As usual I had a visit with Martin Müllen that left me reaching for words and superlatives to describe what I experienced. But this is not about his 15s or 14s (more on those in the coming months) but about the newest old wine that was added to his list. Old wine is a hard thing to come by at Weingut Müllen since has has been discovered by the Wine Advocate and Stephan Rheinhardt,
When I saw on his list the 2008 Trarbacher Huhnerberg Spatlese Trocken* for as little as $39.99 on a 4-pack I nearly jumped out of my seat. We have offered the 2008 QBA from Trarbacher Huhnerberg and the regular 2008 non starred Spatlese Trocken and I had no clue there was a starred version (which is, of course, better). I was like a little kid at Christmas or in my case, Chanukah. 2008 for me is the best vintage in the Mosel between 2001 and 2015. It is as classic as they come with razor sharp acidity, lean Mosel fruit and just electricity for days. The bottle Martin poured for me had been open for around a week or so and still needed some air in my glass as is par the course at Chez Müllen. Elderberry flowers, spices, minerals, deep profound aromas that are ripe and so intense on the nose. Complex as all can be on the nose and even more complex on the palate. I swished this in my mouth for a minute and it gained in complexity while I was swishing. Mineral, mineral and mineral and petroleum and spice and peach and salinity and an endless finish that builds and builds like the force. The acidity is perfect and brings one to attention, but the acid/mineral/fruit balance is something else. This will age for 25-35 more years.
A wine this good from Burgundy would cost well over $100. This is one of those once a year or so aged dry wine offers, I STRONGLY suggest that you stock up.
Why is this my favorite vintage?
I remember when it came out it was not looked upon as a great vintage as we were in the middle the "great ripening" series of vintages, like 2007, 2006 and 2005. 2008 was like a revival of old school Mosel vintages like 1996 or 1994. It was an utter classic. Maybe that is why it was initially looked upon with skepticism. A winemaker I tasted with in the Rheinhessen said he has over 50 cases of 2008 Mosel wines, which is a testament to the quality of the vintage. It is utterly brilliant and to have a wine direct from the cellar of Martin of one of his best wines from the vintage is a rare opportunity to buy and cellar an epic wine.
Because Martin has the oldest basket press in Germany and he presses his wines for 20 hours while normal winemakers with their modern presses will maximum press for 2-3 hours, his wines can defy normal wine laws and physics. It's just amazing what Martin does and can do. There is no other winemaker like him in the Mosel or the world and it is a gift that I can work with him. He gave me a big hug when I arrived and big hug when I left. The man exudes the joy of wine, winemaking and life and he is a gift to humanity. There is also no other winemaker who loves his wines as much as he does but not in an annoying way but in a humble, earnest and joyful way. This wine is a joy and a gift to wine drinkers everywhere.
2008 Martin Muellen Trarbacher Huhnerberg Spatlese Trocken* - $41.99 ($159.96 4-pack)
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