Mosel Masters - Busch, Vollenweider, Haart, Wiili Schaefer & Stein

By no means exhaustive, today's newsletter presents a short list of some of our favorite producers in Germany's Mosel Valley. All of the names above have graced our shelves at various times over the last two decades, and for good reason! They represent a cadre of like-minded producers who are dedicated to preserving old vineyards on steep slopes that were all but abandoned in the age of machine harvesting and conventional, chemical-based farming. They toil and sweat to farm historic vineyards manually, with organic treatments, always harvesting by hand. It's tough work, but for a noble cause, and a small and loyal group of wine enthusiasts around the world get to enjoy the fruits of their labor: exquisite Rieslings from some of the prized parcels in the Mosel! in no particular order, we offer today bottlings from Rita and Clemens Busch, the late Daniel Vollenweider, Julian Haart, Willi Schaefer, and Ulli Stein, all of which should be on your table this holiday season or in your cellar for a future one. -Eben Lillie

Weingut Clemens Busch

We love Clemens and Rita Busch. Not only do they make some of the most distinctive, unexpected wines of the Mosel Valley, they also have some of the biggest hearts of anyone in the wine world. Their humility and gentle, giving spirit come through in their wines and Clemens’ careful biodynamic stewardship of their land is clearly reflected in the glass.

Daniel Vollenweider

After spells working in Germany and overseas, the late Daniel Vollenweider started in 1999 with 1.3 hectares in the Wolfer Golgrube, a pedigreed vineyard that had been neglected and overgrown. By dint of hard work and the blessing of 80+ year-old, ungrafted vines Daniel began attracting notice with his brilliant prädikat wines shortly thereafter. He grew his holdings in Wolfer Golgrube in addition to acquiring parcels in Kröver Steffensberg and Trabener Würzgarten, all the while working the vertiginous sites by hand without pesticides or herbicides. This work is reflected in the depth and dazzling expressiveness of the wines, especially the prädikat wines featuring residual sugar.

Julian Haart

Still a young producer, Julian Haart received a lot of attention in Germany, due mostly to his apprenticeships with Klaus-Peter Keller and Egon Müller, and his close friendship and working relationship with Andreas Adam. Like Andreas, he’s looking to create Mosel wines with substance and depth that still retain freshness and their quintessential Mosel-ness. There’s so much demand for the wines over in Germany that his tiny production sells out instantly! Luckily we're able to offer some of his wines from time to time.

Willi Schaefer

It's no secret that the Rieslings of the Mosel (Saar and Ruwer) are some of the most articulate expressions of terroir in the world. At their finest, they are filigreed, detailed, mineral, and pure. The region is home to a number of sensational growers: J.J. Prüm, Egon Müller, Fritz Haag, Von Schubert, Lauer, not to mention one of our favorites - Willi Schaefer. This 4 hectare estate in Graach produces some of the most poetic, age-worthy, terroir specific examples of Riesling from three vineyard sites. The blue Devonian slate vineyards of Graacher Himmelreich and Graacher Domprobst produce wines that are charmingly pretty and pungently mineral, respectively, while Wehlener Sonnenuhr’s blue/grey slate soil produces wines with richer texture and a spicy character. We are pleased to offer today a number of aged bottles just entering maturity which will give pleasure now and for years to come.

Ulli Stein

I have always loved the wines of Ulli Stein. His dry ('Trocken') wines remind me of great Muscadet, or Chenin on schist. Even with his off-dry ('Feinherb') wines, I only sense ripeness, never sweetness. There is a particularly chiseled minerality and sharpness to Ulli's wines, balanced by a subtle density that calms and frames the acidity. Our love for the wines of Ulli Stein is deep and devoted. His are some of the most pure and direct, un-fancy wines you can possibly find from the Mosel. They are also, like Clemens Busch's wines and very few other producers, made with much less added sulfites than any other wines from the region, making them wonderfully "drinkable" glass after glass. -EL

All wines will be available for pick up Thursday 11/21 and shipping on/after 11/21

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