Pinot Noir (c) Flickr.com Wine Cellar (c) Flickr Wine Glasses (c) FreeFoto.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mosel
Paulinshof, Mosel Kesten

Since 1969 Weingut Paulinshof has been managed by the Jüngling family making fresh, perfectly balanced wine from the top class riesling grape. Starting with 2 hectares they have expanded the vineyard area to almost 8 hectares, with the most recent parcel purchased in the famous Brauneberg area. The favourable southerly exposed Brauneberger vineyards and the iron and slate soils help produce wines with great elegance and finesse.

3 grapes Gault Millot 2003. A level of extract rarely seen in Mosel wines and reminiscent of top Austrian Wachau sites in style and flavor profile. "Winery of the Year" in 2000, Alles ueber Wein. "top Three Semi-Dry Producers of Germany" Gault Millau 2003.
       
Paulinshof Riesling Auslese Trocken Kestener Paulins-Hofberger 750 2003
Paulinshof Riesling Spatlese Feinherb Brauneberger Kammer 750 2003
Paulinshof Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken Kestener Paulins-Hofberger 750 2005
Paulinshof Riesling Estate Halbtrocken 750 2006
 
Clusserath-Weiler, Mosel Trittenheim

Clusserath-Weiler is a small, family run winery in the town of Trittenheim.  Their 5 hectares of vineyards include pieces of the famous Apotheke and Altarchen vineyards in Trittenheim, as well as a portion of the Zellerberg vineyard in nearby Mehring.  They grow only Riesling, with average yields of 67 hl per hectare.  Their average annual production is about 40,000 bottles.  They use all natural yeasts for fermentation, and large neutral oak casks and stainless steel vats for aging. 

Helmut Clusserath harvests no grapes below the Spatlese level, however he reserves this designation only for wines well above the normal ripeness for the designation. One of only seven 5-star producers in the Mosel according to Eichelman, Germany's top wine guide. "Winery of the Year" in 2003 Eichelmann.

       
Clusserath-Weiler Riesling Spatlese "S" Mosel Saar Ruwer 750 2003
Clusserath-Weiler Riesling Auslese Trittenheim Apotheke 500 2004
Clusserath-Weiler Riesling Mosel Saar Ruwer EB 750 2004
 
Franz-Josef Eifel, Mosel Trittenheim

Another one of only seven 5-star Eichelmann producers in the Mosel, Franz-Josef Eifel started extremely small, with only 1.3 hectares. Outstanding vineyard site additions in Trittenheimer Apotheke and Trittenheimer Altarchen have brought his holdings to 5 hectares, planted 92% to Riesling.

Much like Helmut Cluessrath, Franz-Josef prefers wines with great clarity of fruit and pronounced minerality, but where Cluesserath's wines tend to the exotic, Eifel's wine more often show a pronounced citric character intermingled with slate undertones. Again, drier-style wines are a specialty here.

       
FJ Eifel Riesling Trittenheimer Apotheke Spatlese Trocken 750 2003
FJ Eifel Riesling Trittenheimer Apotheke Spatlese Feinherb 750 2003
FJ Eifel Riesling Trittenheimer Apotheke Auslese Feinherb 750 2003
FJ Eifel Riesling Trittenheimer Altarchen Kabinett Halbtrocken 750 2004

 

About the Region

“The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region of Germany covers 12,760 hectares, of which over half are on slopes whose angles of inclination is more than 26 degrees.  Many vineyards rise directly from the banks of the Mosel or, less directly, from those of the Saar and Ruwer.  Slate has been used in the region for hundreds of years as a building material, and where it has not been present in sufficient quantity in the soil, it has been added to feed the vines with minerals and to retain warmth.  The region normally has a warm but by no mean hot summer with an average temperature in July of 64 degrees F.  [The winters get cold enough on certain nights to allow for the gathering of frozen grapes for Eiswein]” (The Oxford Companion to Wine).

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