2023 Weingut Alfred Merkelbach, Riesling Kabinett, Ürziger Würzgarten, VDP Grosse Lage, Mosel, Germany.
The beautifully perfumed and exotic Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett Riesling, made in old Mosel fuder, is a gorgeous wine with a heavenly lightness, but with a generous palate and mineral complexity, delivering an outstanding off-dry performance in the glass. Lively acidity and youthful charm cuts into the residual sugar and allows for crisp refreshment in this Riesling from steep and mature vines with tangerine and Mandarin orange citrus, green apple, papaya, lime blossom, Asian spice and smoky wet stones leading the way of the zesty palate.The iconic Ürziger Würzgarten, set in natural massive amphitheater has a combination of stony, weathered Blue Devonian, flinty slate and red, volcanic, mineral rich, sandstone soils that give the wines their distinctive heightened aromatics and spicy iron intense character, hence the name Spice Garden. This tiny, one hectare, estate has small holdings that are divided between the Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Treppchen, and Kinheimer Rosenberg vineyards. The farming is done with ancient hand tending on these classic Mosel sites, all lying just above the Mosel, between the town of Ürzig and Erden, where they have found evidence of a centuries old Roman press house, with a good Southern exposure. The winery, now run by Johannes Selbach of the famed Selbach-Oster, says that when most of the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyards were replanted during the re-alignment of the vineyards (called “Flurbereinigung”), Merkelbach’s vines remained on original rootstock, with an average vine age of 45 years. Over the years, I have quite enjoyed the Merkelbach wines, even if they were slightly rustic and I am honestly, after tasting this one, excited by what’s to come here, and this label looks to finally get the attention it deserves.
I was first introduced to the Merkelbachs and their wines about 20 years ago by Terry Theise, one of the world’s greatest Riesling gurus, author and retired importer, so it was sad to learn that they had recently passed away, but happy that the Selbachs plan to continue their legacy. Alfred and Rolf Merkelbach from their home in Ürzig lived as though time didn’t exist and not not changed a thing in something like 50 years, including, as Theise explained, the brother’s old school approach to winemaking. Well into their seventies and eighties, the brothers Alfred and Rolf still tended their vines and make the wines with little or no help, even, as Terry remembered, heading up the ultra steep Würzgarten and Treppchen hillsides! The Merkelbach’s vinified each parcel separately, and according to legend, with each fuder (old German oak casks) in the cellar representing a different parcel. Theise also noted that because of their tiny cellar, their Pradikät wines were never be a blend of any more than two parcels, and this was indicated by the fuder numbers on the Merkelbach label’s AP code. The Merkelbach’s were committed to and true believers in tradition, and even though in modern times the must weights are higher and everyone makes riper wines, the brothers still crafted true old Mosel style wines. I consider their Kabinett wines fresh, low alcohol and this latest offering is a wonderful tribute to their history and life force. I was thrilled to see Johannes Selbach and his son Sebastian at Skurnik’s San Francisco stop on their US tour and taste through their own Selbach-Oster collection, all of which were exceptional, more notes to follow, and sample the Merkelbach lineup. These included a small selection of a few 2020, 2021, 2022 offerings, and the early release of this brilliant 2023 Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett, which shows the Selbach touch, and I highly recommend keeping an eye out for it.
($35 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive