Location and Terroir
The Georg Mosbacher winery is located in Forst in the Pfalz region in Germany. The vineyards are situated in Forst as well as in the neighbouring sites of Deidesheim and Wachenheim. The basalt ridge of the Haardt protects Forst in the west; as a result, warmth can collect largely uninterrupted.
The Forst estate includes flat areas near the town and slope vineyards on the forest edge at about 110 to 170 metres above sea level. The documented soils include Buntsandstein and sand-stone weathering, basalt, limestone rubble, loamy sand as well as mixtures of sand and loam. The basalt is described as volcanic material from the Pechsteinkopf located above Forst.
Viticulture and Grape Varieties
According to its own statements, the winery consistently works using organic methods and harvests the grapes selectively by hand. Grapes and berries are sorted and selected according to site and parcel. According to the regional Pfalz tourism organisation, the grapes have been produced since 2012 in accordance with guidelines for organic viticulture.
Riesling accounts for 80 percent of the plantings. Other documented grape varieties are Spätburgunder, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder and Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc has been grown since 1997.
Wines and Ageing
The winery aims for precise, finely-fruited wines that express the site and origin. The range includes dry Rieslings, wines in the categories VDP.GUTSWEIN, VDP.ORTSWEIN, VDP.ERSTE LAGE and VDP.GROSSE LAGE, as well as fruit-sweet wines, rosé and red wines, sparkling wine (Sekt) and alcohol-free wines. The documented VDP.GROSSE LAGE vineyards include Pechstein, Ungeheuer, Freundstück, Jesuitengarten, Langenmorgen and Kieselberg.
The Rieslings from Pechstein and Ungeheuer are associated with a mineral character. The winery describes Pechstein wines as fine and long-lasting, and Ungeheuer wines as fruit-forward, mineral, rich and full-bodied. For selected vintages, spontaneous fermentation and different ageing methods are documented: Jesuitengarten Riesling GG matures in tonneau, Ungeheuer Riesling GG in stainless steel, large wooden barrels and concrete eggs, Pechstein Riesling GG in large wooden barrels. The Freundstück Pinot Noir is aged for 12 to 15 months in small wooden barrels.
History
The Mosbacher family has been involved in winegrowing in Forst for more than 200 years. Richard Mosbacher founded the current winery in 1921 together with his sisters and named it after their father Georg as the Georg Mosbacher heirs. Sabine Mosbacher-Düringer and Jürgen Düringer have run the business as the third generation since the 1990s.
