Mosel Wine

95 Points James Suckling | This remarkable Saar Kabinett is very crystalline. Stacks of delicate white tree fruit and white flower aromas. Very straight and bright on the light-bodied palate which flashes like the blade of a sabre in the sun. Fantastic precision and subtly salty at the very long and pristine finish. Great aging potential. Drink or hold. (2022). 

93 Points Vinous | The 2022 Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett has a very open but tender nose: ripe greengage is bright and edged with a whisper of chervil. The sweetness on the palate kicks in first, but lightness takes over with serene lemon freshness and fine, almost earthy stone. Ripe greengage, delineated by lemon, soaks up that initial sugar and presents it as juicy, ripe fruit. Finesse runs through this, dancing on light Kabinett feet. The finish is merely off-dry. (Off-dry) Drink: 2023-2050. (Oct 2023)"

92 Points Mosel Fine Wines | The 2022er Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett is a barely fruity-styled wine. It is quite herbal and smoky at first and needs a few minutes in the glass to reveal fresh scents of white flowers, minty herbs, bergamot, vineyard peach, and lime zest. The wine is superbly playful and light-weighted on the finely creamy and delicately refined palate. The finish is very delicate and juicy. 2032-2047. 

96 Points Wine Advocate: The 2019 Marienburg GG Fahrlay is perfectly ripe and concentrated on the densely aromatic nose that intertwines ripe, intense and flinty fruit with fascinating notes of crushed stones and herbs, yet everything is already marvelously interwoven and balanced as well as pure, precise and crystalline, with lemon zest notes. Full-bodied, intense and crystalline on the palate, this is a rich, concentrated, perfectly ripe and aromatic Fahrlay with a long, intense, elegant, crystalline and persistently salty finish. This would be rich and bolder if there were no old vines in blue slate. This is an impressive wine that was bottled just a few days before I tasted it in September 2020. (10/2020)

Jancis Robinson 17.5 Pts: Beautifully scented with citrus, crushed stones and a delicate floral note that reminds me of spring and that is also somehow a little bit spicy. This is theoretically trocken but there is clearly some residual sugar to balance the acidity and it is quite noticeable, giving a roundness in the mouth and ripeness of yellow plums. Firm, fresh and long, with depth that comes from the texture as much as the full fruit -

“The 2019 vintage is the best vintage I have ever tasted for German riesling in my four-decade career.” - Stuart Pigott, author and reviewer for James Suckling

Winery:

Concentrated yellow berry fruit and apple skin backed by complex earthy aromas of spontaneous fermentation.  The palate has an excellent balance of delicate sweetness and juiciness, featuring clover honey and citrus. 

This makes you want to go back for another sip, and another, and another. Winemaker Description. 

Anne Krebiehl MW writes:  The nose of the 2021 Riesling Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett still has a touch of reduction, but underneath, an immense, bright, fruity juiciness reminiscent of Cox Orange Pippin apple and green Conference pear appears. More air brings almost a hint of elderflower. The palate is beautifully light with exquisite, dancing, light-footed balance. A textbook Kabinett - tender and playful with immense elegance and delicacy, luminous with vivid lemon acidity, tinged with traces of lime.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 94

Stephan Reinhardt writes:  The 2021 Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett offers a clear, bright and coolish, intense and mineral nose with notes of crushed stones and lime and lemon zest. Lush and saline on the palate, this is a very elegant, fresh and juicy Kabinett with well-integrated acidity and beautiful purity on the finish. 8% stated alcohol. Natural cork.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 90

96 Points James Suckling | This Spatlese beams you up to Cloud 9, from where you have a wonderful view over the beautiful Mosel Valley. In spite of the considerable concentration, this is super-delicate and precise on the barely medium-bodied palate. Enormously long finish, where you barely feel the natural grape sweetness. Drink or hold. 

95 Points Wine Advocate | The 2020 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese is pure, clear and flinty on the concentrated nose that is reminiscent of a fresh fruit salad served on a slate plate on an early summer morning. Light, lush and highly finessed but seriously structured on the palate, this is a savory, very clear and elegant Sonnenuhr Spätlese with great precision and finesse and highly stimulating salinity and mouth-watering grip on the finish. Rating: 95+ 

Rand Sieger of 67Wine.com |  The Scharzhofberg is considered by many to be the most prestigious vineyard in the Mosel region.  Sipping this beautiful Spatlese from Von Hovel reminded me why it has earned that vaunted reputation.

The nose is stately elegant while at the same time, quite powerful. Yellow fruit and bright white berries marry nicely with lemon zest, spice box, and just a touch of reductive sharpness.  A very definite honey sweetness stretches across the palate with just the right amount of lip-smacking tartness to tie it all together.  Finishes smooth and silky with a lingering trail of honey and brown sugar.

This is one to savor by itself as dessert in its own right, but would be a lovely accompaniment to simple shortbread biscuits, or raspberry tart.

Rand Sieger, 67 Wine Buyer

Wine Advocate 95 Points |  From the overripe and botrytized berries of the Spätlese selection, the 2019 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is intense and concentrated on the nose, but due to the sulfuric notes, it is far from being as terroir-driven as the Spätlese or even the Kabinett. The fruit is concentrated yet piquant, fresh and elegant on the palate and pure, refined and subtle on the finish due to the crystalline acidity and finesse that represents the JSU. This is an excellent Spätlese that needs at least a decade to age to its full finesse.

James Suckling 96 Points | Plenty of exotic-fruit character from botrytis, but they haven’t made this refined Auslese loud, only more complex and tantalizing. Considerable concentration, but everything fits together so neatly that it comes off as restrained. Very complex, almost dry finish with a hint of vanilla pod. Delicious now, but so much aging potential.

The 2019er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese was made from partially botrytized fruit (1/3) picked at 115° Oechsle, and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar (125 g/l). It offers a gorgeous nose made of elderflower, cassis, white peach, coconut, almond paste, fresh pineapple, and loads of citrusy and minty elements. The wine proves stunningly tactile and subtle on the palate, where delicately creamy fruits mingle with ripe yet gorgeously juicy acidity. The finish is all about bright exotic fruits, citrusy elements, and fine notes of cream. This gorgeous sweet wine may seem almost irresistible now, but it will gain from a decade of aging as the sweetness will have receded and given way to more nuances. 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.