"Martin Müllen is ecstatic about 2015: "A great vintage, simply a great vintage! The key was not to give in to panic and harvest too early. By beginning of October, my grapes still didn't taste ripe. So I delayed the harvest start to October 12 and finished it only by early November. The great weather gave me the time to make wines in all stylistic directions, right up to a BA harvested at 160° Oechsle. The vintage is one of the great ones for me and shows great aging potential." Mosel Fine WinesAs many of you have starting tasting the 15's I have received many pleasant notes about the high quality of these 15s. Indeed the wines do equal the hype in this vintage. Maybe first time since 2001 in the Mosel or 98/08 in the Pfalz. These are legendary wines the likes we might not see again for 30+ years. You never know. Today I have the first batch of Martin Müllen's spectacular 15s. Martin makes outstanding wines every year but '15 is, and I do not say this lightly as I adore Martin and I adore every vintage, just beyond the normally high expectations I place on Martin. He has truly outdone himself. Every wine is spectacular. The combo of opulence and the trademark Müllen acid and mineral core is too good. Too divine. They are monuments to the vintage. I am sure my love of Martin comes through in my prose as I think he is one of the top 10 winemakers in Germany and easily top 5 in the Mosel. He is also a mensch in the most extreme sense of the words. He is as serious as his wines but also exudes a kindness that stands out even in a country of kind, hospitable winemakers and people. 2015 in the Mosel is super special across the board. From dry, off dry, sweet and uber sweet it is so good. So good in fact that I'll be offering a very special sweet wine along with one of Martin's top dry wines of the vintage.
Up first I have the 2015 Martin Muellen Krover Kirchlay Spatlese Trocken *** for as little as $25.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. I've sold the sweet Krover Kirchlay Spatlese in 2012 and this is the first dry Krover Kirchay at the estate since 2011. Maybe longer. As Martin told me when we were tasting this wine this past August, he does not plan to make a certain amount of Trocken/Halbtrocken/Sweet in a vintage. He takes what nature gives him. Kirchlay usually is sweet. But in 2015 it was dry. It's just the way the growing season went for that vineyard. The vines and grapes decide what they will be and Martin just guides them. Anyway, back to the Kirchlay. The wine is ridiculous and a thing of beauty and $27 is just insane for this wine. This is like the top GG quality in 15 but still has that Müllen Mosel old style character that is not in really any GG wines. The nose is wafting and achingly pure: minerals, flowers and peach. The palate is so intense. It is like going from 0-60 in a Lamborghini. The acid is insane. It goes up to 11! The palate is so deep. Ridiculous. Acid is measured at 11.4 grams per liter so it is Spinal Tap approved. Yet, the wine is still round. Right there is the magic of the 2015 vintage at Müllen. They are all Lamborghinis. This will be allocated and also I have included the review by the Mosel Fine Wines Report which is a free in depth analysis and review of The Mosel and it's wines. Jean Fisch and David Rayer are good friends and some of my favorite colleagues and they know their stuff. They put out an excellent publication and do it for the love of the Mosel. Please sign up for their list! They gave it a 93+ points and the review is below.
"This offers a beautiful nose of ginger, lemon peel, pear, melon, slate and herbs. The wine develops a superbly creamy side on the palate and leaves a beautiful feel of minerals and spices in the long and saline finish. What is so remarkable about this stunning wine is that it conveys a great sense of inner balance. There is immense potential here and we wouldn't be surprised if this even exceeds our high expectations at maturity!" 93+ pts, Mosel Fine Wines
I also have one of the most special wines I will ever offer from Martin Müllen and one of the first sweet wines in a few years that I have offered from Martin, period. The 2015 Martin Muellen Trarbacher Huhnerberg Spatlese which can be had for $34.99 a bottle and it is one of the best Spatlesen I've ever tasted. It will make your heart stop. It is a magical and special wine that has unending complexity and richness. It will last 35+ years and you will not believe how good this wine is. It's more like a GKA but whatever! It's just one of those wines that is so frigging great that it can be whatever as every sip is a gift from Dionysius. Martin told me it was one of the best Spatlesen he has ever made. The nose is all saffron, mineral, peach and apricot. It is made from 30-40% botrytis affected grapes. I also get an intense mineral component that I call "swimming pool" and am not sure what others call it. It is round, balanced, insanely juicy and concentrated with great acids, and leave the mouth watering after every epic sip. This wine shows the class and greatness of the Huhnerberg. Below is the Mosel Reports review. They gave it 96 pts.
"Harvested at 100° Oechsle, this offers a gorgeous and elegant nose of peach, pear, pineapple, almond whipped cream and spices. The botrytis impact of the grapes comes through on the palate as the wine woes one with an unctuous and creamy texture, a touch of exotic fruits and honey. Stunning acidity gives the wine elegance and finesse right into the ethereally long and honeyed finish. However, readers need to be aware that this is not a Spätlese but a great full-on Auslese GK and a great dessert wine in the making! 2025-2050" 96 pts, Mosel Fine Wines
2015 Martin Muellen Krover Kirchlay Spatlese Trocken *** - $27.99 ($103.96 4-pack)
2015 Martin Muellen Trarbacher Huhnerberg Spatlese - $36.99
($139.96 4-pack)
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