2018 Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #11 'Urglück'

Community Tasting Notes (8) Avg Score: 91.7 points

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  10/28/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote:

  When I pulled this bottle a couple of days ago I had no idea that Rolf Merkelbach had passed a week prior. He and his brother were shepherds of memory, of a type of Riesling not seen much anymore. It was only a few years ago that the brothers handed over their estate to the Selbachs, who continue making the wines in the same way the Merkelbach brothers did for so many decades.
  
  I was introduced to the wines with the 1990 vintage, and followed them regularly from that time on. What always struck me was that the wines never picked up on the bigger is better fashion. They remained true to their roots, and the classical style where the pradikats had meaning.
  
  This Auslese is consistent with that legacy. It’s Auslese, but many producers would probably sell it as Spätlese. It’s easy to drink, and perhaps even just quaff without thinking. Pause for a moment though, and the spice and red fruit of Wurzgarten becomes clear, with nothing standing in the way. It’s a textbook example of a site being the focus of a wine. And that’s what Merkelbach has always been - a window on the vineyard, brought into being by just a few caring hands.

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  5/27/2023 - FiggySmalls wrote:

  lots of non-fruit aspects, but soft and ripe and rather unimpressive on pnp for a Merkelbach. no huge a gripe given the deliciousness, though

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  8/7/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:

  Served alongside a 2019 Max Ferd Richter Juffer Spätlese, the two wines were actually similar in weight, and more importantly in elegance. The Merkelbach tended softer, but that was the vintage speaking, and it also had more non-fruit flavors, as expected from a Würzgarten wine. Paired with an intentionally spiced up, homemade butter chicken this worked well as a foil, and also made for a pleasing after dinner drink. This should do very well with cellar time.

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  4/4/2021 - CASEBIER KENNETH wrote: 89 Points

  Pleasant. Reads sweet, but good with Asian food. Not as complete or as much acid as others.

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  3/25/2021 - FiggySmalls wrote:

  much more stoniness and minerality vs the Kinheimer Rosenberg even though it drinks flabbier/sweeter with no citrus fruit in sight. no doubt a really good "dessert wine" if drinking now, but delicious even if you have ho plans to cellar and let the sweetness dissipate

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