Why it matters
The producer
The Fuchs family has owned the estate since 1624. Ulrich Fuchs took over from his father Bruno in 2015, continuing the work from Pommern on the Mosel. The estate grows only white grape varieties, so Riesling is not one choice among reds and whites here: it is the grape most clearly connected to the dry wines now documented under the Leo Fuchs name.
This is a long family estate with a recent change of hands. Ownership has remained with the Fuchs family since 1624, while Ulrich has led the winery since succeeding Bruno in 2015. The continuity matters because the dry Riesling line did not appear overnight: Wein.plus records a Riesling trocken Vom grauen Schiefer from the 2001 vintage, linking today’s bottle to a name that has been in the estate’s range for more than two decades.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Pommern and neighbouring Klotten sit in the Terrassenmosel, a stretch of the Mosel known for steep, terraced vineyards. Leo Fuchs farms on the river’s longest south-facing slope, a position that gives Riesling access to long exposure while it ripens. The result is a natural setting for dry wines that can carry fruit without losing the brisk line expected from Mosel Riesling.
The estate names Pommerner Zeisel, Goldberg, Sonnenuhr and Rosenberg, along with Klottener Burg Coraidelstein, among its vineyard sites. In the steepest places, it has established terraces that run across the slope. That physical work makes the hillside cultivable and keeps individual vineyard names attached to the estate’s white-wine territory rather than reducing the range to a generic Mosel label.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Young and old vines grow side by side in the Leo Fuchs vineyards. The estate describes continuous soil and vine care, environmentally considerate plant protection, and cultivation the regional association characterises as conscious and sustainable. On steep Mosel ground, those choices keep the work focused on the vines themselves, with the eventual fruit carrying the burden of flavour in a dry Riesling.
In the cellar, the wines are not fined. Together with the estate’s focus on white varieties, that leaves the wine’s central questions straightforward: how Riesling fruit, Mosel slope and the slate-marked dry style meet on the palate. No oak or fermentation recipe needs to dominate the description when the documented bottle character is fruit, mineral spice and a dry finish.
Wines to know
The range in view
The documented range is entirely white, with Riesling at its centre. The named vineyards give the estate a set of distinct Mosel addresses, while Vom Grauen Schiefer is the long-running dry Riesling name that connects historical and current releases. A 2001 Riesling trocken under that name is recorded, and the line continues with recent vintages.
For the 2023 Vom Grauen Schiefer Trocken, the essentials are firm: it is 100% Riesling from Mosel and carries 7.7 g/L residual sugar. Its dry designation and yellow-fruit, mineral-spicy profile show a Riesling built around fruit, acidity and slate character rather than sweetness. The vineyard names broaden the estate’s setting; Vom Grauen Schiefer supplies the most clearly documented taste of that setting.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Leo Fuchs Vom Grauen Schiefer Trocken 2023. It is a Mosel Riesling made entirely from Riesling grapes, with a dry designation and 7.7 g/L residual sugar. Exotic and yellow fruit lead into mineral spice and a powerful, racy finish, so the bottle gives both immediate fruit and the firm acidity that keeps Mosel Riesling moving.