Jus Naturae

Quick facts:

Location: The villages of Kinheim, Erden and Kröv in Middle Mosel Valley, Germany

Owner & winemaker: Florian Wecker

Vineyard area: 1.3 hectares of vines spread across ultra-steep slopes, some dating back to 1979

Vineyard management: In the process of organic certification (DE-Öko-039); mostly traditional Mosel single-pole sites that are deeply labor-intensive, given their steep slopes and the requirements of organic/regenerative farming

Soils: Grey and red slate soil, which provide hallmark minerality 

Main varieties: Riesling 

Winemaking: Hand-harvest only. The winery produces two lines — their “classic” wines, which are filtered and lightly sulphured before bottling, and the “Nudus” wines, which includes the three bottles we’re currently importing; these are crafted with nothing added and nothing removed, including SO2. In general, all of the wines are fermented spontaneously. Florian and his team work without oenological additives or fining agents, and use only old wooden barrels or stainless steel for aging the wines.

“My philosophy could be summarized by two attributes: 1. Minimal intervention and 2. Time,” says Florian. “My idea is that the wine is clearly showing its origin (each of my very unique old Riesling vineyards with its slate soils), the conditions of the vintage, the characteristics of my ancient cellar and the personality of its maker (myself). Riesling is a grape variety with high levels of acidity. One factor to integrate this is time — that’s one of the reasons why I give a lot of time to my wines before bottling (a minimum of two years — most of the time even more). During the time of aging many layers of complexity are added to the wine. Furthermore I want all microbiological processes in the wine to be finished, so the wine is stable and calm and can be bottled without any added sulfites.” 

Florian Wecker is a former lawyer turned natural winemaker whose passion and precision are the driving force behind some of the most striking Mosel Valley Rieslings we’ve ever tasted. Trained under Germany’s pioneering biodynamic winemakers, Rita and Rudolph Trossen (whose wines we also proudly import), Florian organically farms 1.3 hectares of steep, slate slopes spread across the picturesque Mosel Valley. 

After reviving an old, overgrown plot of Riesling in 2020, Florian founded Jus Naturae, marking an epic career shift. “It looked more like a jungle than a vineyard,” he says of the plot, which he found while working with Rita and Rudi. “Spontaneously we decided to buy this plot and bring it back in shape. Luckily we didn’t know before how tough it would be,” he jokes of the ultra-steep slopes and single-post vineyard, mapped out in tight, narrow rows.

The winery’s name is Latin for “natural law” — a reflection of Florian’s commitment to working in accordance with the natural environment and farming organically, while intervening minimally in both the vineyards and the cellar. It’s also a nod to the Romans, who first brought viticulture to the Mosel. 

Florian makes two distinct lines of wines: one more classic, which sees a touch of sulphur at bottling, and one called Nudus (meaning “naked” in German), crafted with nothing added and nothing removed, including SO2. These wines are “naked” in the sense that they’re unfined, unfiltered, pure expressions of the terroir — mineral, precise, and piercingly beautiful examples of what Mosel Riesling can be. We are delighted to be importing a trio of his Nudus wines, two of which are named for his two young daughters.

Born in Manhattan and raised in Düsseldorf from a young age, Florian worked in law offices in both New York and Germany for years before growing disillusioned with the practice and becoming a self-employed lawyer. At the time, his interest in wine began to flourish, and he found himself working with a client from the wine industry who ultimately hired Florian for help drafting contracts for wine estate deals.

“In this phase I realized how much I felt attracted by the work and life of winemakers,” Florian tells us. “After a summer of office work I wanted to work with my hands, so I applied for a harvest job at Alois Lageder, a biodynamic winery in Northern Italy.” Motivated by his harvest experience in 2016, Florian returned for a six-month internship in the vineyards and the cellar, which in turn prompted him to pursue a Masters in Viticulture and Oenology in Montpellier, Bordeaux, and Lisbon. He gained practical experience at wineries in Portugal’s Douro Valley and Mendoza, Argentina before returning to Germany. Back home, he was deeply inspired while working under Rita and Rudolph Trossen, who first converted to biodynamics in 1978 and helped pave the way for the natural wine movement in Germany. 

“I learned with Rudi a completely different philosophy,” he tells us, explaining that his Masters program had focused on classical winemaking. “I continued learning about biodynamics, about minimal intervention, about trust in the wines and the microorganisms making the magical transformation from grape juice to wine, the impact of terroir and many other things. Before this time with Rudi I was a little bit skeptical with regards to natural wines, because I had tasted a lot of very funky — often faulty — natural wines in the South of France. With Rudi I tasted for the first time natural wines which were brilliant, precise, vibrant, alive. So I was getting more and more curious and finally decided that I also wanted to go this path with my own wines,” he says. 
 
With Rudi’s encouragement, in May 2020 Florian bought a large abandoned plot of steep slope Riesling vines next to the Trossen’s Madonna and Lay vineyard, and began the arduous process of restoring the old vines. At the time, he and his ex lived with the Trossens, and their friendship grew close. “Whenever I had questions about my vineyards or about processes in my cellar, Rudi supported me with his knowledge and experience. But of course I didn’t want to copy his way of winemaking,” says Florian. “So my philosophy is a mix of all the experiences I collected during my time in university, my internships and my observations. It is great to have a mentor, but it is crucial to develop your own style and philosophy,” he explains. 

Much like the Trossens, Florian works primarily with Riesling — although he lets his age for at least two years in bottle, for the most part. He is passionate about the grape’s provenance in the valley, eagerly buying new plots of old Riesling vines whenever possible. His three vineyard sites are remarkably steep and labor intensive to work, with slate soils that charge the wines with their hallmark minerality. The plots are spread across the villages of Kinheim, Erden and Kröv; all three are in the process of getting their organic certification.  

 

 

Wines: 

 

Pet Nat Jo

Winemaker’s note: “This Pét Nat is made from 100% high-quality steep slope Riesling grapes. The result is a very fresh, dry and lively natural sparkling wine. Due to the moderate amount of yeast in the bottle, the wine is quite clear. The bubbles and pleasant acidity make this wine a versatile pleasure: it can be served as an aperitif, it can be served with food or it can simply be enjoyed on its own in the sun.”

This wine is named for Florian’s eldest daughter Joséphine, who is nicknamed Jo. 

Grapes: Riesling

2023:

Vineyard: Kröver Steffensberg (gray Devonian slate; steep slopes) and the prestigious Erdener Treppchen.

Making of: Grapes are harvested by hand and begin spontaneous fermentation before being bottled in 2024 with 10g of residual sugar left for secondary fermentation in the bottle. Closed with a crown cap. Disgorged. 

2022: 

Vineyard: Kröver Steffensberg. Grey Devonian slate. Steep slope with good water supply to the old vines. Part of the vineyard is equipped with a wire frame system, while the other part is planted using the classic Mosel single-pole system. 

Making of: Grapes are harvested by hand and begin spontaneous fermentation before being bottled in February 2023 (4 months after harvest) with 10g of residual sugar left for secondary fermentation in the bottle. Closed with a crown cap to capture the bubbles in the bottle. Undisgorged. A splash of sediment at the bottom lends a nice texture and hint of brioche to the wine. 

Personality:  “2023 a little bit richer and riper than the previous vintage, making the wine more fruity and less acidic.” Fresh and vibrant!

 

Nudus Steffen

Winemaker’s note: “As it is not allowed to mention the name of the vineyard under German wine laws when you make natural wines, I decided to give at least a hint to the origin of the wine and called it Nudus Steffen. Nudus is Latin for ‘naked,’ so it is the naked Steffen(sberg), and shows how this vineyard tastes if you don’t apply the additives and fining agents used in industrial winemaking.”

Grapes: Riesling

Vineyard: Kröver Steffensberg, an old Riseling vineyard

Making of (2022): Grapes are direct pressed and sedimented for a day before being transferred to a stainless steel tank for spontaneous fermentation. The wine spends 1 year on the full lees, then is transferred to 500l used French oak tonneau for another 1.5 years of aging on fine lees until bottling. 

Making of (previous vintage): Grapes were harvested by hand and directly pressed, very gently. After a day of settling, the juice was racked to an old Mosel Fuder (1000 liter neutral barrel) where spontaneous fermentation took place. The wine then aged for 2.5 years on the lees, and was bottled directly from the barrel without any additives.

Personality: “Fresh, lively natural wine that is easily accessible even for people who have no experience with low intervention wines. Subtle notes of baked apple, citrus, fine herbs and wet stone on the nose. Bone dry on the palate with a creamy mouthfeel, medium acidity and mineral salinity. Balanced and with a complexity that continues to unfold with oxygen.

“Compared to the previous vintage, 2022 is more precise, has gentle aromas from the aging in oak plus a silky texture from the aging on lees.”

 

Nudus Juliette 

This cuvée was named for the winemaker’s youngest daughter Juliette, who was born just before bottling in May 2024. 

Winemaker’s note: “This wine was born in the very challenging vintage of 2021. Usually my approach is to do the vinification of each vineyard separately, because each of my vineyards has a very unique terroir and hence creates very unique and special wines. In 2021 it was basically raining nonstop throughout the summer, and downy mildew was all over the place; I lost 90% of my harvest. There were not enough grapes from each vineyard to make single vineyard wines as I usually do. So the idea was born to create a new label and make a wine which is a cuvée of all my vineyards.”

Grapes: Riesling

Vineyard: Blend of grapes from Kröver Steffenberg, Kinheimer Hubertuslay, and the prestigious Erdener Treppchen vineyards. Kinheimer Hubertuslay was the first plot that Florian bought, an overgrown and steep slope with vines planted in 1979. Grey slate soils. The vineyard is protected by the neighboring Rosenberg, which forms a kind of natural amphitheatre. 

Making of (2023): Grapes are harvested by hand and direct pressed, then racked to stainless steel where spontaneous fermentation takes place on indigenous yeast. After 1.5 years, the wine is blended with 30% of a Riesling from the same vintage made in a 60-year-old, 1000l Mosel Fuder (neutral wood). Bottled after a total of two years, unfined/unfiltered with no added SO2. 

Personality (2023): Lower acidity than the 2021 release, this vintage drinks more easily. 

Making of (2021): Grapes are harvested by hand and directly pressed, then racked to stainless steel where spontaneous fermentation takes place on indigenous yeast. Aged on the full lees for 2.5 years. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no added SO2. 

Personality (2021): The wine perfectly showcases the cold rainy vintage. The aromas are green rather than very ripe, with wafts of green apple, citrus, and grass. The acidity is high but softened by malolactic fermentation and lees aging.