June Wine Focus: Back to basics with the Mosel

[Robin Garr]

What's your favorite white wine? That would not be an easy choice for me, with so many varieties and styles to choose among, but Germany's Mosel valley is certainly a contender for the clarity, transparency and depth of its Rieslings. Not to mention some pretty fine Pinot Noirs, if you can find those rarities.

The Mosel region - formally labeled Mosel-Saar-Ruwer until the German regulators condensed it to just-plain Mosel in 2007 - has plenty to offer us. Let's hear your reports this month, along with your questions and comments about the region.

Nice, could not be a better topic for this month. We all will learn a lot from David and others I think.

[David M. Bueker]

And tomorrow's dinner is ham, which is great with Riesling!

[David M. Bueker]

2016 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Sonnenberg Riesling Spätlese trocken - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/1/2019)
When a wine hits just the right way it’s obvious. I had opened a few of these, and always liked them. Tonight’s bottle took it to a different level. It had the expected lime zest, tart apple and deep, salty minerality. It tasted like a Saar wine. Where it made the leap was on the palate, where the brightness was more than just acid, it was an integrated, and richer expression. There was depth allied to freshness. It had more layers of flavor, and that made it an engaging, rather than just satisfying, drink.

2016 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Sonnenberg Riesling Spätlese trocken - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/1/2019)
When a wine hits just the right way it’s obvious. I had opened a few of these, and always liked them. Tonight’s bottle took it to a different level. It had the expected lime zest, tart apple and deep, salty minerality. It tasted like a Saar wine. Where it made the leap was on the palate, where the brightness was more than just acid, it was an integrated, and richer expression. There was depth allied to freshness. It had more layers of flavor, and that made it an engaging, rather than just satisfying, drink.

Nice. Last week I had a bottle of the 2016 Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Spätlese Feinherb (#3), which I have also always liked in the past. Last week's bottle was delicious in the usual Falkenstein way but did not show the integrated depth, richness or layers that you found in your bottle. Seemed a bit inbetween the vibrant zesty youth and what may eventually become mellow maturity, so it remained 'just' satisfying. But, all things considered, that's still pretty good!

Hard to find Falkenstein in my area Rahsaan...but ready for this month!!

[David M. Bueker]

1999 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/2/2019)
From the first sip it is apparent that this wine is fully ready to drink, as the apple and lemon cream of youth has been joined by smoky, salty and pine tones. The texture is bordering on creamy, but stays livelier than that, with each element in balance. It’s singing a beautiful harmony, and is likely to stay that way for maybe 30 or 40 years.

David, was downtown today and some J J Prum 2017 going on to the shelves tomorrow!!

[David M. Bueker]

No doubt worth a taste or two!

No doubt worth a taste or two!

Or two? I think you mean or twelve

Love Prum...

[David M. Bueker]

You haven't seen the prices in Bob's neck of the woods.

2012 J J Prum Graacher Himmel Auslese $63
2012 " ''' '''' '''''' ''''''' '''''''''''' ''''''''' Spatlese $55
2017 " " " ' " Auslese $62
2017 ' ' ' ' ''''' Spatlese $53

2017 Dr Wagner Saar-Riesling Rausch GG $53


There is more on the shelf not priced yet.

TN: 2013 Schloss Lieser Riesling Kabinett, Mosel Saar Ruwer.

My only bottle, big Thomas Haag fan. SC, 8% alc, $40 Cdn, opened one hour. Jancis thought " 2013 was quite high in acid".

Deep lemon color, verging on a light gold. Aromatics flow on pouring..herbal, spice, brief hint of gasolein, "could be lime on the finish" from across the patio. I thought pear very much to the forefront.
Initial entry thought is some sweetness here, tropical fruits dominate but yes the acidity shows itself. Good length, mineral, pineapple, white stonefruits. Vibrant excellent length, lasted 3 days with no downturn. I usually prefer buying trocken style of late but cellar has many bottles like this.

[David M. Bueker]

2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/13/2019)
Monumentally good, this still has some primary fruit, and also a full dose of stony, smoky, salty aged character. There’s a touch of creaminess on the palate, but it’s primarily clear, crisp and completely delicious. The sweetness is perfectly balanced by the acid spine. No rush to drink up. Even at age 18 this wine has decades of life left.

Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett 2017
58 g residual sugar, 10g acid, 8% alcohol
In the nose we find woodruff and white Nashi pear. The palate again has Nashi pear, woodruff, lime and some slate spicyness. The wine is ripe, fresh and sappy. Also round, light and playful. It finishes with a medium length. Lovely to have sitting on a sunny balcony Saturday afternoon.

This was the last bottle of a mixed case of 2017 German Kabinetts. We will rebuy the Rausch and
Tim Schäfer Fröhlich Felseneck (Nahe) . The other (all excellent) competitors were in order of our liking
Schloss Lieser Gracher Himmelreich
Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr
Schloss Saarsteiner Riesling Kabinett (feinherb)
Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett (Rheingau)

[David M. Bueker]

Sounds delicious!

[Jenise]

Mentioned this in another tasting note, but since it qualifies I'll repeat it here. Opened this Thursday night:

2007 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese Mosel Saar Ruwer
Rich yellow color. Coconut notes dominate with ginger ale, tangerine and tangy mango. Drinking very well now, but has plenty of structure for further aging. A good match for the foie I served it with if rather a bit OTT for my tastes, and a treat for my guests who have never had a white wine of any kind with any real age on it and who only drink riesling with Thai food.

Another 2007 here.

2007 St. Urbans-Hof Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spätlese feinherb (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer)
This was an outstanding wine. I took it to a local Malaysian restaurant and it sang with the food. Very well integrated now, with excellent balance and mainly stonefruit flavours and a slightly off dry, long finish (A-/A).

2013 Immich-Anker Enkircher Zeppwingert Riesling Sekt brut nature - zero dosage


Had this a week and a half ago, but been busy and forgot Mosel was the focus of the month or I would have posted earlier.

I really love this wine, has a lot of the Riesling character I love, but with bubbles! More fruit forward than Champagne, some might say sweet, but it is dry, just very floral and fruity. Also is mineral driven like a true Champagne. Not as yeasty, but delicious. I prefer this to any entry level Champagne I've had.

[David M. Bueker]

Tasted through the Terry Theise portfolio yesterday, and there are some gems in the 2018 vintage. I thought some of the 2018 Selbach-Oster wines really hit the mark. Their halbtrocken and feinherb wines were all delicious. The Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Feinherb Alte Reben (say that five times fast!) blew me away. A couple of their regular Spatlesen (Graacher Domprobst, Zeltinger Schlossberg) also hit the top tier for me. Meulenhof also had some lovely 2018 wines as well, at bargain prices. Their Erdener Treppchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs was the best dry wine I had ever tasted from Meulenhof. And then to top it off there was the 2002 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese. It was amazing. It was completely ready to drink, but did not taste in any way "mature." Quite a feat! Vols showed a small sample of 2018 wines, and really impressed with two wines, a Wiltinger Kupp Riesling Kabinett and a Wiltinger Braunfels Riesling Spatlese.

Lots of other thoughts rolling around in my notebook and brain, but those were some of the quick Mosel highlights.

2011 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Kaseler Riesling Trocken.

I can usually find this low priced Mosel when stocking up for nice easy drinking whites for my camping trips. $22 Cdn, 12% alc, SC, AP# 65 12.

Nice pretty color, light gold green. Apples and spice on the nose, some nectarines and just a brief hint of petrol.
Has some sweetness, fair acidity and nice white stoned fruit too. "Some citrus, lotsa apple" from fellow campers. I found some peach as I drained the bottle..good enough for the evening by the fireside in the Rockies.

[David M. Bueker]

Anything that is “good enough for the evening by the fireside in the Rockies” is good enough for me.

Lovely image Bob. Thank you.

When I lived near Brussels, the Mosel valley was less than 2 and a half hours drive away and I visited it quite often. Memorable events included a gigantic Riesling tasting of bottles brought by those present at the Moselschild in Ürzig. It was attended by Riesling lovers from many countries, a lot of local growers as well as the likes of John Trombley and Yixin, both of whom used to post here. From that and several other visits, I acquired quite a number of bottles of Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese from well known growers as well as some Nahe from Dönnhoff. However, I found that I was drinking very few of them, not because I did not love them but because of pairing difficulties caused by their RS, which my TN below illustrates again. About 3 years ago, I decided to auction 150 languishing bottles, mostly with RS, including all except of a handful of the Germans, Sauternes and Loire chenins. Even those remaining handfuls have been declining very slowly in number.

Nowadays, the German market has swung over towards dry(ish) wines which I find much more food friendly. I used to think that MSR wines needed noticeable RS for balance but global warming could be changing that. I had some 2001 trockens from Heymann-Löwenstein, which were delicious, as was an Abtsberg Spätlese trocken 2008 from von Schubert.

Here is yesterday's bottle -

2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (6/22/2019)
Colour was light gold. Nose was very discreet at first but developed some fragrance and petrol touches on swirl with a cedar note I haven't met before in Mosel. Palate was medium bodied at most, its shape was quite round and its texture suave, sweetness was quite marked, acidity was only moderate and the finish was quite soft. It was not a good pairing for deliciously fresh dorade fish, better with goat cheeses and best on its own after the food was finished, when I began to appreciate its subtlety and elegance. I confess to some disappointment. I was expecting great things especially from 2001 where I have always found delicious acidity, minerality and backbone in the past. Just good.
Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

I find your note more than surprising, given that I know that wine very well, and know the specs. It’s quite high acid.

Christoffel has now been handed off to a new owner. Hans-Leo Christoffel sold the estate to Robert Emayel in the early ‘00s, and Emayel has since sold it on to new owners. It’s Christoffel in name only. I tasted the 2018s last week, and they were a massive letdown. No elegance, no complexity. They were just massively sweet, slick production pieces.