In This Newsletter:
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Sale
“Should we all buy more Merkelbach? Yes, of course!” – Mosel Fine Wines
Stock Up & Save On:
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Sale
“Should we all buy more Merkelbach? Yes, of course!” – Mosel Fine Wines
Stock Up & Save On:
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach
Want to experience the old-school style of Mosel Riesling? Let’s back up a sec: What IS an old-school style of Mosel Riesling? Before the heat waves of the past few decades became just your average summer swelter, before bone-dry Riesling became the preferred style in Germany and beyond, before the go big or go home points-chasing of high-ripeness/-alcohol/-extract/-everything became the norm, there was: delicacy.
A light touch in the vineyard and a hands-off approach in the cellar let the vintages, cooler as they were, speak for themselves. Wines leaned light in body and alcohol, and sugar, for that matter. What is now a modern Kabinett would have once been bottled as a Spätlese.
Few producers remain that capture that ethereal quality. Selbach-Oster is likely the most famous, but the truly timeless are the wines of the Merkelbach brothers. For nearly seventy years, Alfred and Rolf Merkelbach worked their vines and crafted now-unique wines with monastic-like dedication and simplicity.
With no descendants to hand off the estate to, they quietly continued their work following decades of experience, practice and dedication to traditional methods of winemaking. The brothers live simply, love what they do and don’t seem to find any joy in excess, just pure satisfaction in doing what is exactly right. They are of the dying breed in the Mosel, producing wines of a different era from vines planted decades ago.
In 2018, they announced their retirement. They handed off the estate and its holdings to the capable hands of the Selbach family. It was no secret that the brothers planned to retire. It’s one of the many reasons that we feel a painful tugging at the heart when we mention their wines to our readers, though with gladness (and perhaps relief), we can say that the Selbach family continues to capture their style in these soulful wines.
The tiny estate boasts mostly ancient (and sometimes ungrafted) vines grown on steep terraces along the Mosel River in Urzig and in Kinheim. When most of the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyards were replanted during the re-alignment of the vineyards, Merkelbach’s vines remained on original rootstock. Today, the vines average around 50 years of age, spring chickens next to the brothers themselves.
The resulting wines are some of the most haunting expressions of the Mosel. They have a charm and an energy that’s unlike almost any other wine we’ve tasted. In fact, their closest comparison might not be in the Mosel at all, but rather with Jacky Truchot’s wines in Burgundy—another producer who managed to create unbearably delicate, ethereal wines that bottles sunshine and joy.
Enjoy the wines now, enjoy them years from now; these wines could well outlast us all.
Check out our quick explanation of the numbering system at the bottom of this newsletter!
A light touch in the vineyard and a hands-off approach in the cellar let the vintages, cooler as they were, speak for themselves. Wines leaned light in body and alcohol, and sugar, for that matter. What is now a modern Kabinett would have once been bottled as a Spätlese.
Few producers remain that capture that ethereal quality. Selbach-Oster is likely the most famous, but the truly timeless are the wines of the Merkelbach brothers. For nearly seventy years, Alfred and Rolf Merkelbach worked their vines and crafted now-unique wines with monastic-like dedication and simplicity.
With no descendants to hand off the estate to, they quietly continued their work following decades of experience, practice and dedication to traditional methods of winemaking. The brothers live simply, love what they do and don’t seem to find any joy in excess, just pure satisfaction in doing what is exactly right. They are of the dying breed in the Mosel, producing wines of a different era from vines planted decades ago.
In 2018, they announced their retirement. They handed off the estate and its holdings to the capable hands of the Selbach family. It was no secret that the brothers planned to retire. It’s one of the many reasons that we feel a painful tugging at the heart when we mention their wines to our readers, though with gladness (and perhaps relief), we can say that the Selbach family continues to capture their style in these soulful wines.
The tiny estate boasts mostly ancient (and sometimes ungrafted) vines grown on steep terraces along the Mosel River in Urzig and in Kinheim. When most of the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyards were replanted during the re-alignment of the vineyards, Merkelbach’s vines remained on original rootstock. Today, the vines average around 50 years of age, spring chickens next to the brothers themselves.
The resulting wines are some of the most haunting expressions of the Mosel. They have a charm and an energy that’s unlike almost any other wine we’ve tasted. In fact, their closest comparison might not be in the Mosel at all, but rather with Jacky Truchot’s wines in Burgundy—another producer who managed to create unbearably delicate, ethereal wines that bottles sunshine and joy.
Enjoy the wines now, enjoy them years from now; these wines could well outlast us all.
Check out our quick explanation of the numbering system at the bottom of this newsletter!
5% off any 3-5 in-stock bottles of Merkelbach
10% off any 6+ or more in-stock bottles of Merkelbach
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Monday, October 20th at 9 am Pacific.
10% off any 6+ or more in-stock bottles of Merkelbach
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Monday, October 20th at 9 am Pacific.
We offer sixteen in-stock Merkelbach options on sale now, including:
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Estate Riesling Trocken 2023 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 30 bottles in stock now
“The 2023er Riesling Trocken comes from fruit picked in the west-facing and higher parcel Zeltinger Himmelreich. It offers a superbly refined, elegant, and finely aromatic nose of whipped almond cream, vineyard peach, minty herbs, smoke, white flowers, and anise. The wine proves super light and airy on the finely juicy and delicately creamy palate. These creamy elements give way to a broader yet also more focused side. This very charming and attractive dry Riesling. 2025-2033.” -Mosel Fine Wines
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $31.90, that’s $30.31 at 5% off and $28.71 at 10% off, 17 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 93 points “An elegant and finely-nuanced Mosel Kabinett with a wide spectrum of aromas that range from mandarin orange to pomegranate and wild strawberry. In spite of the juiciness on the front and mid-palate this is delicate and has a tantalizing spiciness at the long finish. Drink or hold.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spätlese #3 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $31.90, that’s $30.31 at 5% off and $28.71 at 10% off, 31 bottles in stock now
John Gilman-A View From the Cellar 92+ points “The 2018 Rosenberg Spätlese AP #3 from the Merkelbachs is a touch more mineral in personality and has just a bit more mid-palate stuffing than the AP #2 version, but without sacrificing any of the classic filigree of this Prädikat level. It is also the more reserved of the two bottlings in its youthful phase, offering up scents of apple, pear, a beautiful base of slate, incipient notes of bee pollen, violets and iris blossoms. On the palate the wine is pure, medium-full and quite solid at the core, with lovely mineral undertow, zesty acids and fine focus and grip on the long and nascently complex finish. This is the Rosenberg Spätlese from 2018 that is going to demand a bit of bottle age before it starts to blossom, so the AP #2 is by far the better selection for those who are predisposed to want to drink their Merkelbach Spätlese on the early side. But, this wine will age superbly. 2024-2055+. 92+.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $38, that’s $36.10 at 5% off and $34.20 at 10% off, 23 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 94 points “Here’s a succulent riesling Spatlese with tons of wild strawberry and nectarine. And beneath this rather extrovert exterior is a serious structure and excellent mineral freshness. At the long finish this side of the wine becomes ever stronger. It would be easy to underestimate the aging potential of this wine due to the generous upfront fruit. Drink or hold.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #9 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 23 bottles in stock now
John Gilman-A View From the Cellar 93+ points “The 2018 Auslese AP #9 from the Würzgarten vineyard is another tour de force from the Merkelbachs. It offers up a magical aromatic constellation of pear, white grape, strawberries, a lovely foundation of red slate and a potpourri of floral tones redolent of violets, lilacs and orange blossoms. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and gently glazed, with very clean botrytis, a lovely core, bright acids and a long, complex and still quite youthful finish. This is a touch more botrytized and powerful in personality than the AP #10 version, and it will need a bit more time to really start to express itself, but it should be outstanding in due course. 2028-2065. 93+. “
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #8 2019 750ml Displayed Price: $36, that’s $34.20 at 5% off and $32.40 at 10% off, 16 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2019er Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese AP 08 was harvested in the sector next to the Sonnenuhr. It offers a hugely attractive nose of vineyard peach, whipped almond cream, minty herbs, spices, William’s pear, and candied grapefruit. The wine is still on the sweet side on the palate, but its refined fruity and creamy side are superbly appealing. Add to this a great zest and a sense of purity side in the long and animating finish, and you have all the elements for a great playful Auslese in a decade and more. 2029-2059.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese Urglück 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 36 bottles in stock now
John Gilman-A View From the Cellar 94 points “The Urglück section of the Würzgarten is the Merkelbachs’ filet section, still planted with ungrafted old vines. The 2018 Urglück Auslese from Weingut Merkelbach is an utterly refined and effortless example of the vintage. The bouquet is the epitome of elegance, wafting from the glass in a blend of pear, apple, strawberry chiffon, bee pollen, lovely minerality, lime blossoms and hints of the honeycomb to come with bottle age. On the palate the wine is pure, bright and fullish, with lovely filigree and focus, a fine core, good mineral undertow and a long, nascently complex and simply superb finish. This is not flashy, but the one more pays attention to it, the further one is drawn into its bottomless sense of beauty. 2026-2065. 94.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese Urglück 2023 750ml Displayed Price: $49, that’s $46.55 at 5% off and $44.10 at 10% off, 19 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 94+ points “The 2023er Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese Urglück was made from clean grapes. It directly captivates one’s attention with refined and finely aromatic notes of tangerine, candied grapefruit, acacia, jasmine, violet, thyme, strawberry, and candied orange peel. The wine coats the palate with creamy and juicy fruity elements and almond paste and leaves a very precise and herbal feel of spices in the long and delineated finish. The residual sugar still needs to integrate, yet the finesse and precision are already showing the potential of this refined Auslese. 2033-2063.”
Numbering Guide:
The Merkelbachs vinified each parcel separately, each fuder representing a different parcel. Because of their tiny cellar, their pradikät wines are composed of either one or two parcels, indicated by their AP number. We’ve included the AP number in the wines’ descriptions. This is the second to last set of numbers in a German pradikät wine’s entire, unique official registration number.
Don’t miss our additional sales going on now:
Dönnhoff
5% off any 3-5 in-stock bottles of Dönnhoff
10% off any 6+ or more in-stock bottles of Dönnhoff
Emrich-Schönleber
5% off any 3-5 in-stock bottles of Emrich-Schönleber
10% off any 6+ or more in-stock bottles of Emrich-Schönleber
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Dönnhoff sale ends Saturday, October 18th at 9 am Pacific. Emrich-Schönleber sale ends Sunday, October 19th at 9 am Pacific.