The next morning it was off to Monchhof and to walk the vineyards in Urzig. This was my first real view of the Mosel and if I ever see another place on this planet as beautiful I'll have a heart attack. The pcitures do not do it justice. Wurzgarten is an absoultely spectacular site with inclines that have to be 60 to 75 degrees. You have to be very brave to work in these vineyards. It is absolutely spectacular once you get up there to look down through the vines upon the Mosel. All the small towns almost look like dollhouses or sim cities. Just an amazing view. Robert Eymael greeted us and Mr. Eymael is the definition of a boisterous winemaker. Full of enthusiasm and knowledge with a tremendous sense of humor. Always smiling and laughing. This was just the first tasting in the Mosel but the lineup was spectacular and a sign of things to come.
'05 Estate Riesling - Just one of the greatest estate wines on the market. Classic slate aromas, green apples and flavors of pear and blood orange backed up by tremendous acidity. A great Mosel introduction.
'05 Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett - Spicey, slatey very ripe nose with apples and gummy aromas. Pure gum though. Concentrated and pure with a nice creamy texture and tremendous extract. Deliciously long slatey/appley finish. Great wine with that trademark Wurzgarten spice running throughout.
'05 Mosel "Slate" (100% Erdener Treppchen) - Powdery, slatey nose with nice ripeness. Palate is all blueberries and spice with a nice elegance and great length. Really mouthfilling with great texture.
'05 Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese - Deeper nose than the previous wines with slate (it's unavoidable), spicey apples, peach and pear. The most exotic wine on the palate with great purity and tremendous filigree and finesse. Just packed with ripe fruit. Explosive finish. Just delicious.
'05 Urziger Wurzgarten Auslese - This was the first wine showing some botrytis. A wine of amazing concentration with a huge palate with tremendous depth and richness. Massive wine that dances on your palate. Even better than it was in May.
'05 Erdener Treppchen Auslese - More elegant than the Wurzgarten with blue fruits and an amazing mouthfeel. Soft but glides. Unreal wine with a serious depth and a long finish.
'05 Erdener Pralat Auslese - Somewhat muted nose with hints of ripe tangerine. Very citrussy on the palate with nectarines and great finesse. Gorgeous wine. A tremendous set of Auslesen from Monchoff in '05 and all are great values.
'03 Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese - Petrolly nose with some wool and spice. A touch muddled on the palate with nice concentration and spice on the finish. Very good '03.
'02 Erdener Treppchen Auslese - Haunting nose of spice petrol, green apples, citrus and tangerine. Really complex. Palate was almost caramely with some serious minerality and richness all on a lithe frame. Great intensity matched by tremendous elegance.
'85 Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese - Tremendous nose of lemon curd, petrol. Really jumps out of the glass with great intensity. So concentrated with great acids and an elegant mouthfeel. The acids were crunchy and made the wine seem incredibly youthful. Just incredible.
'71 Erdener Treppchen Spatlese - OMG this is the stuff! Leathery, lemony nose with curd, petrol and spice. Just a kaliediscopic nose that had so many different facets. The mid-palate of this wine was tremendous and just blew me away. Palate-staining finish and great freshness. Just brilliant.
'05 Erdener Pralat Trockenberenauslese - Crazy nose of honeycomb, nougat, saffron and botryized fruit. So concentrated and intense but manages some elegance and has rapier-like acidity. Finish goes on and on.
'03 Erdener Pralat Trockenberenauslese - Denser nose than the '05 with mushrooms, bigger botrytis and more ripeness. Very intense. Palate was just insane. More concentraterd than the '05 but without the obvious cut the '05 had....but I would not throw this out of bed. Finish was amazing and heavy on the botrytis.
'76 Urziger Wurzgarten Berenauslese - Words cannot really do this wine justice. Incredibly complex nose of tea leaves, mushrooms and leather. So elegant on the palate with refreshing acidity, a bazaar of spices and great weight. The most complex wine of the tasting. The finish and texture of this wine were amazing. Awesome.
Robert Eymael showed us out after this tasting and we were off to Theo Haart in Piesport.
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