Mosel Wine

Winemaker Description 

The grapes for this delicious Riesling come from the prized area of Ürziger Würztgarten, in the middle Mosel above the village of Ürzig. Vinified and aged entirely in stainless steel vats, and intentionally released after a minimum of one year in the bottle, it displays classic Mosel mineral and lime notes throughout with bright, crisp acidity and just enough residual sugar to soften the edges.

Winemaker Description 

Experience the excellence of Peter Lauer's 2023 Riesling. As one of the best value wines from the Saar,Barrel X” is Florian Lauer’s Platonic ideal of what a slightly off-dry (feinherb) Saar Riesling should be. Complex notes of citrus rind, tart green apple, saline, and minerals. Refreshing, and approachable this is the perfect bottle to kick-start any day. 

Winemaker Description

Vinified in stainless steel, with just a hint of residual sugar, this wine vividly represents all that Mosel wine should be—fruity with vibrant acidity, clarity, and precision; all highlighted by intense slate-driven minerality. As an introduction to what one can glean from great Mosel wine, Selbach’s ‘Incline’ is incredible. 

'Alte Reben' is German for 'Old Vines.'  This estate grown and bottled Riesling comes from a small family winery in the lower Mosel in the tiny village Thörnich.  Discover the beautiful balance and energy of this dry riesling that drinks way above its price point. 

 - Rand Sieger

This top-selling Loosen Bros. wine is Ernst Loosen’s "ambassador" for the Mosel region and for the Riesling variety. It embodies the delicate and racy style that is characteristic of Riesling grown in the slate-soil vineyards of the Mosel valley. And, best of all, it delivers this uniquely delicious and invigorating taste at a very affordable price for every day enjoyment. It is a bright, refreshing, fruit-driven wine, with a juicy mid-palate and a crisp, drying finish. Winemaker Description. 

Rand Sieger 67Wine.com | This is about as good as a mosel riesling under $20 can be. Rarely do you find a Spätlese of this quality for such a low price. Classic mosel with bright white currant fruit, clover honey, and an energetic undercurrent of lime zest and slatey minerality. It really explodes on the palate with juicy, mouth watering fruit and the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

Try this paired with breaded, deep-fried button mushrooms dipped in tartar sauce. The combination will make you smile.

The Rauen family in the Mosel has been growing grapes for many generations but began bottling their own wine only in 1983. When Harald Rauen took the reins from his father more than 30 years ago, the first thing he did with their vineyards in the slate-rich soils of Detzem and Thornich was to reduce the yields in the vineyards to concentrate on quality instead of bulk. The result has been a line of classically clean and elegant Rieslings. His Spatlese is light-bodied and zesty, just a touch sweet, with notes of apricot, lime, and flint.

Wine Advocate 94 Points | The 2021 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett is deep and flinty but bright and clear on the refined and elegant nose with beautiful crushed slate aromas. On the palate, this is a rich, round and generous, incredibly lush and supple but crystalline and even pure Sonnenuhr with a highly stimulating, mouth-watering finish. This 2021 shows the great terroir of the cru, in particular in cool vintages due to its exposition that collects the sun's rays in the morning. 

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points | This shows very little sweetness, but is harmonious and well integrated despite the firm acidity that fuels it. Stone- and orchard-fruit notes are flecked by chrysanthemum and cardamom to create the full-spectrum. The finish is long and persistent.

Cassis and lime zest aromas with tart, salty and slate notes.

Try with yellow curry or spring rolls. Winemaker Description. 

Our Notes | Oscar Garcia Moncada

For several months, I have been searching for a German sparkling wine that could truly captivate my palate. Yet, every time a sales rep presented an option, I found myself disappointed. Then came the Weingut Stephan Steinmetz Liaison Crémant Brut, Mosel, Germany.

I swirled the wine in the glass, carefully observing its color and analyzing its nose. Finally, I took a sip. As the wine unfolded on my palate and my brain processed the experience, three words came to mind: Electric, Enticing, and Enigmatic.

Yes, this was it—the German sparkling wine I had been longing for!

Sight: A delicate stream of fine bubbles rises steadily, forming a small rosary of effervescence. The wine presents a pale silver hue on the glass.

Nose: Aromas of orchard fruits dominate, with notes of crisp green pears and apples, complemented by stone fruits like white peaches.

Palate: On the palate, vibrant flavors of green apples, lime peel, and orange zest shine through, enhanced by subtle hints of toast. The wine’s electric acidity and mouth-coating minerality create a dynamic and invigorating experience.

Finish: The finish is long, refreshingly dry, and leaves you eager for the next sip.

Pairing: This wine pairs beautifully with a variety of cuisines. I recommend seafood ramen, as its umami-rich broth and delicate textures harmonize perfectly with the wine’s brightness and minerality.

Oscar Garcia Moncada

Winemaker Description 

We reduce the use of machines to the bare minimum and rely on traditional handwork from spring to the harvest in autumn. Only this intensive care of each individual vine, such as constant foliage work or cutting out grapes, enables the desired quality to be achieved.

Respectful treatment of nature is very important to us. Once you have seen our beautiful Moselle landscape, you will know what we are talking about. We live and work in the rhythm of nature. Every vintage is different. Every year has surprises in store for us. And not always just positive ones. We have decided to intervene as little as possible in both the vineyard and the cellar and to work as sustainably as possible.

Only natural cork guarantees harmonious maturation and storage for years. For us, the technical closure is not an alternative! The advantages and rituals of natural cork predominate.

Expert Reviews 

Wine Advocate 97 Points | Basket pressed and vinified in traditional oak and stainless steel, the 2020 Vogelsang Kabinett is pure, bright and fresh on the highly delicate and flinty nose that shows precise and elegant fruit intertwined with the serious, flinty minerality of the gray and red slate soils of the domaine plus coolish vegetal nuances of nettles and mint. Round and intense yet light and filigreed on the palate, this is a pure, lush and round yet also very mineral, beautifully playful and palate-tickling Kabinett with less reduction than Molitor's Kabinetts usually show at this early stage. The sweetness is discreet and counterpointed by the immense mineral and saline drive. The finish is spectacularly long and tensioned, extremely complex and stimulating even at this age. This classic Kabinett reminds me of finest Scharzhofberger Kabinetts from Egon Müller. It is straight, sustainably saline, aromatic and charming. Even though they have been produced since 2017, the 2020 Rieslings from the steep Vogelsang site in Serrig (Saar) are the first that Markus Molitor has brought to market under the name "Ehemalige Domäne Serrig." The former Prussian state domaine, built in 1904 as a model domaine at the time of Emperor Wilhelm II—i.e., 20 years before the Domäne Assmannshausen in the Rheingau, which specializes in Pinot Noir—had its heyday until World War II (including the 1921 Trockenbeerenauslese) but went to the dogs after the war. The privatization at the end of the 1980s did nothing to change. (v.2020).

James Suckling 95 Points | Very fresh and delicate nose of an entire garden of herbs, yellow grapefruit and pomelo. Juicier than the nose suggested with stacks of white tree fruits and citrus zest freshness on the medium-bodied palate, this is a youthful and very elegant riesling for the 2020 vintage. Emphatically dry and long for this theoretically off-dry category, but also finely etched. This has just reached its best youthful drinking form, but the party has only just begun! Drink or hold. (v.2020).

Vinous 95 Points | The 2020 Riesling Serriger Vogelsang Kabinett is subtle on the nose, opening with smokier hints of slate that still clouds lemon and riper, juicier notions. It is on the palate that the full playfulness of that fruit becomes apparent: this is a Kabinett in a classic sense, off-dry rather than outright sweet, with tender notions of sweetish Mirabelle, citrus blossom and mandarin juice, encompassed by a stony, citric verve. Such lightness, such elegance, such poise, such brightness. The finish flickers with an overtone of pineapple, as befits the sunny 2020 vintage, but retains tone, tension and, above all, flavor. (v.2020).

Expert Ratings

James Suckling 97 Points | This very concentrated and super-elegant riesling Auslese is still tightly-wound. However, it already has a very wide spectrum of subtle yellow fruit and wild flower aromas. Terrific structure behind the rich, but still medium-bodied palate. Incredibly long, slatey finish with staggering freshness that pulls you back for more of this Mosel masterpiece. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.

Decanter 95 Points | Tangs of cut stone and lime zest are peppered with gunpowder and smoke, but there's a powerful core of ripe lemon, lime and yellow cherry flavours too. While light on its feet, it's an unctuous, supple wine with a pert tangerine sweetness. Quite a bit more expressive in youth than the 2022 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, it's already hedonistic with a brief decant but certainly ageworthy as well. 

Wine Spectator 94 Points | Delivering power and concentration, this is densely packed in a compact frame. Opens up to reveal impressively fresh flavors of dried thyme and apricot. This white's acidity shows a crunchy texture, and a wet slate note brings a cooling feel to the finish. This is one for the cellar. Best from 2026 through 2046.

Vinous 92 Points | The 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese is rather shy. The palate tingles with tangerine, ripe, rounded, aromatic, and full of tangy, zesty, sweet, ripe citrus. Wonderfully expressive on the mid-palate and with a subtle finish, full of those vivid aromatics. (Sweet).

Expert Ratings

James Suckling 97 Points | This very concentrated and super-elegant riesling Auslese is still tightly-wound. However, it already has a very wide spectrum of subtle yellow fruit and wild flower aromas. Terrific structure behind the rich, but still medium-bodied palate. Incredibly long, slatey finish with staggering freshness that pulls you back for more of this Mosel masterpiece. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. (2022). 

Decanter 95 Points | Tangs of cut stone and lime zest are peppered with gunpowder and smoke, but there's a powerful core of ripe lemon, lime and yellow cherry flavours too. While light on its feet, it's an unctuous, supple wine with a pert tangerine sweetness. Quite a bit more expressive in youth than the 2022 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, it's already hedonistic with a brief decant but certainly ageworthy as well. (2022). 

Wine Spectator 94 Points | Delivering power and concentration, this is densely packed in a compact frame. Opens up to reveal impressively fresh flavors of dried thyme and apricot. This white's acidity shows a crunchy texture, and a wet slate note brings a cooling feel to the finish. This is one for the cellar. Best from 2026 through 2046. (2022). 

Vinous 92 Points | The 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese is rather shy. The palate tingles with tangerine, ripe, rounded, aromatic, and full of tangy, zesty, sweet, ripe citrus. Wonderfully expressive on the mid-palate and with a subtle finish, full of those vivid aromatics. (Sweet).(2022). 

Winemaker Description

Lemongrass, mint and wet slate aromas alongside cassis on the palate.

Expert Review

Robert Parker 91 Points | The 2021 Graacher Himmelreich Auslese is very clear, pure and refined on the fascinating, flinty, finely concentrated and lemon-scented nose. Lush and savory on the palate, with crystalline acidity and great precision, this is a supple yet frisky as well as substantial and sustainable Auslese from the Himmelreich, and it develops a long, complex and saline finish. This is highly stimulating already, but the best is yet to come here. 

Winemaker Description

This Riesling is rich in taste with a fresh, fruity delicate flavor.

Serve slightly chilled.

Expert Reviews 

James Suckling 96 Points | Here is a great Mosel Kabinett that needs a bit more time to show what it is really made of. Still very young with a pronounced yeasty character that slowly recedes with aeration, but the white peach and honeysuckle aromas that emerge are stunning. Extremely vibrant and precise, the slatey acidity making this fabulously graceful. As pure as an Alpine stream running with glacier water.

Wine Spectator 92 Points | This elegant version starts off closed before opening to reveal flavors of jasmine, sweet green apple and Asian pear. Shows impressive purity and inner density, with accents of fresh-cut chive and wet slate. Bitter, pithy acidity moves through, making for the shimmering, razor-edge finish, which lingers. Drink now through 2040. 300 cases imported.

Winemaker Description

This Riesling is rich in taste with a fresh, fruity delicate flavor. Serve slightly chilled.

Expert Reviews

Robert Parker 95 Points | The 2020 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett offers a discreet and sublime, complex and very elegant and slightly flinty nose with a coolish and very delicate expression of stewed apricots but also some greenish berries, whereas the first stony character remains. This irresistible and noble bouquet leads to a round and lush yet also refined and savory palate, with coolish apricot flavors on the long and sustainably salty finish that is firmly structured but elegant and highly stimulating. This is a superb, very elegant and complex, sustainably structured Sonnenuhr. (2020).

Wine Spectator 92 Points A lightweight, intense white defined by a mix of floral, peach, celery seed, chive and slate aromas and flavors. Racy and linear, with a terrific finish. Drink now through 2038. (2020). 

Winemaker Description

J.J. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese is a very pale yellow with pristine expression of fruit. Immediately showing great balance of sweetness and acidity, a bit creamier than the Kabinett, lovely stone fruit, very elegant with that kick from the well known Graacher acidity. Good length with a bright and mouthwatering finish.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 96 Points Striking nose of garden herbs with just a hint wet earth underlining the delicate white tree fruit aromas. Stunning concentration and energy on the super-straight medium-bodied palate. Very long, almost perfectly balanced finish that is surprising for this category at this early stage in the wine’s development. Great slate expression. Drink or hold. (2022). 

Decanter 96 Points | This powerfully concentrated yet fresh-fruited sip is a touch more inviting young than the more nervous Wehlener Sonnenuhr this vintage. Flavours of white grapefruit and green apples are intensely ripe but pure and pristine, etched by strikes of lime and salt. A delightfully fruity, off-dry wine with a kiss of tangerine sweetness on the finish. Ready now but will improve further. (2022). 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | A plush, alluring style, with apricot, guava and creamed pear flavors backed by a layer of finely crushed mineral notes. The texture is creamy and chalky, offering a stream of fruit punctuated by dried herb accents and a dusting of fleur de sel. Radiant, pure and long, with energy in reserve. Drink now through 2040. 250 cases imported. (2022). 

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 95 Points | All the ripeness of this very warm vintage, married to wonderful freshness that gives this the light-footedness of a great dancer. Mostly white fruit, but just a hint of fresh pineapple. Long, silky finish. Drink or hold. (2018). 

Robert Parker 93+ Points | The 2018 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese is discreet yet deep and complex on the elegant and spicy nose that exhibits very fine stone fruit aromas. Round, lush and piquant on the palate, this is a crystalline, piquant, persistently salty and stimulating Himmelreich with fine tannins on the finish that add grip and a very light, food-friendly astringency that moderates away the sweetness. Still young, this is a Spätlese to serve with food in 10-15 years. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.

Wine Spectator 93 Points | This has all of the elements of a great spätlese, with pronounced acidity supporting the ripe peach, yellow apple, mango and spruce flavors, while hints of vanilla and piecrust add to the complexity. Still a bit intense, but this should develop beautifully with age, allowing the minerality to become more prominent. Best from 2022 through 2038. (2018).

94 Points James Suckling | Wonderful honeysuckle and jasmine aromas pour from the glass of this very racy and crystalline Kabinett. As sharp and bright as a samurai sword, each swirl of the glass reveals new aromas, sushi ginger and dill only being the most obvious. Drink or hold.

Scharzhofberg is one of the most famous vineyard sites in Germany, likely to have originally been planted by the Romans. Situated in Wiltingen, removed from the Saar in a side valley and facing south, its slopes are quite steep, with a 30–60% grade, and high, at 180-280 meters elevation. Formed from grey Devonian slate, the soils are very deep with no bedrock. This wine is always delicate, crisp and exquisite on the palate. Winemaker Description. 

The famous traditional Karthäuserhof-wijnen are located in the famous Blotebuikfles. It's in the origin of the druiven. They come in the right avenue from the Karthäuserhofberg monopoly, also from the surrounding Wijngaarden in the Ruwer.

The quality of the iron is never less strict: the druiven is planned on steep slipways with strips on the ground and has been hand-geoed and selected. The opbrengst wordt is consciously stored for extra smaakconcentratie.
Proefnotity

Vol en aromatic from smaak. Tonen van rijp yellow fruit with a fraaie long afdronk. The wine is round and sappy, but it has a long, dry surface.