Lesom Tal Riesling 2022

Lesom Weine is the project of Jessika Reis and Philipp Musevi, a couple who left their office careers in 2018 to pursue winemaking in the Mosel. Based in Traben-Trarbach, they represent a new generation of German producers committed to natural viticulture and the preservation of the region's steep-slope vineyards.

The couple studied winemaking at Geisenheim, Germany's renowned viticultural university, and gained practical experience working alongside Rudolf Trossen, a pioneering figure in Mosel natural wine. Their first commercial harvest came in 2021, marking the beginning of what has quickly become a respected presence in the natural wine world.

Lesom manages approximately 1.3 hectares of vineyards spread across 20 kilometers of the Mosel Valley. Holdings include old vines in Briedel that Jessika inherited from her grandparents, alongside parcels in Traben-Trarbach, Burg, Pünderich, and Zell. Many of these vines are 60 to 80 years old, planted on steep slate slopes that require entirely manual cultivation.

The philosophy at Lesom centers on minimal intervention. All vineyard work is done by hand—the extreme gradients make machinery impossible—and the couple farms organically, with plans to obtain official EU certification by 2025. In the cellar, wines ferment spontaneously with native yeasts. Nothing is added, and wines are bottled unfiltered with less than 10 mg/L total sulfites.

The name "Lesom" reflects their approach: wines made by nature with human guidance rather than manipulation. Their portfolio includes several Riesling expressions—Tal (valley), Berg (mountain), Fluss (river)—each named to evoke the landscape that shapes these wines. Sparkling offerings like Strömung (current) and Lesomnia showcase their versatility with the ancestral method.

Discover other Lesom wines and explore our best-selling natural wines for more producers revitalizing traditional winemaking with a natural approach.

The Mosel Valley ranks among Germany's most celebrated wine regions, renowned worldwide for Riesling of unparalleled elegance and mineral complexity. The river winds through a dramatic landscape of steep, slate-covered slopes that plunge toward the water at gradients often exceeding 60 degrees—among the steepest vineyard sites in the world.

This challenging terrain demands entirely manual labor. Mechanization is impossible on the precipitous hillsides, making viticulture here physically demanding and economically challenging. Many vineyards have been abandoned over recent decades as successive generations choose easier livelihoods, creating a crisis in the region's viticultural heritage.

The Mosel's unique terroir derives from its Devonian slate soils—blue, grey, and red variations that absorb heat during the day and release it at night, helping grapes ripen in this cool northern climate. The river itself acts as a temperature moderator, reflecting sunlight onto south-facing slopes and protecting vines from extreme cold.

Villages like Traben-Trarbach, Briedel, Pünderich, Burg, and Zell—where Lesom sources its grapes—lie in the Middle Mosel, a stretch particularly prized for producing wines of tension and finesse. The combination of slate minerality, cool climate, and Riesling's natural affinity for these conditions yields wines with electric acidity, low alcohol, and extraordinary aging potential.

While the Mosel is traditionally associated with prestigious estates producing refined Prädikatswein, a new generation of natural winemakers is revitalizing abandoned sites and exploring minimal-intervention approaches. These producers honor traditional methods like Fuder barrel fermentation while embracing organic farming and zero-additive winemaking.

Explore our Mosel wine collection and discover more natural white wines. For other mineral-driven Rieslings, browse our German natural wine selection.