2021 Weingut Mönchhof, Spätlese Riesling “Mosel Slate” Mosel, Germany.
One of the best ways to celebrate Riesling’s 590th birthday is with this wine from Mönchhof, a producer with records dating back to the 12th century it is one of the oldest estates in the Mosel, dedicated exclusively to the cultivation of Riesling. This 2021 vintage full-bodied and slatey Spätlese is a prime example of pure, sweet, but balanced high quality terroir driven Riesling, offering what Wines of Germany USA says, exquisite fruit, mineral intensity and heightened aromatics, all with excellent aging potential, all of which is certainly proved with one taste of this wine. I’m a long time and big fan of Robert Eymael’s wines, both at J. J. Christoffel and his historic Mönchhof estate here in the Mosel, and this Mosel Slate Spätlese delivers a rich layering of smoky sweet peach, apricot, quince, candied lemon, pineapple and crisp green apple fruits, along with hints of wet flint, red spices, honey, subtle rose hips, white flowers and bitter almond notes. The mouth feel is still youthfully lively and tangy enough to cut into the creamy sugar and really helps balance this Riesling out, making it great with a range of cuisine choices. So today we celebrate Riesling, on its birthday, and the life of Rudi Wiest, formerly of The German Wine Collection, who has sadly passed away after a glorious life promoting and selling German wines, he introduced me to Mönchhof and I will always be grateful for that
The Mönchhof Estate, formerly owned by the Cistercian abbey of Himmerod, and founded back in 1177 is, as mentioned above, one of the oldest wineries on the Mosel with its modern cellars dating back to the 1500s and famous for its select plots in the fabled Ürziger Würzgarten and Erdener Prälat. The Eymael family in 1804 purchased the estate after secularization, when the Church was forced to give up much of its lands throughout northern Europe from Napoleon at an auction in Paris. The estates top vineyards are comprised of the very steep parcels mainly in the Erdener Treppchen area set on blue slate along with veins of volcanic and iron rich soils that add an exotic spicy quality to the wines. All of Eymael’s vineyards, as I’ve mentioned in prior reviews, are planted 100% to Riesling with original rootstocks, which are old clones and farmed sustainable and hand tended, as required by the serve slopes the vines hang on to. This estate is on the level of more flamboyant and well known and traditional addresses, like Dr. Loosen, Schäfer, Selbach and Prüm, but has somehow remained under the radar and the wines are wonderful values, especially the Prädikat collection of Kabinett and Spätlese offerings, in particular the Ürzig Wurzgarten bottlings. Mönchhof, as noted previously, produces primarily fruity style, off dry Kabinett, Spatlese and Auslese wines, though rumor has it Eymael and Volker Besch, his right hand man winemaker, are going to maker a serious lineup of Trockens in the coming years, which is very exciting. Thanks to Wines of Germany USA and The German Wine Collection for sharing this bottle with me to enjoy Riesling and share my experiences!
($29 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive