Mosel Strong
10/18/15 -
(Gernot Kollmann of Weingut Immich-Batterieberg)
“You don’t grow on a secure path. All of us should conquer something in life and it needs a lot work. It needs a lot of risk.” – Francis Mallmann
The vineyards of Germany’s Mosel wine region can be understood through beautifully rendered 19th century Prussian tax maps. They can be understood through the turns and the moderating influence of the mighty Mosel river itself, as well as through the varying colors, friability, drainage and heat retention capacity of its steep slate soils, but over those soils and on occasion carrying those soils back up their respective hills are the growers.
The paths of their vineyards and of their livelihoods are far from secure. Given parcels with inclines that begin at those of most escalators, these vineyards typically have few stairs and are often covered with shards of slate (shown below).
For the growers committed enough to work these slopes, years of tending their vines comes at daily physical risk and, ultimately, unavoidable physical cost, but for the sake of a storied viticultural history and for the myriad styles of wines that can only be coaxed from these mountain-like vineyards; there are many happy warriors.
We begin in the Middle Mosel village of Enkirch with one of the most charming and dynamic of Mosel growers, Gernot Kollman of Weingut Immich-Batterieberg.
An afternoon of tasting and chatting with Gernot makes clear that he easily could have worked and innovated to the top of any field, but he chose wine and we are all the beneficiaries. Gernot’s C.A.I. has become one of our go-to, dry-tasting Rieslings and his newly-arrived 2013 single-vineyard wines are distinctive, detailed, and delicious. The weathered gray slate of Zeppwingert gives a riper, juicier style, while the finely weathered blue-gray slate of the Ellergrub renders a spicier, more high-toned Riesling. Finally, the Batterieberg springs from more heterogeneous soils of gray slate, blue slate, quartz, and copper-colored stones that result in floral tones and powerfully mineral palate.
Remaining within the Middle Mosel, we transition to the village of Lieser and one of the most respected growers in the region, Thomas Haag of Schloss Lieser. Thomas works some of the most emblematic Middle Mosel vineyards like the Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr (pictured below).
This steeply sloped, south-facing, weathered Devonian slate vineyard can yield some of the most elegant and longest-lived Rieslings in Germany.
Next, we turn to the Lower Mosel and to the keeper of the Pündericher Marienberg vineyard (pictured below), Clemens Busch.
Along with his wife Rita and their three sons, Clemens has been a pioneer in organic and biodynamic farming in Germany. In fact, he began avoiding the use of conventional herbicides and pesticides in 1974. The majority of Clemens’ 16 hectares of vines are found on the Marienburg hillside and include distinct sites of blue, gray, and red slate. Among the highlights are the old Riesling vines planted in the blue slate terraces of the Fahrlay and the old-vine Riesling in the red slate of the Rothenpfad parcels.
Remaining in the Lower Mosel, we move on to the village of Winningen, where the Knebel family bravely tends their terraced vineyards. Monorails are used to facilitate working from terrace to terrace, as pictured in one of their top sites, Winninger Rötgen (pictured below).
Despite the numerous challenges of working these sites, Matthias Knebel met and exceeded them by avoiding the use of herbicides in 2012. This required fastidious hoeing and manual weed-removal (pictured below).
Individually and as a whole, these growers are working some of the most challenging and physically demanding vineyards in the world. Their vineyards, in turn, are among the most emblematic and noteworthy in Germany. They deserve our support and their wines deserve a place at the table. We’re very proud to present a wide selection of fine Mosel Riesling!
