Knebel
Working a handful of the greatest, most dramatic sites of the Lower Mosel—also called the Terrassenmosel or “terraced Mosel”—the Knebels make wines that allow the American palate to re-imagine what this grape from this place can be. The wines have structure, minerality, and serious depth and offer (to the patient) a chance to see what the greatest Rieslings of this still underappreciated section of the Mosel can achieve with time. Opened now, they are all chiseled, slate-driven beauty, fabulous at the table.
Vineyard area: 7 hectares
Top sites: Winninger Uhlen, Röttgen, Brückstück, and Hamm
Soil types: extremely stony gray and blue slate; also hard (often red) sandstone elements especially in Uhlen
Stein
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- Wines
- A Call to Action
Ulli Stein's manifesto warns of the threats to old Riesling vines going fallow on the Mosel's steep slate slopes. - www.stein-weine.de
Ulli Stein and his brother, Piet, are passionate, iconoclastic growers of immaculately clear vision and refreshingly low pretense. All Stein-Wein, from the easy-drinking liter to the Spätlese from their beloved Palmberg-Terrassen, is marked by an unabashed commitment to pleasure, which is no way antithetical to wines of ambition and depth of character.
Vineyard area: 5.5 hectares
Top sites: Bremmer Calmont, St. Aldegunder Palmberg-Terrassen and Himmelreich; Alfer Hölle
Soil types: gray-blue slate, extremely stony; also iron-rich gray-slate soil in Hölle
Clemens Busch
Clemens Busch works primarily one site with one grape and pours all of his energy and talent into that “narrow” realm—and from that emerges an enormously complex, startlingly delicious range of wines. Having single-handedly resuscitated the reputation of the Pündericher Marienburg, Clemens has enhanced that reputation by working with exceptional dedication and diligence both in the vineyard and in the cellar. His commitment both to the various terroir within the Marienburg (such as Fahrlay, Falkenlay, and Rothenpfad) and to organic and biodynamic principles marks him as one of the most forward-thinking winemakers in Germany.
Vineyard area: 11 hectares
Top sites: Pündericher Marienburg (includes specific site names within the vineyard)
Soil types: blue and gray slate; red slate in Rothenpfad
Immich-Batterieberg
Here is an estate flush with renewed energy and enormous talent. Gernot Kollmann has taken over as director and cellar master at this once-renowned estate best known for long-lived dry Rieslings from such top sites as Enkircher Steffensberg, Batterieberg, Zeppwingert, and Ellergrub. (Enthusiasm for the wines was sometimes matched with enthusiasm for the distinctive Jugendstil label, one of the Mosel’s greatest.) All the wines are fermented on the lees without the use of cultured yeasts, enzymes, or fining agents. The emphasis is on purity, structure, and the distinctiveness of the varied Enkirch terroir.
Vineyard area: 3 hectares
Top sites: Enkircher Steffensberg, Zeppwingert, Batterieberg, and Ellergrub
Soil types: gray, blue slate; very stony in Batterieberg; red slate in Steffensberg
Weiser-Künstler
In 2005, with leased vineyards and a rented cellar, Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler began to translate their notion of Mosel Riesling into reality. Now, with their own holdings of old, ungrafted, low-yielding vines (planted on ground established as vineyards during the Jugendstil era, hence the look of their labels) in the steep terraces of Enkirch and Traben, they produce lilting, joyous Riesling that mimics the spirit with which they approach their work.
Vineyard area: 3 hectares
Top sites: Enkircher Ellergrub, Steffensberg, and Trabener Gaispfad
Soil types: blue slate in Ellergrub, red slate in Steffensberg and Gaispfad
Günther Steinmetz
The lifeblood of this estate is young Stefan Steinmetz, who assumed winemaking responsibilities with the 2000 vintage and has since shown tremendous ambition and commitment in bringing the estate into the upper echelon of Middle Mosel producers. The wines—fermented with wild yeasts mainly in old Fuder—harken back to old Mosel winemaking traditions, but under Stefan’s guidance are also finely detailed and precise. Fascinating nooks and crannies remain, however—there is simply no such thing as a boring Steinmetz wine.
Vineyard area: 7 hectares
Top sites: Brauneberger Juffer, Kestener Paulinsberg and Herrenberg, Mülheimer Sonnenlay, and Wintricher Geierslay
Soil types: brown, gray, and blue slate; a touch purple with iron oxide and quartzite in Geierslay
Später-Veit
Später-Veit, a hidden gem in the famed village of Piesport, is modestly and unassumingly turning out some of the loveliest Riesling (and Pinot Noir!) in the region. Winemaker Heinz Welter keeps the Piesport opulence in check with wines of great minerality and balanced acidity, so that the virtues of this remarkable site last the entire bottle, and not for just one glass. A deft hand is at work here—and the wines sell for a song.
Vineyard area: 7 hectares
Top sites: Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Domherr
Soil types: gray and blue slate
Peter Lauer
Since taking over winemaking responsibilities from his father in 2005, Florian Lauer has begun to transform this estate’s reputation from one of the great insider tips in the region into one of the most respected and highly-esteemed producers in Germany. The majority of Lauer’s holdings are in the Ayler Kupp, and from that site (labeled by their individual pre-1971 names, such as “Unterstenbersch” or “Kern”) Florian makes balanced, traditional Saar Riesling, mostly dry and off-dry, with low alcohol and wonderful finesse.
Vineyard area: 7.5 hectares
Top sites: Ayler Kupp (includes individually-named sections within the vineyard), Schonfels, and Saarfeilser
Soil types: gray slate in Kupp and Schonfels; slate and gravel in Saarfeilser
Enderle & Moll
Sven Enderle and Florian Moll craft captivating Pinot Noir in Baden’s Ortenau region. Their tiny holdings, mostly on colored sandstone, consist of low-yielding old vines that they farm organically. (The estate is moving toward biodynamics.) All work in the vineyards and cellar is done by hand—no tractors, pumping, fining, or filtering. They use an old basket press, ferment with natural yeasts, and age the wines in used Burgundian casks.
Vineyard area: 1.8 hectares
Top sites: Münchweier Kirchhalden and Frostberg
Soil types: colored sandstone in Kirchhalden and shell limestone in Frostberg