Rare 1997 and 2002 Mosel Riesling from Martin Muellen

Every time I would go out to dinner with a German winemaker from the Mosel, they would always order wine from the same estate. That estate is Martin Muellen. The wines were stupendous and this became such a pattern that I did some research and to my delight, discovered that Martin Muellen wines had not yet been exported to America. Martin Muellen makes powerful, age-worthy, intense and very mineral wines in the Lower Mosel near Traban-Tarbach. Drinking aged German Riesling is a completely different experience from drinking it young.  The problem is that old German offers are few and far between and one usually pays 2-4 times the price of a current release, making them affordable only for a select few. I am thrilled to be offering two perfectly mature, beautifully crafted wines for roughly the price of newly released Mosel wines.  These are affordable enough to drink every night and their age makes them perfect to bring to a wine dinner. If you haven't had aged Mosel riesling, at this price point, it's time to dip your toe in the deep end.  The first wine is the 1997 Krover Paradies Spatlese Halbtrocken for $24.99. It actually goes down to $137.94 on the 6 pack.  What can I say about this wine? It is perfectly mature and with gorgeous fruit that is kept fresh by Mullen's wonderful acid balance.  Were it not for the complex aromatics unique to aged Mosel Riesling, one could think that it is a much younger wine. It had the perfect young/old thing that 15 year old Mosel wine can have. The second wine is a glorious Kabinett from one of the Mosel's most underrated vineyards, the Kinheimer Rosenberg. This is a classically fruity Mosel wine that is drinking great now. 2002, in general, has entered its window of maturity for dry, Kabinett and Spatlese from what I have tasted over the past 6-12 months.  The 2002 Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Kabinett can be had for $19.99 a bottle and $113.94 on the 6-pack.  Martin's wines can be difficult young in that the acid and mineral sometimes dominate, but any taster can tell you the goods are there. His '11's are perhaps some of the greatest wines of the vintage, but If I have the opportunity to offer mature Mosel Riesling I will do it. Especially with Martin's wines as you need to taste an old one before you taste a young one. Both wines are stunning and at their peak maturity or entering their peak maturity.  Krov is a town in the Mosel that gets overlooked (many negociants and growers not concerned with quality sullied Krov's reputation) but the Krover Paradies is a terrific vineyard that is extremely stoney and Martin Muellen easily makes the best wines from this great site. The 1997 Krover Paradies Spatlese Halbtrocken has a touch of creaminess on the palate, exotic spice on the nose and that is integrated perfectly on the palate with exotically ripe apricot and gooseberry fruit flavors. Stunning aromas develop that get more and more nuanced as the wine aerates. For $25 a bottle this is a crazy value. You don't often find off-dry perfectly mature German Riesling at all, and definitely not for the price being asked today.    The 2002 Kinheimer Rosenberg Kabinett harkens back to another era when Kabinett was Kabinett and not Spatlese dressed up in Kabinett clothing. This wine hails from another underrated village near Erden, called Kinheim. The character of wines from Kinheim is always of freshness. The site provides excellent buffering acidity. Loads of peach and spice flavprs on this one and a multidimensional palate. What a finish as well. Very pithy fruit that ends with a mineral/pith battle where your palate is the winner.  Martin Muellen's grand-father was a diabetic so the estate has been producing dry wines since the 1970's. They are one of the top Mosel dry wine estates because they have been doing it for longer. Not because they wanted to but because of necessity. Tasting through a range of young and old dry wines you could tell the hand of a great winemaker guided these wines from bud-break to bottling. The majority of Martin's production is dry but that does not mean the fruity and off-dry are to be dismissed. The opposite actually. I think of Peter Lauer in the Saar as the only other estate that consistently produces great wines across the dry-sweet spectrum. One thing to know about the philosophy over at Martin Muellen is he is all about full physiological ripeness whether for drier or sweeter styles. Martin believes this is essential. He harvests late and assesses ripeness by constant tasting of the grapes. He also looks at Oecshle levels as well. Natural yeasts are standard here and and all the wines are aged in cask before being bottled. Even with the emphasis on ripeness these wines are not for the faint-hearted and demand aging. They are very difficult young but one can sense greatness behind that stern mineral/acid expression of youth. But when they are mature, like these two bottlings, you will understand the genius of Martin Muellen and why all the top producers on the Mosel drink his wines. They have power and complexity and are as serious as their maker. Please reply to this E-Mail by Friday April 19th at 9 PM EST with your orders. After that I cannot accept any more orders. These wines will arrive in the Fall.  If I could please ask you to hit reply and send me your billing and shipping addresses along with your order if you are a first time customer. My phone number is 917-912-4355 and you can reach me to give me your CC #'s (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail). You will have an invoice within 72 hours after the offer ends.

1997 Martin Muellen Krover Paradies Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken - $24.99 ($137.94/6-pack)   2002 Martin Muellen Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Kabinett - $19.99 ($113.94/6-pack)