Clemens Busch, Nonnengarten Riesling Trocken, 2024
Clemens Busch, Nonnengarten Riesling Trocken, 2024
- White Still
- 75.0cl
- 11.5%
- Organic
- Biodynamic
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Riesling
Clemens Busch is one of the Mosel's most principled growers, farming the steep slate slopes above Pünderich with a rigour that borders on the obsessive — in the best possible sense.
The Nonnengarten is a single-vineyard site that delivers Riesling in its most mineral, nervy register: dry, precise, and utterly uncompromising. The 2024 vintage brought cool nights and a long, slow ripening season, which suits this style perfectly — all tension and focus, with the fruit playing a supporting role to the rock beneath it.
- ❖ ABV: 11.5%
Grapes
Riesling
Vintage report
The 2024 growing season in Mosel was not the easiest vintage to navigate. A wet spring and early summer brought persistent disease pressure, particularly mildew, which demanded rigorous canopy management and careful work in the vineyard. Those who stayed attentive were rewarded: a drier, warmer August and September allowed the Riesling to ripen slowly and steadily on the steep slate slopes, building the kind of natural acidity and phenolic precision the region does best. Yields were down in places, but concentration followed.
It is still early days for 2024, and the wines are only just beginning to find their shape in bottle. What we are seeing is a vintage of real freshness and tension — Rieslings with the spine to age but enough fruit definition to drink well now at Kabinett and Spätlese level. The Auslesen and higher Prädikate will want time; we would give those until 2030 at the very least. Think precise rather than showy, and you have the measure of the vintage.
Tasting Notes
AppearancePale gold with a greenish rim, crystal clear and luminous in the glass.
NoseCrushed slate and lemon pith lead the charge, with white peach and a faint smokiness that is entirely the vineyard's doing. There is a floral lift — dried meadow flowers rather than anything showy — that adds a breath of elegance without softening the wine's fundamental austerity.
PalateBone dry and tightly wound, with the kind of acidity that makes you sit up straighter. Stone fruit pushes through the mineral frame, but this is not a fruit-forward wine — it is about structure, salinity, and a linear intensity that stretches from entry to finish. The slate influence is palpable, almost tactile.
FinishLong, saline, and persistent, with a squeeze of lime pith right at the end that keeps you reaching for another sip.
Overall impressionAustere in the very best sense — this is a wine that earns its reputation by saying less and meaning more.
Food Pairings
Along the Mosel, a dry Riesling like this would traditionally find its way to the table alongside freshwater fish pulled straight from the river — pike-perch or trout, simply pan-fried in butter with herbs. The locals also lean into the region's love of Riesling with white asparagus in season, dressed with nothing more elaborate than hollandaise, where the wine's acidity does magnificent work. A plate of Moselle-style Saumagen — stuffed pork stomach with potatoes and spices, a dish Helmut Kohl made famous — might seem like an unlikely pairing, but the wine's grip and minerality cut through beautifully. For something lighter, good ripe Mosel cheese with a dark rye bread is all you really need.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at 10-12°C — cold enough to preserve freshness but not so cold that the mineral complexity closes up. No need to decant, though giving it 15-20 minutes in the glass before drinking does no harm at all, particularly if you're opening it young. A tall, narrow Riesling flute is the traditional choice, but a broader white Burgundy glass will open up the aromatic complexity if you'd rather explore the nose.
The Nonnengarten vineyard sits on precipitous blue and red Devonian slate above the village of Pünderich on the lower Mosel, a stretch that sees more sun than the famous middle Mosel bends but retains that characteristically cool, slate-driven intensity. The slate drains freely, stresses the vines beneficially, and retains daytime heat to push ripeness through cool nights — it also imparts that signature stony, almost smoky mineral edge that defines the wine's personality. Yields are naturally low on these near-vertical terraces, concentrating everything the site has to offer.
The wines of Pünderich fall under the Mosel appellation, Germany's most famous Riesling region, stretching along the river's dramatic bends from Koblenz to Trier. Mosel Riesling is defined by its combination of steep slate slopes, a continental climate moderated by the river, and a tradition of producing wines across the full spectrum of sweetness — from bone-dry Trocken to the most luscious Trockenbeerenauslese. Trocken wines from the Mosel have gained serious ground in recent decades, challenging the old assumption that the region's racy acidity demands residual sugar to balance it. Producers like Busch have been central to making that case.
The 2024 growing season in Mosel was not the easiest vintage to navigate. A wet spring and early summer brought persistent disease pressure, particularly mildew, which demanded rigorous canopy management and careful work in the vineyard. Those who stayed attentive were rewarded: a drier, warmer August and September allowed the Riesling to ripen slowly and steadily on the steep slate slopes, building the kind of natural acidity and phenolic precision the region does best. Yields were down in places, but concentration followed.
It is still early days for 2024, and the wines are only just beginning to find their shape in bottle. What we are seeing is a vintage of real freshness and tension — Rieslings with the spine to age but enough fruit definition to drink well now at Kabinett and Spätlese level. The Auslesen and higher Prädikate will want time; we would give those until 2030 at the very least. Think precise rather than showy, and you have the measure of the vintage.
FAQs
What does this wine taste like?
Dry, stony, and precise — this is Mosel Riesling in its most serious, mineral-driven mode. Think crushed slate, white peach, lemon pith, and a saline finish that lingers. It is not a fruit-forward wine; the vineyard does the talking.
Is this wine sweet or dry?
Fully dry. Trocken on a German label means the wine has been fermented to dryness with minimal residual sugar. This is a world away from the off-dry or sweet Mosel Rieslings many people grew up with — it is lean, tense, and very food-friendly.
When should I drink this wine?
We would give it until 2027 before opening — it is currently a little tight and needs time to settle. From 2027 to 2035 it should be at its most expressive, with secondary complexity developing steadily. Well-stored bottles will hold until 2038 or beyond.
What food should I serve with it?
Fish is the obvious answer — simply cooked trout or pike-perch, or anything with a butter or cream sauce where the acidity can do its work. White asparagus with hollandaise is a classic regional pairing. It also handles aged goat's cheese and anything with a savoury, mineral quality rather than rich, heavy flavours.
How should I serve it?
Serve at 10-12°C. No need to decant, though giving it time to open in the glass is worthwhile if you are drinking it young. A tall Riesling flute or a broader white Burgundy glass both work well.
Is Clemens Busch worth seeking out?
Absolutely. Busch is one of the Mosel's most respected and least compromising growers, farming biodynamically with Demeter certification. Allocations are limited and demand is high — if you find a bottle, it is worth buying more than one.
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