What an array of glorious Rieslings today, huh?!

This one is a hidden gem with only so much allowed for our allocation, so DO NOT DELAY.

Weingut (an estate winery that is) Karl Erbes was founded in 1967 and has been a leader in the area ever since. We are in the bucolic little township of Ürzig, where Karl started the winery, and now his son Stefan continues the legacy.

They boast own-rooted vines, some of which are 70-80 years old. This is a rarity in Europe in general, and along with the ungrafted style of vine training. The vines have to work hard and dig deep to draw up the water needed. Hardy plants make sexy wine!

For those German aficionados, notice this wine is Spätlese, so we are in the ‘late harvest’ zone of the Prädikatswein system. These grapes are harvested later (at least a week) than the expected harvest, so they have more time to develop sugars while still holding on to Riesling’s telltale natural acidity.

This is a single-vineyard designate from the Grand Cru of Ürziger Würzgarten. Per Vinography “Translated to English, the vineyard’s name means the Spice Garden of Ürzig, Ürzig being the little village that sits below the vineyard at the water’s edge. Containing some of the oldest vines (some exceeding 120 years of age), this vineyard is a mindbogglingly steep slope of bright red rock that sweeps up from the river’s edge in a shallow bowl. Impossible to work mechanically, and dangerous to work manually, getting fruit out of this vineyard can only be described as a labor of love. It takes somewhere between 1,000 and 1.500 man-hours per acre each year to maintain the vineyard, whose old vines (many of which predate the phylloxera epidemic that wiped out nearly all of Europe’s vineyards) yield precious little fruit.”

The wine is decidedly off-dry and simply magical. More full-bodied than many Spätlese cousins, with an array of fruit and intense minerality. Think flinty and fun while rounded, elegant with a lingering finish.

Per Mosel Fine Wines “Stefan Erbes is very happy with his 2015 vintage …a very good collection of wines… the fruity Kabinett and Spätlese could easily qualify as Auslese.”

Perfectly aged before it reaches you, there is only so much of this. Throw some in your locker quickly!

Mosel Fine Wines *“This Spätlese exhibits some fine floral and smoky nuances first before a fruitier side with yellow peach, dried spices, and quince kicks in. The wine is nicely playful on the palate with intense ripe yellow fruits as well as a good touch of acidity in the background. The wine is still on the sweet side and in need of a good decade to develop its inner balance. Drink 2025-2045.”