THE RIESLING CORNER:
APRIL 2009

Ungrafted Old-Vine 2007 Mittle-Mosel Kabinett

For the twenty-five years Markus Molitor has been at the helm of his eponymous domain, he has built his estate from a mere three hectares to its present thirty-eight. It is now the largest private estate in the Mittel-Mosel. Molitor tends twenty different vineyard sites on the Mosel and the Saar, but he is perhaps best known for his rich and inviting expressions from his vineyards in the town of Zeltingen.

Zeltingen’s wines are renowned for their full body and opulently perfumed slate bouquet. The Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard, the village’s most prized site, is composed of very thin, rocky soils atop a complex mineral bedrock of primarily blue Devon slate. Molitor is Zeltinger Sonnenuhr’s largest landholder with over 12.5 acres, much of which is planted with venerable ungrafted vines now approaching 100 years of age. These old vines, and the fact that they are ungrafted – phylloxera has thus far not been able to survive on the Mosel’s steep slate slopes, give ridiculously low yields of fruit with superb concentration and minerality.

Featured this month, the 2007 Zeltinger Sonnenhur Riesling from Molitor:

A gorgeous green-tinged lemon-gold in the glass, Molitor’s Kabinett offers aromas of perfumed blue slate, white meadow flowers, ripe apricots and walnut oil. Rich, creamy and broad on the palate, the wine explodes with suggestions of vanilla crème brûlée and preserved lemon alongside a buttery texture that is undoubtedly due to the amazing extract levels of the old, ungrafted vines. These old vines also contribute a superbly pure slate mineral core buffered by intense, concentrated lemon, apricot and peach fruit.

This is gorgeous, sappy, old-vine Riesling from a grand cru site that will both wow Mosel fans and impress newcomers to the genre. The price is extraordinarily reasonable and the wine is a natural pair for freshwater fishes presented in a beurre blanc sauce, light pork and veal recipes, as well as potato galette and vegetable frittatas. It will repay seven to ten years aging.