Day 2 in the Mosel - Egon Muller, A.J. Adam, & Vollenweider

Mosel Saar Ruwer - Germany
Tasted Monday, January 12, 2015 by tooch with 1,876 views

Introduction

Day 2 of our trip started with a trip to Egon Muller, after that we headed to A.J. Adam, then wrapped up the day with Daniel Vollenweider. A great day in the Mosel!

Flight 1 - Egon Muller (4 Notes)

In many ways, our visit to Germany was planned around this visit. Muller’s wines are great examples of the best Germany has to offer, and the Scharzhofberg is one of the finest terroris in the world. Herr Muller was not around for our visit (he was leading the VdP meeting in Burgundy) so we were shown
around by one of his vineyard workers. We walked up the steep Scharzhofberg slope (took many pictures..), toured Muller’s cellars, and then sat down in his library to taste some wine.

  • 2013 Egon Müller Riesling QbA Scharzhof 90 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    A very precise, focused Riesling. Muller’s QbA has always impressed me, and this was another charming example. Peachy and stony, my notes read, “liquid rock”. As always, a nice introduction to Muller’s style.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2007 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 94 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Muller’s kabinett is the pradikat I “know” the best, and they’re my favorites from anywhere in Germany. It’s like drinking ultra-pure river water that’s filled with citrusy, floral, and stony flavors. Sleek, edgy, elegant…a superstar.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2010 Egon Müller/Le Gallais Wiltinger Braune Kupp Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction 94 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    I don’t see much of this in the states, so it was a thrill to get the opportunity to try it. The finest wines in the world usually have multiple levels of flavors and the more you sipped this, the deeper you seemed to go. Peach morphed into slate, then into a cooler nectarine profile. A powerful wine, a wine of great balance.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 1976 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese 88 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Brought from the USA to Egon Muller for our visit. Nose was packed with coconut (could have fooled me for an older Sauternes) but the consensus in the room was that it was more advanced than it should be. The palate was enjoyable with nice pineapple some vanilla notes, and nutty tones.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 2 - A.J. Adam (9 Notes)

The drive to Dhroner from Trier was a beautiful one. We took Lars’ advice and took the high road to
Piesporter. This drive was very “Mosely” with many sweeping views of the river, and the surrounding
steep vineyards. For this tasting we went to the Adam’s family house as they were rebuilding their
tasting room and were greeted by Barbara Adam (A.J’s brother – he was in Burgundy at the VdP
meeting). Barbara was great, and piled us into her van for a drive through their vineyards.

Our first stop were the intensely steep slopes of Hofberg that can hit around 65 degrees. How do people work on this type of slope? Crazy. Anyways, Barbara talked to us about which plots were theirs, discussed the unique microclimates between they’ve noticed and then we piled back in the car and
crossed the Mosel back over to Piesporter. There were some small rockslides along the vineyard road, but that neither surprised Barbara or phased her…pedal to the metal! Another radically slopped
vineyard, this was closer to 70 degrees. So dramatic! After some pictures, we headed back to her
parent’s house to taste some wine.

This was one of the visits I was most excited about. Their wines have always excited me, but so few
make it to the states. What an experience!

  • 2013 A.J. Adam Dhroner Riesling 89 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    This comes from 30-year old vines which are located at the bottom of the Hofberg vineyard. Steely, cut, trim with just a tiny kick of sweetness. This is the wine of theirs I see the most in the states, so it was a pleasure to drink it again. If only we could get this in the states for the ex-cellar price of 13€…

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2013 A.J. Adam Piesporter "Terrassen" Riesling 85 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    A blend of some of their small holdings within Piesporter. They didn’t feel 2013 was a strong enough year for any single vineyard Piesporter cuvees, so they selected the finest grapes from across their sites. A bit on the ripe side I thought this could have used a touch more acidity. I think this will be very enjoyable in the short term buy may lack the backbone for medium-to-long term

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2013 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling trocken 91 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    50-60 year old vines form the base of this impressive dry wine. Aromas are more of strawberries, currants, and lime. The palate was enjoyable and precise with a darker fruit profile than many of the other dry wines I tasted on the trip. Very elegant with good acidity. An exotic beauty.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2013 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling in der Sängerei 92 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    AJ Adam changed their Hofberg feinherb to “in der Sangerei” in 2013. This is a vineyard designation that has not been used in the last 45 years and refers to grapes from the Hofberg subplot Sangerei. Slightly off-dry I liked this a lot. Lots of lemons, peach, slate, and limes. A very finessed wine whose sweetness was very balanced by mouth-watering acidity.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2013 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Spätlese 94 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    One of the best Spatlese on the trip. The grapes were picked in November of 2013 – a bit later than usual – from the best parts of the Hofberg vineyard. A gorgeous wine that blended lush tropical fruits with some beautiful, ripping acidity. Hints of pineapple, mango, lemons, and limes. Tons of acidity, lots of character.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

  • 2013 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Auslese 94 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Barbara called this their, “easy-to-drink” Auslese, and she was right. Bright, high-toned, with lots of tropical fruits, and a spine of acid. Nice concentration, layered floral notes, and beautiful acid. Home run.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2013 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Auslese 93 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    From nearly fully dried-out raisins, these grapes come from certain outcroppings within the Hofberg vineyard and the Adam’s claim that these tiny plots have their own microclimates. Anyways, this is very honeyed. More apricot and nuttiness in this wine compared to the regular Auslese. Still retains great acidity, so there’s a lot of like here. Great balance.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2011 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Auslese 94 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    A bit fresher than the 2013 Auslese. The fruit was a bit leaner, the acids a bit fresher. Some fresh lemons, but there was some fresh tropical notes throughout. Great balance and a refreshing take on a category of wines that, at times, can be too sweet.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

  • 2011 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Auslese 95 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Silky, fresh, and powerful. Dense apricot and pineapple tones with a bit of coconut underneath. Great character, loads of balance, and tense acidity. A show-stopper.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 3 - Vollenweider (12 Notes)

This was a fascinating visit. We drove over to Weingut Vollenwieder to meet with Daniel Vollenwieder. He began making Riesling after he tried a bottle of Egon Muller’s 1990 Scharzhofberg Auslese, and his first vintage was 1999. I hadn’t tried Daniel’s wines before, so I was very excited to try them.

Most of his wines come from the slopes of the Wolfer Goldgrube vineyards which he mentioned as
being “forgotten” when he got there. Now he has nearly 4 hectares of extremely steep slopes that
possess a high percentage of very old, ungrafted Riesling vines.

×
×