Domaine L & R Kox Riesling 2021 [1L]

Press 4 Mix/White • May 2025 Direct Press Selection

Luxembourg is the hot new spot for wines these days, and it seems like everyone I know is planning a trip there...just kidding. But Luxembourg does have a few notable features, including the highest GDP per capita in the world, as well as the highest alcohol consumption per capita. Though the more famous part of the Mosel River valley for wine is just over the German border, the Mosel in Luxembourg is still a great place to make wine. And, because of that GDP stat, winemakers in Luxembourg receive a lot of government funding, especially when working towards organic and sustainable farming. The government also insures winemakers for up to 60% of loss to frost and hail. There are few wine regions in the world as progressive and supportive of their growers. However, given the other stat about the per capita wine consumption, it's not surprising that most Luxembourgish wines never leave the tiny Grand Duchy.

Luckily the wines of the Kox family are coming in through Steven Graf, a small NY-based importer who happened to study abroad in Luxembourg — as did I, coincidentally. Corinne Kox is in charge of her family's 10 hectare estate that has been around since 1909, but has only been making wine since 1977. Corinne is deeply curious, and with a PhD in microbiology she is constantly trying new things and analyzing the results of her experiments with natural winemaking.

Their liter bottling of Riesling comes from clay and limestone soils near Remich, a town on the Mosel across the border from Germany's Pfalz region. The wine is dry, crispy and invigorating, with fine texture and a zappy, edgy acidity. Sulfur is on the low side, especially for this area of the world, at less than 30ppm total. This all makes it a wine for all seasons and purposes, one that I want cold and ready at all times. It will be especially good to have around as we approach asparagus season. Jonathan Kemp