“Should we all buy more Merkelbach? Yes, of course!” –Mosel Fine Wines
 

5% off any 6-11 bottles of in-stock Merkelbach wines
10% off any 12+ bottles of in-stock Merkelbach wines
Offer Ends Friday, December 22nd @ 10 AM
 
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We adore the wines of Weingut Alfred Merkelbach, irrationally and perhaps more than any other grower in the Mosel. They set the curve for the term “old-school,” having made their wines in similar style for almost 70 years. These wines capture the delicacy and etherealness of Riesling like few other wines we’ve tried. Terry Theise, when importing the wines for Skurnik, described their wines as “like VAPING Mosel Riesling.”
 
The estate is owned by two brothers, Alfred and Rolf. 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, if the prices and Terry Theise’s stories are to be believed. They are of the dying breed in the Mosel, producing wines of a different era from vines planted decades ago.
 
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.
 
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. That announcement came with the 2018 vintage, the last they produced on their own.
 
As longtime lovers of these profound wines, we stocked up as much as we could in recent releases despite how bittersweet it felt to do so. We knew our readers would want to stash away some of these tremendous last vintages. For those who wish to stock up, now is the best opportunity to do so on our three-day sale. To those looking to try these wines for the first time – we doubt this will be your last and encourage you to take your first sip this very night.
 
Enjoy the wines now, enjoy them years from now; these wines could well outlast us all.
 
By-The-Vintage Guide:
 
2017 is a bit of an unusual year for the estate, as the natural levity and playfulness is tempered by the seriousness of the vintage. The result, though, is some of the most remarkable wines the brothers made since their breathtaking 2012’s. 
 
The 2018 vintage was a warm and generous year for Riesling. While some estates along the Mosel were left with out-of-control ripeness, to quote Mosel Fine Wines, “67 vintages of experience helped the mythical pair of brothers to navigate the vintage and to produce riper but still beautifully playful and engaging wines at all levels of the portfolio.” These are gorgeous wines that will age for decades as a lasting tribute to the final vintage the brothers produced on their own.
 
The 2019 vintage was to first in which Johannes Selbach of Selbach-Oster and his team assisted with vineyard maintenance, harvest, and vinification. Fans of the producer fear not, Johannes has kept the heart and soul of the brothers’ style.
 
Note: 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. 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 official code and is usually found in small print on the back label.
 
Highlights In Stock Now from Merkelbach:
 
Kinheimer Rosenberg
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spatlese #1 2017 750ml Was $28, Now $24 special, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 27 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 91 points “Very ripe Bartlett pear garlanded in honeysuckle features both on the nose and in the mouth. The midpalate combines delicacy and animation – appropriate to the inner-mouth florality and fruit juiciness on display – with creaminess and glossiness of texture. A squeeze of lime adds to the liveliness of a subtly sweet, buoyant, stone-lined and satisfyingly sustained finish. Water-color-like in its alliance of transparency with slight diffusion, this lovely Spätlese offers a delicate wash of flavors.”
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spatlese #2 2017 750ml Was $28, Now $24 special, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 29 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “The 2017er Kinheimer Rosenberg Spätlese AP 2 was harvested at 88° Oechsle. It exhibits beautifully complex and refined aromatics blending floral elements with vineyard peach, grapefruit and spices. The wine is slightly reductive at first on the palate as it displays quite some racy acidity wrapped into a straight and pure structure. Notes of grapefruit, orange zest and spices emerge in the finish and lead to a slightly herbal and freshly tart feel in the after-taste. This is packed with quite some elements and only needs a couple of years to fully shine. 2025-2037.”
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spatlese #2 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $31.90, that’s $30.31 at 5% off and $28.71 at 10% off, 25 bottles in stock now
John Gilman-A View from the Cellar 92 points “The 2018 AP #2 Spätlese from the Rosenberg vineyard has a beautiful touch of exotic fruit to its aromatic constellation, wafting from the glass in a very refined blend of kiwi, strawberry, lime zest, an almost salty expression of slate, apple blossoms and bee pollen. On the palate the wine is vibrant, complex, medium-full and filigreed, with a lovely dollop of fruit at the core, superb mineral drive and grip, zesty acids and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is such a classic example of middle Mosel Spätlese, with stunning interplay of slate minerality, pure, precise fruit and floral tones. Just lovely. 2020-2050+. 92.”
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Auslese #1 2018 750ml Was $33, Now $29 special, that’s $27.55 at 5% off and $26.10 at 10% off, 24 bottles in stock now
John Gilman-A View from the Cellar 93 points “The 2018 Rosenberg Auslese AP #1 from Alfred and Rolf Merkelbach is a beautiful wine in the making. The complex nose offers up a constellation of passion fruit, a hint of the yellow plum to come, incipient notes of honeycomb, salty minerality, violets, lavender and a gentle glaze of very clean botrytis. On the palate the wine is fullish, pure and nascently complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine mineral undertow, bright acids and lovely length and grip on perfectly balanced and very promising finish. I have the impression this was made from very lightly botrytized fruit. It will want some bottle age before it really starts to blossom, but it will be a lovely bottle when it start to get rolling! 2026-2065. 93.”
 
 
Ürziger Würzgarten:
 
“Vivid, toe-curling clarity of fruit and terroir make this my most beloved Mosel agency. These are just some of the keenest, spiciest, most helplessly beautiful wines you can ever drink… Merkelbach’s wines are like the world before anyone wrote poems about it.”” –Terry Theise
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett #13 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $28 special, that’s $26.60 at 5% off and $25.20 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 91 points “The 2018er Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett was harvested from old un-grafted vines at 90° Oechsle in the part of the vineyard situated above the cellar of the Merkelbachs, just behind the village, and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (50 g/l). It offers a hugely aromatic nose of white peach, apricot, floral elements and spices. The wine is beautifully balanced on the palate and leaves a long and refined feel of herbs in the finish. 2028-2048.”
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach ‘Urglück’ Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $29 special, that’s $27.55 at 5% off and $26.10 at 10% off, 10 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “The 2017er Ürziger Würzgarten Spätlese “Urglück” was harvested at a whopping 96° Oechsle, i.e. well into Auslese category. It delivers a captivating and elegant nose of flowers, minty herbs and candied grapefruit. These are joined by riper scents of whipped cream and vineyard peach as the wine gains from airing in the glass. This delightful Auslese in all but name shows quite some creamy and ripe fruits on the palate yet remains at all time very delicate and refined. A touch of exotic fruits and honey make for a smooth and juicy feel in the long finish. A hint of zest comes through in the after-taste. This is a gorgeous Auslese-style wine in the making! 2027-2047.”
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese #7 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $33 special, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 24 bottles in stock now
John Gilman-A View from the Cellar 93+ points “The AP #7 Würzgarten Spätlese from the Merkelbachs is also utterly classical in personality, but with more spice tones on both the nose and palate and an almost crystalline expression of the vintage that is utterly captivating. The superb bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of lime, strawberries, kaleidoscopic slate minerality, bee pollen, a whisper of petrol, citrus zest and a topnote of fruit blossoms. On the palate the wine is vibrant, medium-full and slightly broader shouldered than the AP #5 version, with a great core of fruit, marvelous mineral drive and grip, zesty acids and a long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. This too is a marvelous interpretation of the Würzgarten, with perhaps a touch more depth than the AP #5, but not quite as filigreed in profile at the present time. Maybe- just maybe, this will ultimately nose out the AP #5 Spätlese with extended bottle age, but both wines are going to age beautifully and it is really hard to pick a favorite among them. They are differently style, quintessential expressions of Würzgarten Spätlese. 2023-2055+. 93+.”
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #7 2017 750ml Displayed Price: $33 special, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 30 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “The 2017er Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese was harvested at 97° Oechsle. It displays a superbly aromatic, ripe and fruity nose of yellow peach, pineapple, honey, anise and smoke. The wine coats the rather intense palate with juicy yellow and honeyed fruits pepped up by a nice whiff of acidity. The finish is delicately smooth and long. This gorgeous “Auslese GK” in all but name only needs a decade to blossom. 2027-2047.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “A light, zesty style, with jellied lemon, yellow apple and crème brûlée notes. Very refreshing and mouthwatering, featuring a lithe profile that makes this easy to drink now. Rose water and mineral aromas echo on the finish. Drink now through 2035.—A.Z”

Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #10 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39 special, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 20 bottles in stock now
John Gilman-A View from the Cellar 94 points “The AP #10 Auslese from the Würzgarten from the Merkelbach brothers is a flat out gorgeous young wine. The bouquet is pure, refined and expressive, offering up scents of pear, strawberry chiffon, bee pollen, a nice touch of slate, spring flowers and lime blossoms. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish, bouncy and complex, with superb focus and grip, lovely filigree, just a touch of botrytis and a long, complex and utterly suave, vibrant finish. This is stunning young Auslese. 2025-2065+.”
 
“The Merkelbach brothers’ 2018ers are really lovely wines, ripe, loaded with delicately styled fruit tones and firmly anchored in their underlying slate minerality. This is a beautifully old-fashioned vintage for the Merkelbachs, as the pent up energy from the frosts of 2017 allowed for a nice big crop here, which allowed for plenty of quantity and a very transparent and delicate style that very much harkens back to the style of wines made on the middle Mosel during the first half of the 1980s (and which were the wines I cut my teeth on)… The entire range of the brothers’ 2018ers have good, sound acids and wide open personalities and most will drink beautifully right out of the blocks, though they will have no trouble aging gracefully for several decades.” –John Gilman, A View from the Cellar
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach ‘Urglück’ Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39 special, 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.”
 
Weingut Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #8 2019 750ml Displayed Price: $36 special, that’s $34.20 at 5% off and $32.40 at 10% off, 19 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.”
 

5% off any 6-11 bottles of in-stock Merkelbach wines
10% off any 12+ bottles of in-stock Merkelbach wines
Offer Ends Friday, December 22nd @ 10 AM
 
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See the complete list of in-stock & on sale wines below:

Merkelbach Rieslings                                                        DISPLAYED PRICE    AVAILABLE   REVIEW   LINK

Shop the complete collection of Merkelbach wines on our sale now (that’s 21 options!) here and browse our impressive selection of 467 different in-stock German Rieslings on our webstore, including selections from Markus Molitor, JB Becker, and Selbach-Oster!


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 In This Newsletter:


Max Ferd. Richter Sale,
New Vintage of Emrich-Schonleber Landing Friday &
Bonus Emrich-Schonleber Sale

Max Out Your Savings on

Max Ferd. Richter Wines

We’re slashing our already rock-bottom prices

on all in-stock wines from this uber-classical estate!

The first thing that jumps out about Max Ferd. Richter wines is the incredible real estate the winery holds. This is an ancient estate, dating back over 300 years and now under the helm of 10th-generation winemaker Constantin Richter. Vineyard management is focused on maximizing quality. Harvest is completely by hand with multiple, meticulous passes through the vineyard to ensure only the finest grapes are harvested. As an example, botrytized grapes are hand-selected at the single berry level.

The Middle Mosel is where all the historic glory of German Riesling rests. Based on their holdings and the quality of their wines, Richter deserves to be a name on par with JJ Prum, Fritz Haag, Willi Schaefer, etc. but poor distribution has prevented them from reaching the level of fame that they deserve (which, frankly, is great for pricing).  

The stars of show are the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr wines. Here, the soil is heavy in iron, imparting a darker sense to its minerality. In 2018, the wines seemed to show the most balance and knocked the socks off quite a few reviewers. Stephan Reinhardt from the Wine Advocate wrote of the Spatlese that its “piquant finesse and mineral tension [evoked] that of the Scharzhofberger and the Euchariusberg,” noting too that he “can hardly imagine any better Spätlese from 2018.” If that’s not enough for you, don’t sleep on the more decadent Wehlener Sonnenhur wines, including the dry Uralte Reben GG, aged in traditional fuder and crafted from vines over 125 years old, and the Kabinett, which we suggest as pairings with fresh fruit or cream pies.

In 2018, the Richters leaned in to what Mother Nature provided in the moderately warm and dry vintage. The results are utterly delicious now, but with sugar and acid levels that will do well in the cellar. To quote Mosel Fine Wines’ take on these 2018s, the wines are simply amped up versions of their classic style. These wines show “a touch more ripeness and roundness than usual, but also with the playful side that has made the success of their Estate over the years… All in all, Max Ferd. Richter took the vintage and produced utterly enjoyable and playful wines. One could nearly say: As usual.”

These are gloriously complex wines, built for the cellar and affordable enough to buy in quantity, especially on our three-day sale.  

“I like the 2018 wines as they are quite charming. They combine the ripe zest of 2012 with the roundness of 2011.” – Constantin Richter, as quoted by Mosel Fine Wines

5% off any 6-11 bottles of in-stock Max Ferd. Richter wines
10% off any 12+ bottles of in-stock Max Ferd. Richter wines
Offer Ends Friday, December 15th @ 10 AM
 
Discount Will Not Display Online or In Your Cart
We will adjust your invoice before processing your card
Browse below and shop online or in store

In Stock and On Sale Now from Max Ferd. Richter:

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Uralte Reben Grosses Gewachs, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% and $35.10 at 10%, 36+ bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 91+ points “The 2018er Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trocken Uralte Reben GG was made in traditional Fuder cask from over 100 year-old un-grafted vines in the Brück part of the vineyard. It offers an intense nose made of grapefruit bitter, anise, herbs and some white flowers. The wine develops a rather intense but quite structured feel of lemon zest, camphor, herbs and fine spices on the palate. The finish is quite powerful and hugely tart. 2021-2028.”

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $36, that’s $34.20 at 5% and $32.40 at 10%, 25 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “I love the discreet mirabelle, spice and angelica notes of this finely chiseled dry Mosel riesling that has plenty of depth and structure, but doesn’t yet announce it loudly. Needs some time to open up, but the classic elegance is already very clear. Drinkable now, but better from 2022.”

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% and $21.60 at 10%, 11 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 93+ points “The 2018 Kabinett Trocken from the Himmelreich was produced from a parcel of vines that are eighty to ninety years of age, situated right up at the top of the slope. This is outstanding in 2018 and very delicately-styled and filigreed, with the wine topping out at eleven percent octane this year. This had not yet been bottled and was really lovely on both on the nose and palate, with the bouquet wafting from the glass in a mix of apple, lemon, superb minerality, a dollop of wild yeasts and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, medium-bodied and beautifully mineral, with fine intensity of flavor, bright acids, excellent focus and superb cu Constantin Richter has been full-time back at the family estate since the 2012 vintage, and previous to this he did a few stages and cut and grip on the long and complex finish. This is first class juice! 2022-2060.”

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% and $21.60 at 10%, 36+ bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The 2018 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett is deep but bright and refined on the flinty nose that offers perfectly ripe Riesling and crunchy slate aromas with a warm iron touch. On the palate, this is a lush, refined, salty-piquant, even racy Riesling with generous fruit and a very long, salty-piquant and crystalline finish. This is a highly complex Riesling in the most delicate expression. It’s one of the wines you just have to buy—there won’t be any regrets, not today or in 30 years. Since this Brauneberger has slightly more sulfur compared to the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, which still hasn’t been filtered and was tasted from the lees, I will retaste the wines early next year, as I am convinced a Mosel Riesling needs two winters to unmask itself. Tasted in March 2019.”

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90, that’s $20.81 at 5% and $19.71 at 10%, 18 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 92-94 points “The 2018 Elisenberger Riesling Kabinett is dense, cool, very precise and flinty-mineral on the nose, which is still reductive but exciting. Coming from a coolish side valley that was picked at roughly 84° to 85° Oechsle at the end of September, this is a gorgeously lush and mouth-filling Riesling with the mineral piquancy of quartzite soils. There is no aggressive acidity here, there is nice tartaric acidity that makes this a seductive Kabinett you can’t resist. This is a fabulous, very long and enchanting Riesling. The wine has slightly more than 50 grams of residual sugar and comes in at 8.5% alcohol. It was scheduled to be bottled a couple of days after I tasted it from the cask at the end of March 2019.”

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% and $21.60 at 10%, 23 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93-95 points “Mostly from very old vines (80 to 90 years old) and vinified partly (one-third) in stainless steel, the 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett offers a fine, flinty, super sensual, mind-blowing bouquet of perfectly ripe but coolish, precise and even quartzite-like aromas. On the palate, the wine is wide, pure, elegant and energetic—a powerhouse but in the most delicious and delicate way. The palate is complex, opening wide but always precise and very, very long, with great mineral grip and tension but also lush and sensual features. This is a great Mosel Riesling indeed. Tasted from the cask in March 2019.”

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $33, that’s $31.35 at 5% and $29.70 at 10%, 15 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95-96 points “From 30- to 40-year-old vines, the 2018 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese is flinty, precise and reductive on the coolish nose, with discreet and fine (but lush!) pineapple aromas and very fine notes of crushed, smooth slate. On the palate, this is a clear, fresh, lush, highly finessed, piquant and salty Riesling with very tannins and lingering salinity and piquancy. This is a fabulous Spätlese with piquant finesse and mineral tension that seems to be familiar with that of the Scharzhofberger and the Euchariusberg. I can hardly imagine any better Spätlese from 2018. Tasted from the cask in March 2019.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2018er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese was made from clean grapes harvested at a full 95° Oechsle, and was fermented down to sweet levels of residual sugar (90 g/l). It offers a gorgeous and delicately exotic nose made of pineapple, coconut, herbs and smoke on the nose. The wine develops great focus on the gorgeously creamy and zesty palate. It leaves one with the creaminess of an Auslese and the raciness of a Spätlese in the remarkably multi-layered yet playful finish. 2028-2048.”

Already reduced on our close-out sale, now even lower!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% and $21.60 at 10%, 29 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “Sourced from old vines, the 2018 Elisenberger Riesling Spätlese was harvested in the third week of October as the very last “regular” wine (so 3.5 weeks after the Kabinett). It is based on completely healthy fruit and was vinified entirely in traditional fuders. Offering a deep and flinty bouquet, this is a lush, elegant, highly refined and stimulating Spätlese with a salty-piquant finish. Tasted from the cask in March 2019.”

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $33, that’s $31.35 at 5% and $29.70 at 10%, 34 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “From the two oldest plots (80-90 years old and 120 years old), the fuder-fermented 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese offers great precision and aromas of tropical fruit intertwined with very fine slate on the nose. On the palate, the wine is mouth-filling and salty-piquant, with mango and slate flavors on the racy finish. This is dangerous stuff, very dangerous, yet it’s also tight and tensioned. This is, for the moment, the finest and most stimulating Wehlener Sonnenuhr. Dangerous. Really dangerous. Tasted in March 2019.”

Already reduced on our close-out sale, now even lower!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% and $35.10 at 10%, 34 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96-97 points “The 2018 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is very fine, concentrated and beautifully clear, with blossom honey and very fine berry aromas on the nose. (The 20% to 25% of botrytis is very clear and precise, almost imperceptible.) Lush and piquant on the palate, this is a generous but highly digestible Auslese with orange, raisin and (pink) grapefruit flavors. The finish is incredibly racy-piquant, salty and highly digestible. This is still a baby, but it is highly promising. Tasted from cask in March 2019.”

Already reduced on our close-out sale, now even lower!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ***, Mosel 2018 375ml Displayed Price: $49, that’s $46.55 at 5% and $44.10 at 10%, 36+ half-bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 97+ points “The first three-starred Auslese since 2005 (prior to that, it was 1993, 1983 and 1975), the 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese *** was picked at about 145° Oechsle. This is incredibly clear, pure, fine and fresh on the lush, concentrated, herbal and grapefruit-scented nose. On the palate, this is a generously lush, refined and salty-piquant Auslese with a tight mineral structure and lingering salinity. This is highly refined and extremely stimulating. It already drinks all too well today, but Constantin recommends cellaring it for at least 10 years. Tasted in March 2019.”
Mosel Fine Wines 95 points “The 2018er Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese *** Fass 138 is a botrytis selection harvested at 138° Oechsle on old vines in the prime Sandpichter sector, and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar. It offers a gorgeous nose of date, pineapple, almond cream, raisin and smoky spices. The wine is beautifully creamy and yet zesty on the palate and leaves a gorgeous feel of ripe fruits and creamy almond in the long and suave finish. While intense, this noble-sweet Auslese retains an immensely satisfying playful side. 2033-2068.”

Shop our complete collection of 472 German Rieslings on our webstore now!

First Offer!

Extremely Limited Stock of Emrich-Schonleber’s 2022s

Arriving Friday, Plus

Featured In-Stock Wines On Our Close-Out Sale

“[Emrich-Schonleber’s] Grand Cru GGs are simply among the greatest dry Rieslings made in Germany, period” – Stephan Bitterolf, Vom Boden

Despite the fame and renown of the estate inside Germany, Emrich-Schonleber flies under the radar in the USA. These are spectacular wines—every bit the equal of Dönnhoff, their main competition in the Nahe. This is the producer that inspired Stephan Bitterolf to open Vom Boden, the mostly-German wine importer best known for bringing Keller to the States.

Yet, much like the wines of Max Ferd. Richter featured above, these just don’t see wide distribution in the USA. Although our friends at Vom Boden picked up the estate in the 2021 vintage, these are typically available in minuscule quantities.

Father and son team Werner and Frank Schönleber work with awe-inspiring sites, the most prominent being Halenberg and Frühlingsplätzchen. Both are unusually steep for the Nahe—they have slopes of up to 70%. Halenberg is as you’d dream for the Nahe—a mixture of blue slate (like in the Mosel) and quartz. Frühlingsplätzchen (gesundheit! – pronounced “Froooh-lings-PLATS-shen”) is a pebbly vineyard with volcanic and red loam soils. Per Bitterolf, this is THE dry Riesling, the wine that started sparked his journey to share some of the greatest German wines with America: “I just love the soaring aromatics, the sharpness of the wine, the linear lightness and delicacy, on special show with the vintage 2022.”

The Schönlebers are best known for their top-end GG’s, but don’t sleep on the Pradikat wines, as well (or the rare TBA). Though only available in painfully tiny quantities in some vintages, such as our 2022 offer featured below, we stock up whenever we can. You can browse our impressive selection of wines from the 2018, 2020, and 2021 vintages in-stock now below or on our webstore now.

“Frank Schönleber, who took over his parental estate in 2005, is the third generation of his family to farm vineyards in Monzingen after his grandfather started to focus on wine only and his father Werner recultivated historic sites… The wines are bone dry, yet a light touch marks them. There is much elegance and subtle savouriness here.” -Anne Krebiehl MW, writing for Vinous in 2023

Arriving Friday, December 15th:

“…the “1er Cru” Niederberg bottling is the only single-vineyard bottling of this site, and one of those wines I think we’ll hear more and more about.” -Vom Boden importer notes
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Niederberg Erste Lage Riesling Trocken, Nahe 2022 750ml $59 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 95 points “Complex nose of bergamot, lime zest and mint. Diamond bright and laser beam straight. Only medium-bodied, but compact with stacks of wet stone minerality and salty complexity. Super-mineral finish. Delicious already, but excellent potential. Drink or hold.”
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 91-93 points “The 2022 Riesling Monzinger Niederberg Erste Lage is from the parcels above the Halenberg and its eastern extension. It comes with a herbal savoriness on the nose. The palate has a creamier aspect, and a lovely serenity tingles with lemon and lemon pith. The palate is slender and continues with both lemon and herbal notes that are reminiscent of yarrow. The finish holds a note of petrichor. (Bone-dry)”

“The Frühlingsplätzchen has veins of red slate and always seems more expansive, diffuse, lighter and finessed. It is a wine with a stunning florality and vivid aromatics; it is more expressive in youth.” -Vom Boden importer notes
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Nahe 2022 750ml $79 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Nahe 2022 1.5L $189 pre-arrival special, only 1 magnum available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 points “One of the stars of the vintage in the Nahe! Cool and uplifting with a wealth of fresh and dried herbs and the whole spectrum of citrus. Powerful and compact on the palate which has breathtaking herbal and mineral intensity. Expands and expands at the super-long finish. Excellent aging potential, but you can drink it from release.”
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 93-95 points “The 2022 Riesling Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Grosses Gewächs opens with a sunny, friendly creaminess, and a slight overtone of mango sets an accent. The palate is serene, bright, absolutely focused on lemon and a little lemony pith, but with a luminous, slender creaminess. The textural aspect holds spice, which is not apparent yet but will reveal itself. It also gives structure to this light, bright, filigree wine. Subtle length extends that lovely, gentle pithiness. (Bone-dry)”

“The upper part of the Nahe, where the three grand vineyards of Emrich-Schönleber are, is a world of slate, both blue-gray and red. The Halenberg… is largely the former, with blue-gray slate that shapes a wine of rigor, density and power. This is perhaps the more mineral, more ageworthy of the two Grand Crus.” -Vom Boden importer notes
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Nahe 2022 750ml $89 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Nahe 2022 1.5L $199 pre-arrival special, only 1 magnum available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 95 points “Very attractive nose of peach and spice with just a touch of exotic fruits. Rich and ripe with a touch of mid-palate creaminess as it rolls gently over you, the power very understated. Delicate slatey minerality at the long silky finish. Drink from release.”
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 93-95 points “The 2022 Riesling Monzinger Halenberg Grosses Gewächs comes with a timid nose. A subtle tropical top note and a serene aroma of iced mint appear teasingly, captivating in its shimmering and subtle aromatic spectrum. The palate has this cool aspect, too. Freshness is buffered by a gentle yeasty creaminess that verges into a soft white citrus pith. The 2022 is smooth, slender, elegant, beautifully textured and vivid. The finish is incisive and elegant, with lasting lemon length. (Bone-dry).”

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Niederberg Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2022 750ml $41.90 pre-arrival special, only 3 bottles available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 93 points “Brimming with spring blossom aromas plus a touch of flint. This may be a light-bodied wine, but it also has very good structure and stacks of wet stone character at the long, crisp and crystalline finish. Drink or hold.”
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 92 points “The 2022 Riesling Monzinger Niederberg Kabinett is the second vintage of this wine, whose fruit used to be the main component of Monzinger Kabinett. Niederberg is the name for the parcels above Halenberg and on the hillside behind Halenberg, which benefit from warm airflows but are a week later in vegetation. This extra week helps with flavor development and allows for an early harvest. The nose is still reductive, but the palate is of candied lemon intensity, pervasive and bright, with edges of lusciousness on the sweet and invigoratingly tart palate. The finish is lip-smacking and zesty with Amalfi lemon.”

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2022 750ml $47.50 pre-arrival special, only 3 bottles available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 97 points “Bursting with wild berry and herb aromas with a touch of basil and some floral notes this amazing Spatlese has an Alpine freshness! Only medium-bodied, but very concentrated and structured. On the mid-palate this is really compact, but the finish is uplifting thanks to the super-racy and minerally acidity that drives it relentlessly forward. Great aging potential! Drink or hold.”
Anne Krebiehl MW-Vinous 94 points “The 2022 Riesling Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Spätlese is made without any botrytis. It was whole-bunch pressed with different press fractions fermented separately to maintain absolute tone. A touch of reduction is followed by candied Amalfi lemon peel inflected with gentle lemon balm notions. The palate is slender, beautifully tart, almost fizzing with lemon freshness. There is serenity, immense charm and exquisite lightness here. A cooling, like mint, note seems to rest on all the intense lemon flavors. Exquisitely balanced, wonderfully tart and lemony, the 2022 is only just sweet. Lemon brightness and ripeness echo long. Lovely.”


Looking to stock up on this beloved producer?

We offer 28 different wines in stock now (that’s 423 bottles!),

including these gems on our Close-Out Sale:

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Lenz Riesling, Nahe 2020 750ml Was $28, Now $21.90 special, 30 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 93 points “Such a joyful and delicious dry riesling with a tidal wave of stone and citrus fruit, as well as berry and herbal notes. Long, succulent finish that says “drink me!”. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 92 points “From red soils but not only from the Frühlingsplätzchen, the 2020 Riesling Lenz is very clear, precise and floral on the refreshing pure and flinty/stony nose. Filigreed and juicy on the palate, this is a stimulating piquant and seriously mineral dry Riesling with terroir character. The juicy fruit is very delicate and will gain even more charm with bottle age. Just 11.5% alcohol with a serious degree of complexity. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”

“The young-vine, vineyard-specific bottlings called “Halgans” (Halenberg) and “Frühtau” (Frühlingsplätzchen) offer a very concise articulation of these amazing vineyards.” -Vom Boden importer notes
Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Fruhtau Riesling Trocken, Nahe 2020 750ml Was $41.90, Now $33 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “Very racy and mineral, this has so much wild berry fruit, leaping and bounding across the palate. So much lime and herbal freshness at the finish. Drink or hold.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2020 Monzingen Riesling trocken Frühtau comes from younger vines in the Frühlingsplätzchen and opens with a clear, fine and reductive bouquet with coolish stony and herbal notes. Crystalline and very elegant on the palate, this is a tight, straight and still challenging, very mineral dry Riesling that will benefit from longer bottle aging. The finish is long and enormously salty. A wine to keep. 12.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2018 750ml Was $28, Now $21.90 special, 14 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 90 points “This wine’s 10% alcohol is a tip-off not just to its modest level of residual sugar but also to the extreme ripeness of the 2018 vintage, which, as Schönleber acknowledged, represented a challenge to the Kabinett genre. It was picked in the last days of September. It manages in fact to display more than enough delicacy and refreshment to justify its labeling. Lightly poached white peach mingles alluringly with lemon cream on both the nose and the polished palate. Lime and grapefruit add juiciness to a sustained finish that manages to sooth and stimulate, not to mention refresh.”
John Gilman 90 points “The 2018 Monzinger Kabinett is very tasty, but this is a slightly larger-framed Kabinett this year, as it is 9.5 percent alcohol and carries around forty grams of sugar. The bouquet is very, very pretty, offering up scents of lime, bee pollen, salty minerality, white flowers and a touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is medium-full, complex and nicely mineral in personality, with a lovely tug between pure fruit and good acidity. The finish is long, balanced and shows fine complexity and grip. Good juice, if not quite as delicate as some examples this year. 2019-2045.”

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2018 750ml Was $41.90, Now $33 special, 18 bottles in stock now
David Schildknecht-Vinous 93 points “Lightly poached pear and white peach gain a welcome bit of brightness from fresh lime, so that an effusively ripe and soothingly creamy Riesling still delivers animation and refreshment. At the same time, there is a sense of lift and delicacy here that goes beyond what was exhibited by this year’s Kabinett, and which perfectly fits the floral perfume that wafts through this wine’s entire performance. A bittersweet hint of cassis and subtle piquancy of fruit pit add counterpoint to the complexly layered, bell-clear finish. The grapes for this came in during the first days of October. Picking under the right conditions for Spätlese was just as challenging this year as picking for Kabinett, opined Schönleber, who admitted to having simply “missed the window” for doing so in the Frühlingsplätzchen. “More and more,” he said, noting the irony, “Spätlese is going to signify anything but ‘late-harvest.’””

Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Nahe 2018 375ml Was $299, Now $249 special, 21 half-bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 98+ points “The 2018 Halenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is incredibly pure and aromatic on the nose where super ripe but clear peach aromas are displayed. Extremely rich and refined on the palate, this is a ripe, terribly sweet but refined, fresh and salty-piquant TBA with a stimulating finish. A fabulous wine. Tasted in July 2019.”
David Schildknecht-Vinous 97 points “Peach jam and orange marmalade are prominent in the bittersweet, cooked-fruit but zesty personality of this super-concentrate from a mere hundred liters’ worth of tightly shriveled berries gathered over an extended period and pressed with great difficulty. A white-bread-like aura of yeastiness serves as a noble aromatic expression of botrytis, while an influx of caramel further highlights the impression of botrytis ennoblement, complemented by a feel that is strikingly creamy as well as viscous. An aromatic evocation of sea breeze anticipates the mouthwatering salinity that, along with bright, juicy lemon and orange – testimony to the 13 grams of acidity that have, as it were, been held in reserve – informs this elixir’s superbly sustained finish. One’s mouth is left at once creamily coated and tingling as if from a lightning strike.”

Shop our incredible list of Emrich-Schonleber wines available now below or hop over to our webstore to place your order!

Emrich-Schonleber Rieslings                                                       VWS PRICE    AVAILABLE  REVIEW    LINK

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Thank you from the team at Vinopolis!
Be well & drink well.

 In This Newsletter:

Special Features
2022 Willi Schaefer offer,
2022 Dönnhoff wines arriving Friday &
Dönnhoff Wines on our Close-Out Sale

2022 Willi Schaefer Rieslings:
 
The Apex of Classic Mosel

The reviews are in, and the wines nearly so: the 2022 Willi Schaefer Rieslings combine concentration and elegance in an utterly beguiling package. The only regret you’ll have is not buying more as these leave you speechless for decades.
 
Christoph and Andrea Schaefer craft some of the most authentic wine in all of the Mosel. This husband and wife duo are known for wines that are approachable when young with beautiful fruit components. However, like all of the valley’s finest exports, they always impress with the ability to maintain vitality and finesse for 15+ years.
 
Never fearing the delicious balance that subtle sugar and bright acid can bring, these wines are an educational tour de force on German Riesling. The Himmelreich vineyard tends to bring wines with slightly spicier, red fruit notes, while the Domprobst leads with cool, minty green herbs and delicate freshness.
 
“… these are the Ne Plus Ultra of Mosel wine, and they have attracted an almost religious following. Thus my most frustrating agency, as there is never enough wine…” – Terry Theise
 
Willi Schaefer Rieslings Arriving Today:

 
“Almost endless finish”
Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2022 750ml $49 pre-arrival special, only 13 bottles available
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 98 points “The staggering nose of fresh pineapple invites you to a voyage to the tropics with their rich colors and lush vegetation. Then comes the no less amazing palate which is simultaneously extraordinary in concentration yet miraculously feather light. Great citrusy freshness, but it’s impossible to say which citrus fruit it is because it seems to flicker from Amalfi lemon to bergamot and then to pomelo, and on and on. Almost endless finish with the merest hint of unfermented grape sweetness. Drink or hold.”
Decanter 95 points “Balances perfectly the richness of the slate terroir with fresh, zesty fruit. Aromatics show slightly reduced notes of flint, pencil lead and streaks of graphite. The palate matches this intensity with flavours of crushed stone, graphite and spice, and a zesty hint of greengage. There is an overall ethereal character that gives it so much freshness and laser focus.”
Anne Kreblehl MW-Vinous 95 points “The 2022 Riesling Graacher Domprobst Kabinett #01 opens with an initial, enticing whiff of tart but fully ripe passion fruit and a clarity that speaks of whistle-clean fruit. The palate is sweet, clear, bright and vividly rich with rounded but precise fruit. Wonderfully clean, with a slightly richer fruit appeal, there’s utter juiciness and mid-weight on the palate. The finish tones this down with subtle zestiness, but the fruit remains full, rounded and sweet on the long finish.”
 
“makes us swoon” “the body is sensational, beguiling”
Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2022 750ml $47.50 pre-arrival special, only 7 bottles available
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 95 points “Wonderful nose of spring meadows and ferns with delicate stone fruit aromas filling out the complex and very detailed picture. Astonishing silky elegance and a freshness that defies easy description, but makes us swoon. And in spite of the incredible depth this is so transparent and refined right through the very long finish. Drink or hold.”
Decanter 94 points “Great elegance and focus. The aromatics of lime zest and pronounced notes of spiced pear intermingle with notes of freshly cut nectarine. The Himmelreich is all about fruit character for the Schaefer wines. The palate is a blend of cardamom, nectarine flesh and honeyed pear. Its fleshy, textured fruit balances intensity with what Christoph calls ‘a light impression.”
Anne Kreblehl MW-Vinous 94 points “The 2022 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett is a little subdued on the nose. The palate, however, is a tender veil of fruit: vivid citrus is expressed as tart lemon sorbet, gaining a slightly fuller sweetness and a hint of Mirabelle on the mid-palate. The lightness of the body is sensational, beguiling with lemony zestiness and brightness. This lightness is incredibly seductive.”
 
“The considerable power is so impeccably underplayed that you barely feel it.”
Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2022 750ml $59 pre-arrival special, only 6 bottles available
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 96 points “Lovely nose of white peach with just a whisker of caramel. Also a wealth of white flowers. Simultaneously succulent and super-elegant thanks to the thread of slatey minerality that runs through this sensual beauty. The considerable power is so impeccably underplayed that you barely feel it. Very long, pristine finish. Drink or hold.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96 points “Sourced in the same parcel as the legendary 1976 Auslese and picked rather early, the 2022 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese opens with a clear, precise and elegant nose of white fruits and flinty notes of coolish crushed slate. Intense and lush on the palate, this is mouth-filling and charming, very long and mineral/saline Spätlese that doesn’t show exceptionally high acidity but a ripe one that is completely interwoven with the mineral/phenolic structure. This is a hedonistically juicy but weightless and finessed, stimulating and saline Spätlese from the Himmelreich, which didn’t produce an Auslese in 2022. All the fully ripe and golden berries went into the Spätlese. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in May 2023.”
 
“Astonishing finesse and slatey intensity for a village wine.”
Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Riesling Feinherb, Mosel 2022 750ml $34.50 pre-arrival special, only 4 bottles available
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 95 points “The freshness of spring and the fruits of fall. Astonishing finesse and slatey intensity for a village wine. Sleek and silky on the barely medium-bodied palate. Super-long and graceful finish that takes your breath away. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
 
“a gorgeous dry Riesling from [the village of] Graach”
Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Riesling Trocken, Mosel 2022 750ml $34.50 pre-arrival special, only 12 bottles available
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “Sourced predominantly in the Himmelreich and racked from the lees until March due to a slow fermentation of the dry and feinherb wines, the 2022 Graacher Riesling trocken opens with a clear, deep and flinty, still nicely reductive bouquet of ripe, aromatic and juicy yellow stone fruits. Bottled in late April, this is a round and elegant, mouth-filling, juicy and well-balanced Graacher with savory acidity and a stimulating, saline and citric finish. This is a gorgeous dry Riesling from Graach that didn’t suffer any heatwaves like in 2018, 2019 or 2020, although it was an extraordinarily warm and dry vintage. 11.5% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure. Tasted in May 2023. Drink: 2023-2040. “
Stuart Pigott-James Suckling 93 points “Lovely nose of lemon blossom and lemon curd. Lovely balance of restrained creaminess and bright acidity with intense wet stone minerality. Long light-footed finish with excellent balance. Drink or hold.”
 
Browse our complete list of Willi Schaefer wines in-stock now and arriving December 5^th below and jump to our webstore to buy!

WILLI SCHAEFER RIESLINGSVWS                                                                PRICE  AVAILABLE  REVIEW  LINK

Love German Riesling?
So do we!
We offer 474 options from over 50 producers (that’s 8,500 bottles) on our webstore now!

2022 Dönnhoff

Despite being one of the smallest growing regions in the country, the Nahe is one of the most compelling. Combining the heft of the Rheingau with the elegance and minerality inherent in the Mosel, the region offers something no other can boast: winemakers Helmut and Cornelius Dönnhoff. That’s a lot of faith we hoist on the shoulders of this family, but anyone who knows the wines knows that it is well deserved.

Dönnhoff is one of our favorite German producers (see exhibit A – list of all Dönnhoff wines we offer, rivaled only by our Molitor collection).  They excel with both dry and off-dry wines, producing some of the top dozen Rieslings in nearly every vintage. Their privileged location in the Nahe, includes some of the finest and most geologically diverse vineyards in all of Germany. The other part is the exceptional drive and focus of this father and son duo, who will stop at nothing to produce the best wines in Germany.
 
Long-favorites of the staff, even the entry-level wines are nothing to shrug at, offering unrivaled complexity in the under $25 range. From there, they produce dozens of options from their vineyards, from bone dry to nobly sweet. The dry options top out at the GG, short for Grosses Gewächs, which is a dry and powerful wine from one of Germany’s Grand Cru vineyards.
 
These are wines for any occasion, at prices that still suggest the producer inhabits that weird status of insider secret despite receiving heaps of praise (and massive scores) for over a decade.
 
The 2022 Grosses Gewachs arriving Friday, December 8th:
 
Weingut Donnhoff Dellchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2022 750ml $95 pre-arrival special, only 33 bottles available
Weingut Donnhoff Dellchen Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2022 1.5L $219 pre-arrival special, only 3 magnums available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 points “What an exquisite stone fruit nose this super-fine and filigree dry riesling has! Yes, it is also very concentrated, but this and the power are completely underplayed. The result is an almost weightless palate that hangs like a white cloud in the still air. Extraordinary purity and precision at the almost endless finish. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2022 750ml $79 pre-arrival special, only 33 bottles available
Weingut Donnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2022 1.5L $199 pre-arrival special, only 3 magnums available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 95 points “Ripe and concentrated, but also quite austere with stacks of spice and grapefruit character; everything from the juice to the pith and zest! A seriously dry riesling, but with moderate acidity. Long crushed rock finish. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Hermannshohle Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2022 $99 pre-arrival special, only 33 bottles available
Weingut Donnhoff Hermannshohle Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2022 1.5L $228 pre-arrival special, only 3 magnums available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 99 points “The restrained beauty of the peachiness in the nose is hard to describe, but easy to be overwhelmed by! On the compact palate this has staggering concentration yet still manages to be very light on its feet. The finish is blade-runner sharp, but the blade also flashes in the sun. Breathtaking drive and energy for the very warm and dry vintage. Then comes the remarkable wet-stone minerality and you can’t wait for the next sip. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Hollenpfad Im Muhlenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe GG 2022 750ml $79 pre-arrival special, only 15 bottles available
Weingut Donnhoff Hollenpfad Im Muhlenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe GG 2022 1.5L $199 pre-arrival special, only 3 magnums available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 97 points “What a dramatic wine this is, at once ripe and austere, super-stony and super-herbal with a touch of peppermint. Compact core in spite of the sleek and very focused body. Electric freshness at the vibrant finish although the acidity is anything but dominant. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
New Donnhoff releases also arriving Friday:
 
Weingut Donnhoff Kreuznacher Kahlenberg Riesling Trocken, Nahe 2022 750ml $41.90 pre-arrival special, only 21 bottles available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “For a bone-dry riesling this has a stunning juiciness that is hard to resist. The spot-on balance of fruit, moderate alcohol and lively acidity makes you want to dance for joy! Wide spectrum of stone and citrus fruits. Then comes the very long and elegant finish that pulls you back for more. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Nahe 2022 375ml $66 pre-arrival special, only 6 half-bottles available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 97 points “What a nose of floral honey and dried flowers this fabulous Auslese has. In spite of the abundant richness what makes this stand out is the invigorating mineral freshness. And the further back the wine rolls over your palate the more amazing it becomes. Enormous aging potential. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese, Nahe 2022 375ml $59 pre-arrival special, only 12 half-bottles available
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 97 points “Wonderful nose of exotic fruits and flowers. More than enough concentration, but what makes this stand out is the interplay of ripeness – floral honey as much as very ripe citrus – with a vibrant acidity that lights up the sky. Dazzling, diamond-bright finish! From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Riesling Brut Nature, Nahe 2018 750ml $56 pre-arrival special, only 11 bottles available
No reviews available. Previous review provided for reference.
Decanter 94 points “With 51 months on the lees, this is a serious wine. Disgorged in summer 2021, it is subtle in every way – as you would expect from this family. An initial nose of Red Delicious apple signals mellowness and merges seamlessly into creaminess. The mousse is superfine and the apple flavours on the palate are more tart, more slender. A wonderfully elegant and fine Blanc de Noirs, made from Pinot Noir grown on a steep site of red sandstone, as exacting in its nature as the Rieslings from this legendary producer. Taut, vivid, light yet creamy and so, so elegant. This will make a most enticing aperitif but will also work with fine charcuterie or hot-smoked fish. Wonderful.”
 
Shop our nine in-stock 2022 vintage selections, including the Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett and the Estate Trocken, on our webstore!

Donnhoff Wines On Our Close-Out Sale

Want to explore impeccably cellared examples from previous vintages, without paying auction fees (and rolling the dice on the condition of the bottles)? Regret not buying enough of previous vintages now that you’ve had a chance to taste them? Aim to back-fill your collection from one of the country’s top purveyors of German wines?
 
Shop our incredible close out sale on in-stock Donnhoff wines:
 
Weingut Donnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $69 Now $56 special, 26 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 94 points “The 2018 Felsenberg GG is also absolutely outstanding this year. The bouquet is impressively expressive at this early stage, soaring from the glass in a blaze of pear, tart orange, a beautiful base of slate minerality, wild yeasts, a touch of fleur de sel and a potpourri of floral scents in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and seamless, with outstanding mid-palate depth, powerful mineral drive and great cut and grip on the long, perfectly balanced and youthful finish. This will be show stopping juice in the fullness of time. 2028-2070. 94.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93+ points “Bottled in July, just two days before I tasted the 2018 Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling trocken –GG– for the first time, the nose was ripe and generous but fine and flinty-mineral. Lush and salty-piquant, this is a full-bodied, rich and powerful yet vital Riesling with lots of body but also tension, purity and grip. Tasted again in August 2019.”
David Schildknecht-Vinous 93 points “Huckleberry, crushed coriander seed and zesty lemon on the nose anticipate the piquancy, pungency and citricity that dominate on a firm, full, glossy palate. Stony and alkaline notes tug in an austere direction, though the gripping, penetrating finish conveys ample refreshing juiciness as well as an uncanny sense of energy. “Whatever might be your favorite from among these vintage 2018 Grosse Gewächse,” remarked Dönnhoff, “you can recognize the [taste of the] site, and that’s the goal.””
 
Weingut Donnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2020 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $79 Now $66 special, 35 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 98 points “If you are a terroir fundamentalist, then this enormous depth of smoky and wild-herb character will light your fire, but otherwise approach with caution. With the second and third sip you feel the attractive, grapefruity side of the wine. Then comes the paradox. There is also a touch of grapefruit-pith bitterness at the radically mineral finish, and this adds to the excitement. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2020 Felsenberg GG is deep, intense and complex on the pure and elegant, well-defined and slightly flinty nose. Pure, intense and juicy on the palate, this is a crystalline, refined and salty Felsenberg with great terroir expression and length, even though the wine is still puristic or even ascetic in the finish. Not as charmingly fruity as Crusius’s interpretation but with the same length and tension. 13% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021 and again six weeks later in Wiesbaden during the GG tastings.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Hollenpfad Im Muhlenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2018 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $59 Now $49 special, 14 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 93+ points “The Grosses Gewächs bottling from the filet section of the Höllenpfad im Mühlenberg is also very promising and again, shows the beautifully elegant refinement of all the dry Rieslings from the Dönnhoff family this year. Helmut estimates that this is thirteen percent octane or just under in this vintage. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a very refined and expressive blend of tangerine, blood orange, salty minerality, citrus peel, smoky overtones and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and really packed at the core, with racy acids, great soil signature, laser-like focus and a very long, youthfully complex and very promising finish. 2028-2060+. 93+.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe 2017 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $49 Now $41.90 special, 7 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “The 2017er Bad Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl GG delivers a spicy and minty nose of ripe fruits including pear, apple, prune and grapefruit. But it is on the palate that this wine really shines, combining energy and finesse with beautifully flowery and grapefruit driven elements. A great salty side adds depth to the fully dry and superbly mineral after-taste. This is a great dry Riesling in the making. 2025-2037.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2020 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $28 Now $21.90 special, 19 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2020 Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett is bright and finely stony on the clear and elegant nose with its ripe, almost tropical fruit notes. Lush and round on the palate, this is a mouth-filling Kabinett with delicate acidity and a stimulatingly salty finish and very good length. A wine to keep. 9% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett, Nahe 2020 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $29 Now $24 special, 33 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “Some people think only the Mosel can produce stunning Kabinetts, but this is pristine and pure, so racy and uplifiting. You barely feel the natural grape sweetness, but its a vital element of this wine. Super-clean finish. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2017 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $39 Now $33 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 93 points “A juicy and elegant wine that turns really dry, thanks to the serious minerality that powers the long, delicate finish. From organically grown grapes. Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2020 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $39 Now $33 special, 11 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2020 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese is clear, pure and intense on the nose like a fine Italian perfume on wet, crushed stones. Lush and round on the palate, this is a dense yet very delicate and dangerously juicy and stimulating mineral Spätlese that is irresistible. Impossible to spit out. This long and salty Spätlese is singing. 8.5% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese, Nahe 2018 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $45 Now $38 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Decanter 95 points “The 1.1ha vineyard of Brücke is a monopole of the estate. The vines are planted in loess loam soils over a slate bedrock, and its sheltered location down by the river is perfect for producing spätlese. The 2018 has a ripe green apple character on the nose, joined by notes of white flowers and a touch of honey. The palate is incredibly intense and limey, sweet yet elegant and balanced. It almost appears to be drier than the Leistenberg Kabinett at this early stage, such is its impeccable harmony, absorbing its 85g/l of residual sugar effortlessly. Snap this up when you can, but don’t touch it for a good six years or more. Barrel sample.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese, Nahe 2020 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $99 Now $89 special, 24 bottles in stock now
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese, Nahe 2020 375ml Close-Out Sale Was $49 Now $39 special, 31 half-bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 97 points “The 2020 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese is super clear, precise and coolish on the concentrated but highly refined and flinty/stony nose. Round and refined on the palate, this Auslese has a highly refined raisin tone intertwined with crunchy slate aromas. The wine comes across as a very complex and juicy but always highly finessed Auslese with eternal beauty. Almost zero botrytis, but the most perfect berries of the vintage made it into this adorable Auslese. 8% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in July 2021.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese, Nahe 2021 750ml Close-Out Sale Was $99 Now $89 special, 11 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 97 points “Picked the same day as the GG and the Spätlese on November 8 but with finely shriveled botrytis berries, the 2021 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese offers a clear and finely lemony bouquet with very fine botrytis tones, even though botrytis was less widely spread here than in the Felsenberg. On the palate, this is a rich and intense yet very precise and filigreed, refined and pure Auslese with an enormously saline and lively, long and energetic finish that shows piquant acidity. Superb. 8% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in July 2022.”
 
Weingut Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Beerenauslese, Nahe 2015 375ml Close-Out Sale Was $138 Now $125 special, 10 half-bottles in stock now
John Gilman 95 points “The 2015 Hermannshöhle BA is still a baby and was in its primary stage of development, but this will clearly be a great wine as well. The bouquet offers up scents of baked apple, tangerine, a touch of papaya, gentle smokiness, orange oil and honey. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, bright and very, very deep, with great focus and grip, a very long, perfectly balanced and nascently complex finish. This will of course be approachable from the moment that it is released, but I would strongly suggest giving it at least four or five years in the cellar to allow it to start to really blossom and show some of the secondary layers of complexity that will come with bottle age. 2016-2075+.”
 
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