Library release direct from Merkelbach. Yes, ex-Weingut stock.
Complex and lovely now.
A classic-styled Mosel Riesling from one of the top Grand Cru vineyards in the middle Mosel - Ürziger Würzgarten. Merkelbach is tiny producer (only 1.9 hectares) - smallest German producer we know! Certainly boutique standard.
Background
We taste a lot of German Riesling but from time to time, when we are lucky, we stumble upon some tiny family run producers who makes absolutely stunning quality wines but not heard in mainstream media. Merkelbach is one of them. And tiniest of them all! Only 1.9 hectares which translate to about only 20,000 bottles a year. As a comparison, Lafite Rothschild makes about 240,000 bottles!
Merkelbach is owned by brothers Alfred and Roth Merkelbach. Well into their 70s now, they still make wines but entered into an agreement with the talented Johannes Selbach of Selbach Oster to manage their operations and marketing.The Selbach family officially purchased Merkelbach in 2019.
Johannes and Sebastian Selbach with Alfred Merkelbach
Their top holdings are in Ürziger Würzgarten (red slates) - one of the finest red slate soil Grand Crus in the Mosel alongside Erdener Pralat. The average age of their vines are 45 years (old by Riesling standard).
The Merkelbachs vinify each parcel separately, each Fuder representing a different parcel. Because of their tiny cellar, their pradikät wines will never be a blend of any more than 2 parcels together, indicated by the Fuder numbers on the label’s AP code.