1994 and 2001 - Two Epic Mosel Vintages, Two Epic Wines!

I have been going to the Mosel for a long time and like any place that you have been going for a while,

you get to know people. I know a good amount of people in the Mosel and I can count Stefan Steinmetz of Weingut Gunther Steinmetz as one of my friends. He is one of the most knowledgeable people about the Mosel and Mosel wine I have ever met and has one of the best, if not the best, palates in all of Germany. If Stefan says something is good (which he rarely does), I listen. This is especially true in the Mosel as he knows it inside out and vine by vine going back 20 years. On my visit this past February, Stefan told me about an estate that was for sale in the Mosel and that they had tons of old wine they were selling at low prices. My ears perked up. He then said he had a bunch of the wines on hand and asked if I wanted to taste them. I nearly opened the bottles with my teeth I was so excited. We tasted through a bunch of wines from the Licht-Bergweiler Estate and there were two that were particularly stunning. Then he told me the prices and I nearly passed out.

Today I am thrilled to offer the 1994 Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Juffer Auslese for as little as $32.99 on the 6-pack.  20 year old Auslese for $33 of this quality is a steal.  I could charge twice as much for this wine and feel no guilt as 1994 Ausleses go for $60-80.  I have a good amount and this has never moved from the cellar in Brauneberg since being bottled.  Licht-Bergweiler was firmly in the second tier of Mosel producers behind Schafer, Prum and Haag, but right there on that second level with 5-7 other names. But they were awful at marketing and could not get it together to export to America. Our gain. The wine is sensational. 1994, up until 2001 was the reference point vintage in the Mosel. 1990 also, but that is more extreme due to the very high acidities. 1994 was perfectly balanced and perfectly ripe with excellent, but not rip your mouth out acidity. The wine is opulent and full-bodied with not that much botrytis at all. Very fine with top class breed and finesse. Elegant and opulent at the same time, which is how I like my Auslesen. "Perfect ripeness", Stefan commented as we were tasting and the aromas were vivid and clean. Because it was stored so well it is in the middle of secondary and tertiary land yet still has that youthful fruit and precision but with aged qualities. Showing crazy aromas after some air of orange peel, orange zest and mint. For $32.99, for a wine with age it does not get much better than this.

I know I have gotten lucky with 3 great old Mosel offerings in a few months, but please don't think that another old Auslese is around the corner if you underbuy this one.  I have no more old sweet German wines in the queue.

Now, I also have another wine today from Licht-Bergweiler and my inner wine geek is possibly more excited about this one than the '94 Auslese. I am totally thrilled and geeked out to offer the 2001 Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Juffer Spatlese Trocken for as little as $23.99 on the 6-pack. I knew this wine was going to be insane based on previous bottles of the 2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Spatlese Trocken consumed in 2004-2005. That was one of the greatest trocken wines I have ever had. So I saw the label and saw the vineyard and saw the trocken designation I knew this was on like Donkey Kong. The wine is just ridiculous and incredibly unique. The nose screams out of the glass with anise, herbs and mint. Vivid, detailed and fresh. Beguiling nose I could not stop smelling. This is aged in traditional fuders like Martin Muellen or Merkelbach. It is very mineral, very fine and elegant and has that amazing 2001 acidity. 2001 + acidity + Mosel = Pure Happiness. Trust me on that. 2001 is a stunning vintage in the Middle Mosel and Piesport and Brauneberg for me were the star villages. The wine is long and mineral and truly shows the strength of the vintage.

Both of these are one shot deals and
this offer will close Sunday, May 11th at 9PM.

1994 Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Juffer Auslese - $34.99 

($197.94 6-Pack)

2001 Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Spatlese Trocken - $26.99 

($143.94 6-pack)