Markus Molitor
Uncertain what you are looking at here? Somehow strangely attracted yet also confused? Doubtful whether this actually belongs on a wine blog? If this is what you feel looking the above picture then welcome to my world of confusion and doubt about a wine of which I am not sure if it should exist at all. What do you do with a wine clocking in at 15% alcohol? How do you feel when you realise it is a white - and from one of the coolest wine regions of a cool wine growing country? Should Mosel winemakers really do this? Should any (white) wine be so strong? Is it actually drinkable? If you want a definitive answer to these questions, please do not read on.
Some wines are waiting for a special occasion. My Pinot Noir "R" from the Molitor winery had been waiting almost ten years for its time to come (although most of it in the cellars of the Molitor estate at the Moselle) - until a friend invited me to Oxfordshire for an autumn Sunday in the countryside, including a braised duck. So off I went, and the Pinot Noir from the Moselle came with me. And boy was it worth the wait (although I am not sure if the wine really cared as much about it as we did).
Traditionally, the Moselle - or Mosel, as the German call it - is known as the home of the German Riesling, especially the lighter, fruitier and sweeter Riesling that regularly wins high ratings in international wine challenges. However, since the 1980s or so, red wine has slowly made its return. Molitor started planting Pinot Noir about 20 years ago and has received a lot of praise for his Spätburgunder, also from the Wine Rambler. This is not only the oldest Molitor wine for us to review so far, but also the oldest Pinot Noir.
I bought the 1999 Spätburgunder "R" last year when we visited the Molitor estate for a tasting. We had no chance to the sample the "R", but I was curious to find out how well the Molitor reds would age, so I bought a bottle. That was a mistake - I should at least have gotten two. Or three.
The colour first: red, of course, but a magnificent light red bordering on brown, almost like a fortified wine. The nose reminds a little of a light sherry too, age and sophistication, and marinated cherries, with a certain earthiness.
The very discreet notes of tobacco in the nose of this wine went almost unnoticed when I opened the bottle yesterday to go with a raspberry desert - but that was simply because of the quite intense raspberry smell dominating the table. Despite the fruity dessert we could easily pick up apple, peach and herbs, embedded in a fresh, mineral creaminess. A very pleasant nose coming from this 'feinherb' (=off-dry with perhaps a bit more acidity) Mosel Riesling - and a very good reflection of the sensation awaiting your taste buds. The apple is perhaps a bit more dominant on the tongue than the nose; the Riesling manages to be both smooth and a little rough (in terms of acidity think more vegetable/apple than citrus fruit) with firm minerality, good structure and a nice finish.
Last Friday, the London branch of the Wine Rambler assembled a crack team of wine lovers and socialites from half a dozen countries for a particular mission: take down eight bottles of wine. The team members were selected following the ancient wisdom of Brigadier General Gavin from A Bridge too far: I need a man with very special qualities to lead. He's got to be tough enough to do it and he's got to be experienced enough to do it. Plus one more thing. He's got to be dumb enough to do it... Start getting ready. Gavin knew what he was speaking of, after all he knew the enemy from first hand combat experience; and the enemy was/is German:
The yellow foil combined with the greenish glass of the bottle give this Pinot Blanc a warm and friendly appearance, while the simple label indicates that this wine is part of the entry level range of Molitor wines.
It has been quite a while since I tasted the sibling of this wine, the Graacher Himmelreich Spätburgunder of the same vintage; so sadly, I cannot really compare them against each other. What I can say though is that both are excellent pinot noirs. [read the full post...]
I have been looking forward to opening this bottle for almost a year, ever since I bought it at the winery in June 2008. From the tasting, I remembered that I liked it a lot. And now I like it even more.
The Klosterberg is very clean, really fresh with bits of lemony acidity, embedded in a creamy, minerally nuttiness, sprinkled with bits of shellfish. A little bit of vegetable too. I found it well balanced and very drinkable.
Simply delicious - one of the best wine we had recently. Intense, rich, saturated (yet balanced) in the nose, a little mineral meets a blend of peaches and apples with floral notes. A light, smooth sweetness (not too much though) in the mouth, peaches, candied fruit, concentrated with just the right amount of acid. What a presence! And great, long lasting finish. Alte Reben rules!
Golden colour and a nicely structured, delicate flavour: mineral with peach, herb and glucose. In the mouth, creamy texture with nice sweetness and the right amount of spiciness, acid and sweetness nicely integrated. [read the full post...]
Gold, gold, gold - molten gold flowing into our glasses. Intense fruit sugar in the nose and a creamy texture on the tongue. A very fine combination of fruit sugar, pleasant spicy acidity, mineral, honey and peaches galore - with a nice, flavoursome hint of fennel in there (and I don't even like fennel). A wave of fruity gold.
Pure golden colour, intensive (yet polished) fruity sugary flavour with a hint of herbs. Very creamy, intense, many fruit flavours, but perfectly integrated so that it is hard to pick a single one (peach was noticeable though and apricot). [read the full post...]
In the nose, this golden beauty is quite impressive: mineral, herbs, fresh acidity. Compared to that, the taste seems a little weak at first; very light but still noticeable acidity. With time the wine improves, the herbal notes get stronger, more mineral, still fresh and light. Still, it is better in the nose than in the mouth. Towards the end I notice a little bit of petrol, not unpleasant. [read the full post...]
Beautiful golden colour, just beautiful. In the nose a very present and focused fragrance - cool mineral, fruity (but not overwhelming), peaches and herbs. In the mouth mineral, very muscular fruitiness, very clear presence, perfectly balanced acidity and incredibly mature for a wine of that age - yet without the usual signs of ageing (no petrol, for instance). [read the full post...]
Light, gold-yellow colour, looks very clean. It smells very fresh, there is mineral and citrus fruit. In the mouth a good balance between a hint of sweetness, nicely balanced acid and citrus fruit, also a bit of melon and a hint of herbs. "It tastes very clean, almost like made from spring-water.", as Caroline put it. [read the full post...]
The first thing you notice about this wine is the bellied bottle that gives it an air of gravitas. Then comes the colour - I have never seen such a strong and intense red-brown Spätburgunder.
The cork smells of smoke and oak, but in a very sophisticated and incredibly smooth way - and the wine is even more intense: Black cherries and a hint of mineral in the nose. In the mouth lots of fruit, black berries, cherry, all in a very sophisticated way. A little chocolate and coffee mixed with morbid notes of hay and vegetable complement the taste.
Immensely enjoyable. So far the best Pinot Noir I have tasted.