2015 Weingut Mueller-Catoir, Riesling Trocken, Haart Burgergarten “Im Breumel” Grosses Gewächs, Pfalz Germany.
The fabled estate of Mueller-Catoir, a family owned winery since 1774, going back nine generations in it’s long history is now run by Herr Philipp David Catoir, with Mosel native Martin Franzen, with experience as head of operations at the amazing Schlossgut Diel in the Nahe and well regarded Gut Nagelsforst in Baden, looking over winemaking responsibility, he inherited from Mueller-Catoir’s long time cellar master Hans-Günther Schwarz (one of Germany’s greats) in 2001. Grown on pure sandstone, the certified organic Haart Burgergarten VDP Grosse Lage vineyard is perfect site for a GG dry as well as classic Spatlese and Auslese, it gives a ton of power and concentration and that especially shows in the deep 2015 vintage, there is always a sense of liquid rock and a racy steely edge to this site, even in the sweeter wines, which gives them their distinction, though this is in particular true of the Grosses Gewachs. I am somewhat torn, like importer Terry Theise, I adore the sweet/fruity wines from Mueller-Catoir, he is so happy they make Spatlese from this Grand Cru vineyard, and it is a classic, but I am thrilled by the dry GG and can’t seem to get enough of it, when I can get it! As Terry notes, Müller-Catoir was an early adopter of reductive winemaking in Germany, and implements a gentle handling of the grapes, employing a long skin contact, with an exceptionally slow, light touch during pressing, as well as fermentations at warmer than traditional temperatures, though this one had a cold ferment and all in stainless steel vats as well as aging. The wine is only racked once and later than normal to allow purity of form while gaining from the extended lees aging in the Cru wines, there is always such a overwhelming sense of place and house in these wines and this one takes it to another level, this vintage is somewhere in the mystical experience realm with amazing clarity of form, crystalline mineral focus and a wondrous textural feel, this 2015 is more like what you image a Grand Cru Chablis should be. This 2015 Im Breumel GG highlights it’s mottled sandstone with a chalky profile and makes an impact on the palate with a sublime play between it’s dynamic energy and it’s vinous and level of natural glycerin with layers of stone fruit, tangy citrus and subdued tropical elements along with it’s pure Riesling lime, green apple and mango core as well as a hint of hazelnut, hibiscus tea, wet river rock, brine and vivid saline. With air you find a faint floral perfume, steely vitality giving way to an expanded density, complexity and lingering tart white peach, kiwi and verbena/citron. This is an absolute masterpiece of dry Riesling greatness from Mueller-Catoir, it’s a 20 year wine easy, I only wish I had more! I will appease myself by getting a few bottles of sleeper Spatlese from the same vineyard, while fruity it’s far drier in delivery than you’d imagine and at $30ish it’s a steal, though I hope I will be reunited with this GG in the future, and I can’t wait to try the 2016 soon.
($40-50 Est.) 96+ Points, grapelive
