; Grosses Gewächs from vines at least 80 years old, younger vines in the Riesling vom roten Schiefer
• Fahrlay: hard blue slate on a terraced south-facing slope; Fahrlay-Terrassen vines about 110 years old
• Falkenlay: grey slate, sheltered; includes the Felsterrasse and Raffes parcels

A majority of the wines are raised in traditional 1,000-liter Fuder barrels, though stainless steel is also used. Fermentation is spontaneous, without cultured yeasts or enzymes, and the wines are not fined. Fermentation often takes 8 to 10 months, sometimes longer, and only in August is the majority of the previous year's harvest bottled. Some wines have needed more than a year to ferment, or have stopped fermenting on their own. Necessary movement of the wines is timed by the phases of the moon.

• Mostly 1,000-liter Fuder barrels, with some stainless steel
• Spontaneous fermentation; no cultured yeasts, enzymes or fining agents
• Fermentation often 8 to 10 months; most wines bottled in the August after harvest

The range follows the VDP classification. The VDP.GUTSWEIN is a Riesling trocken; the 2025 is listed at 10.5% alcohol, and the wine comes from grey-slate parcels and carries a grey capsule. The VDP.ORTSWEIN tier holds three dry Rieslings named for their slate, vom roten Schiefer, vom grauen Schiefer and vom blauen Schiefer, plus a Pündericher Kabinett. The Pündericher Nonnengarten is bottled as a VDP.ERSTE LAGE. From the VDP.GROSSE LAGE Marienburg come Grosses Gewächs wines (Marienburg, Rothenpfad, Fahrlay, Falkenlay and Fahrlay-Terrassen), the Felsterrasse and Raffes, Reserve bottlings of Fahrlay and Rothenpfad, and Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. The estate also makes a Spätburgunder Sekt blanc de noir by traditional bottle fermentation, and its shop sells the wines of Domaine Flo Busch from Jonquières and Montpeyroux in France. The Riesling trocken is available in the US through Louis/Dressner and in the UK via Indigo Wines.

• Gutswein and Ortswein: Riesling trocken; Riesling vom roten, grauen and blauen Schiefer; Pündericher Kabinett
• Erste Lage: Pündericher Nonnengarten
• Grosse Lage: Marienburg, Rothenpfad, Fahrlay, Falkenlay and Fahrlay-Terrassen GG; Felsterrasse; Raffes; Fahrlay and Rothenpfad Reserve
• Grosse Lage Prädikat wines: Marienburg Kabinett (2025 at 7.5% alcohol), Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese

In the Gault Millau Weinguide Deutschland 2020, Clemens Busch rose to the guide's top category of five grapes. In the same guide its 2018 Pündericher Marienburg Auslese placed third in the residual-sweet and noble-sweet category, and its 2016 Marienburg Fahrlay Riesling Reserve was listed among the best dry Rieslings.

Clemens Busch describes the aim as Riesling from fully ripe grapes, spontaneously fermented with long yeast contact, with quality coming from the vineyard and, in the cellar, traditional Fuder maturation and a lot of time. In the estate's own words, the blue-slate Fahrlay gives an almost salty minerality, red slate gives the wines an herbaceous, spicy note, and Falkenlay wines often show creamy, fruity flavors.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://clemens-busch.de/index.php?p=2&lang=e, https://clemens-busch.de/index.php?p=4&lang=e, https://clemens-busch.de/index.php?p=28&lang=e, https://clemens-busch.de/index.php?p=2&lang=d, https://clemens-busch.de/index.php?p=28&lang=d, https://clemens-busch.de/index.php?p=18&lang=d, https://clemens-busch.de/index.php?p=39&shop_id=V4PG3AAK0H/pyrf6y/69gQ==&user_id=V4PG3AAKnmkn9Ut6j8ed9A==&id_grp=. Secondary sources: VDP estate profile (https://www.vdp.de/de/die-winzer/mosel/clemens-busch, https://www.vdp.de/en/die-winzer/mosel/vdpestate-clemens-busch), Jancis Robinson (https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/refreshing-white-wine-whatever-weather, Samantha Cole-Johnson, 31 July 2026) and Weinland Mosel (https://www.weinland-mosel.de/de/aktuelles/show/entdeckung-des-jahres-von-der-mosel, 11 November 2019). Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.