Alfred Merkelbach, Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese Nr11, Mosel

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 …

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

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.

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

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

One thing young rieslings are made for is pairing with spicy Asian food; this was a wonderful accompaniment to a plate of chicken biryani. I couldn't help but compare it with the bottle of Dutton-Goldfield riesling I drank about a month ago. The American wine was dryer, but far less interesting. The Urgluck's fruit is more forward, but there's a tension with the underlying acidity that makes this a brilliant drink. I have two more of these and I can …

I really liked this wine. Great character with rich and sweet texture.

What a lovely wine! Flamboyantly fruity and flavorful but with a clarity and lightness which makes it a joy to drink. I had been a bit worried about how a higher pradikat wine in 2018 might show but my concerns were completely unfounded.

AP #12. Lemon yellow; aromatic, slight petrol, minerals, lemon/citrus; palate is medium bodied, low alcohol (8.5%), sweet but balanced by medium to medium-plus acidity, fades through the midpalate; surprisingly short finish compared to other Merkelbach that I've had (especially at this pradikat level). 90

** (plus) Really liked this. Just full of character, as only Mosel can be. Not so sweet, to my taste anyway. Goes down very easily. Worked very well with Chinese food (no surprise there!). Put in fridge with a Repour. On 9/25, it was still kicking. Very little change, still damn good. On 9/30, the last little bit was drinkable, but the magic had gone.

AP#11. 8% alcohol. Light yellow; aromatic, stony minerality, kaffir lime, a lovely transparency; palate is medium bodied, sweetness is present but would be spatlese-level at most other producers, clean stone fruit and lemon-lime; finish is medium-plus length. Very nice, riesling but with great producer character, and overall I'm really enjoying the spatlese to auslese Merkelbach wines, maybe an edge for the Kinheimer over the Urziger. 92