Merkelbach - Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Kabinett 2000

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Producer	Merkelbach
Country	Germany
Region	Mosel
Varietal	Riesling
Vintage	2000
Sku	12107578
Size	750ml

 

A couple of months ago we offered the spectacular 1999 Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett from this terrific winery in the Mosel region of Germany. Focused, mineral, fresh as a daisy, with a hue that looked more like a recently bottled 2021 than a 23 year old wine. It sold out almost immediately, with just a bottle or two left.

The good news is that we got a another dip into the well with an encore release of the 2000 Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Kabinett, a more than worthy follow up! As is the nature of both vintages, this is a bit riper, rounder and supple versus the laser focused minerality of the 1999 - like the 1999 it is brilliantly youthful still, barely showing any secondary development other than it's just a little more complex, layered character, and has that hint of lemon curd and brioche that Riesling starts to develop with time.

Every once in a while a wine comes along that seems to defy the very laws of how long a wine can age, let alone two wines! This unbelievable find from deep in the cool cellars of the Merkelbach Estate on the Mosel River shatters the myth that white wines don't age. Let alone a deceivingly delicate, off-dry, German Riesling.

There's more to the story below, but for now let's just say this is a must try wine - in stockm on sale now, and open to taste all weekend. Grab a table on the Patio and pair it up with something from our new Spring Menu! And then there's the price - for a 23 year old wine? Seriously?

Another stunnning wine that seems to have emerged from a time capsule, less than a half dozen cases on offer! Cheers! Chris

Alfred and Rolf Merkelbach were probably in their 70s when I visited them all those years ago in 2000, but they had a spring in their step and energy that belied their age.

Visiting them at their home winery in Ürzig was quite an experience. Nothing new or modern here, they told us that pretty much nothing had changed in over 50 years, including their approach to winemaking. The brothers still tended the vines and made the wines with little help, despite being well into their 70s at the time. This was no easy task in the vertiginously steep vineyards of Urziger Würzgarten and Treppchen. This is some of the finest vineyard land on the Mosel, and when most of the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyards were replanted during the realignment of the vineyards (called “Flurbereinigung”), Merkelbach’s vines remained on original rootstock, with an average vine age of 45 years.

They are firm believers in tradition, and the brothers are known for making wines of a style more typical to an era long forgotten. Kabinett wines are still refreshing, Spätleses taste like Spätlese, and oechsle levels rarely exceed the Pradikät range.

Yet when they finally decided it was too much for them to manage (now in their 90s), and with no heirs interested in the property, they sold the winery to Johannes Selbach - a great family winemaking dynasty in its own right. You can imagine Selbach’s surprise when looking through the cellars he came across a treasure trove of older vintages, stored deep in the cool, dark cellars, tasted them, and saw just how great they were. Fast forward and here we are, with a tiny amount of a true rarity! Enjoy! Chris