May 7, 2020
(OREGON CITY, Oregon) – Loosen Bros. USA, the U.S. import company owned by Ernst Loosen of Germany's Dr. Loosen estate, is thrilled to announce that the highly acclaimed Saar Valley winery, Weingut Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken, has joined its portfolio.
In an agreement reached earlier this year, but interrupted by the double crises of the tariff on EU wines and the coronavirus pandemic, Loosen Bros. USA is now the exclusive importer of Zilliken in the U.S.
ABOUT WEINGUT ZILLIKEN
Weingut Zilliken is one of the leading wine estates of Germany's diminutive Saar region, a tributary of the Mosel. Renowned for the steely precision of their Rieslings grown in the very cool climate and slate soils of the area, the Zilliken estate built its reputation with intense, yet delicate and nearly weightless Rieslings that “float like a butterfly.”
The estate is currently managed by Dorothee Zilliken, who is the 11th generation of a family that has been producing wine in the town of Saarburg since 1742. Dorothee has worked with her esteemed father, Hans-Joachim "Hanno" Zilliken, since 2007. She took on full responsibility in 2016, with the ongoing guidance of Hanno, and the indispensable assistance of her mother, Ruth, and husband, Philipp.
WINEMAKING APPROACH
The Zilliken family seeks to carefully preserve the potential that the wine carries within itself. Their greatest effort is in the vineyards, where meticulous attention to detail leads to optimal fruit for each style of wine. Their approach in the cellar is traditional and simple, with fermentation, clarification and maturation all happening naturally in old Fuder casks. “Our goal is to produce Rieslings with the highest level of finesse and lightness,” says Dorothee.
LONG-TIME FRIENDS MAKE A GREAT SAAR ADDITION TO THE PORTFOLIO
As with all of the producers in the Loosen Bros. USA portfolio, the Zillikens are long-time friends of Erni Loosen and Loosen Bros. USA president Kirk Wille.
“I first met the Zilliken family while on a Riesling pilgrimage in 1996,” says Wille. “I was immediately struck by their warmth and humanity, their strong bond with the vineyards, and their pride in the estate's deep, mythic cellar. It had long been a goal of ours to add a prominent Saar estate to our portfolio, so when the opportunity arose with the Zillikens, we didn't hesitate, in spite of all the challenges we are currently facing.”
ANOTHER GAULT MILLAU WINERY OF THE YEAR
Weingut Zilliken was named Germany's Winery of the Year 2017 in the Gault Millau Weinguide Deutschland. This puts them in good company with the other German producers in the portfolio, all of whom have also received this acclaim: Fritz Haag (1994), Maximin Grünhaus (1995), Robert Weil (1997), Dr. Loosen (2001) and Wittmann (2014). Each of these estates is also a member of the prestigious VDP winegrower's association.
For more information about Weingut Zilliken, see these resources:
Zilliken producer page on our website
Zilliken estate info Sheet
www.zilliken-vdp.de
CONTACT: Kirk Wille at kirk.wille@drloosen.com or 503-984-3041.
