Clemens Busch

Weingut Clemens Busch has been documented since 1802 and sits in the village of Pünderich, right at the boundary between the Middle Mosel and the wilder, more remote northern section known as the Terrassenmosel. The estate building, dating from 1663, stands directly on the banks of the Mosel with a view across to the Marienburg hillside. Clemens, the fifth winemaker of his name in succession, began working in his father's 2-hectare estate in 1975 and took over with wife Rita in 1984. He stopped using herbicides as early as 1976, converted to organic viticulture in 1984, and co-founded an association of organic growers in 1986, making the estate one of Germany's earliest committed organic producers. Son Johannes joined the estate in 2013 and assumed formal leadership in 2022.

• Estate first documented in 1802; the family's historic manor house, built in 1663, stands on the banks of the Mosel in Pünderich
• Clemens is the fifth generation winemaker; he began in 1975, took over with Rita in 1984, and herbicide use was already abandoned in 1976
• Son Johannes Busch assumed leadership in 2022; youngest son Florian launched his own biodynamic estate with partner Paola Ponsich in 2018
• VDP member since 2007; also a member of Respekt-Biodyn and La Renaissance des Appellations

Clemens Busch converted to organic viticulture in 1984, among the first in Germany to do so, and transitioned to full biodynamic farming in 2005. The estate holds certification from Respekt-Biodyn and farms according to principles including lunar-cycle aligned pruning and treatments with biodynamic herbal preparations. Vines are cultivated entirely by hand on extreme steep slopes, with no mechanical harvesting possible given the terrain. All wines are fermented spontaneously using indigenous yeasts, with no temperature control. Wines mature in old 1,000-liter Fuder barrels, the youngest of which is over 50 years old and came from Rita's father's cooperage, for a minimum of 10 months on full lees and often up to 24 months for reserve selections. Sulfur is added only at bottling, and in minimal quantities.

• Organic since 1984, biodynamic since 2005; Respekt-Biodyn certified; herbal teas and preparations used to strengthen vineyard biodiversity
• Spontaneous fermentation in old 1,000-liter Fuder oak casks; youngest barrel is over 50 years old, many made by Rita's father
• Lees aging minimum 10 months; reserve wines may remain in barrel up to 24 months; sulfur added only at bottling
• All vineyard work done by hand; no mechanization possible on steep terraced slopes

The Pündericher Marienburg is a 25-hectare coherent hillside of volcanic origin, facing south to southeast directly across the river from the village. The estate farms roughly 11 of the hill's 17 planted hectares. Its geology is unique: a volcanic cliff formation hundreds of millions of years old, expressing three distinct slate colors across different parcels. Blue slate dominates Fahrlay, where vines up to 100 years old and mostly ungrafted grow on the darkest, densest, most heat-retaining rock. Grey slate characterizes Falkenlay, producing creamy, fruit-driven wines. Red slate defines the Rothenpfad, a rare geological vein that also surfaces in Ürzig's Würzgarten and Erden's Prälat. Felsterrasse holds 70-plus-year-old vines on light grey slate with bands of iron; Raffes is a tiny selection of ancient ungrafted vines from the best terrace of the Falkenlay. The 1971 German wine law consolidated the original 23-hectare site into a 90-hectare political designation including flat land across the river. Clemens has devoted his career to restoring the historical parcel names on his labels, distinguishing each bottling further with a capsule color matching the dominant slate type.

• Pündericher Marienburg: 25-hectare volcanic hillside, south-southeast facing; the 1971 wine law expanded it bureaucratically to 90 hectares, erasing parcel identities Clemens has worked to restore
• Fahrlay (blue slate, vines up to 100 years old), Falkenlay (grey slate, creamy and fruit-driven), Rothenpfad (rare red slate, spicy character) are the three Grosses Gewächs sites
• Felsterrasse has 70-plus-year-old vines on light grey slate with iron; Raffes is an ultra-concentrated selection from ancient ungrafted Falkenlay vines
• Capsule color indicates slate type (blue, grey, red); this system was introduced from the 1986 vintage onwards

The range is built around three slate-color entry wines (vom roten Schiefer, vom grauen Schiefer, vom blauen Schiefer), which offer approachable introductions to each terroir type, often from younger vines or declassified fruit. The Grosses Gewächs tier comprises dry Rieslings from Fahrlay, Falkenlay, and Rothenpfad, all VDP Grosse Lage. The estate's most rarefied wines, Felsterrasse and Raffes, are bottled in tiny quantities and require years to show their full character. The estate also produces Kabinett and Spätlese wines from the Marienburg, as well as occasional Auslese and Beerenauslese in exceptional vintages. Typical dry Rieslings show 11 to 12.5 percent alcohol, crystalline acidity, and pronounced saline minerality on the palate. The 2019 Marienburg Raffes Grosses Gewächs received 98 points from The Wine Advocate.

• Range built from slate-color village wines (vom roten, grauen, blauen Schiefer) up through Grosses Gewächs from Fahrlay, Falkenlay, and Rothenpfad
• Felsterrasse and Raffes are the estate's rarest and most age-worthy releases; Clemens has identified the Felsterrasse as his personal favorite parcel
• Dry Rieslings at 11 to 12.5% alcohol; Kabinett at approximately 7.5% with lively natural sweetness and bracing acidity
• 2019 Marienburg Raffes Grosses Gewächs received 98 points from The Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt)

Clemens Busch is a foundational case study in understanding how producer philosophy and biodynamic farming can transform terroir expression and regional perception. The estate directly challenges the outdated stereotype of Mosel Riesling as inherently light and sweet, demonstrating that the region's steep slate slopes can produce dry wines of exceptional concentration, minerality, and aging potential. His decades-long project of restoring historic sub-parcel identities within the bureaucratically consolidated Marienburg illustrates broader tensions in German wine law between legal designations and genuine terroir expression. For WSET and CMS candidates, the estate illustrates spontaneous fermentation, extended lees contact, minimal-sulfur winemaking, and VDP classification in a real-world context.

• Pioneer of organic viticulture (1984) and biodynamics (2005) in Germany, influencing the wider Mosel quality revival of the 1980s and 1990s
• Demonstrates age-worthy dry Riesling production in a region historically associated with off-dry and sweet styles
• Illustrates tensions between the 1971 German wine law's consolidated Grosslage designations and authentic sub-parcel terroir expression
• VDP member since 2007; wines classified as VDP.Ortswein, VDP.Grosse Lage, and VDP.Grosses Gewächs across the range

Clemens Busch wines have a dedicated following among serious Riesling collectors, with the Grosses Gewächs and Grosse Lage wines showing remarkable aging potential. The slate-color entry wines offer an accessible introduction to the estate's philosophy at relatively modest prices. The GG wines from Fahrlay, Falkenlay, and Rothenpfad are regularly available through specialist retailers and are the primary focus of collectors. Felsterrasse and Raffes are produced in very small quantities and typically allocated through importer networks. Annual production of approximately 120,000 bottles ensures ongoing but limited availability. The estate's US importer is Louis/Dressner; Dee Vine Wines is the exclusive California importer.

• Approximately 120,000 bottles produced annually; GG and Grosse Lage wines in smaller quantities and often allocated
• Dry Rieslings benefit from 5 to 15-plus years of cellaring; Felsterrasse and Raffes particularly suited to extended aging
• US importation through Louis/Dressner nationally and Dee Vine Wines exclusively in California
• Sweet wines, including Auslese and Beerenauslese from exceptional vintages, rank among the finest on the Mosel