1996 and 2008 Muellen - Two of My Favorite Long Lived /High Acid Vintages in Recent Memory

By now most of you know of the reliably consistent immortal wines of Martin Muellen.Whatever it is,

sweet, dry, desert style (coming soon!) or off-dry the man cannot make a bad wine. They also last an eternity open in the refrigerator. I have the 2012 Trabacher Huhneberg Kabinett feinherb rocking on day 3 as I write this E-Mail.  These wines are still available because when they were bottled, the wines from the Trabach area were much less well known than they are today.  Now Trabach wines are the new hot area of the Mosel where young, talented winemakers opening new wineries go to find affordable land with incredible terroir.

I am digging into the vault today for two spectacular older Rieslings from Martin that are drinking great now but will last and last. The first is very special. It is the 1996 Martin Muellen Krover Letterlay Spatlese Halbtrocken, for as little as $26.99 on the 4-pack and it is perfectly drinking now. Direct from Martin's cellar to you.When I tasted it this recent February it was in a perfect place and of course, at Chez Muellen, it had been open a month and was still fresh and youthful yet showing aged character. It has that classic Muellen acid, which is very poignant in the high acid 1996 vintage and the palate has fascinating savory and earthy flavors along with lime pith, and some tertiary fruit flavors that interplay between primary and tertiary. Reminds me of a top class white Burgundy only the texture is a bit more interesting. The character of the site shines through. The wine amazed me. This is one of the most unique German Rieslings I have had the pleasure of tasting. I also tasted a fresh bottle and that was tight tight tight but after 30 minutes became a younger version of the wine opened a month. Could coax some fruit out of it, but needed some time to air, then all the leathery, mushroom flavors came alive. Just an amazing wine. Where else can you find this type of quality from a 2nd tier Mosel producer, direct from the cellar? Let me know as I'll be buying.

"When I realized the tremendous effort people put into the original cultivation of Hühnerberg all these years ago, I knew that this vineyard must be something very special." - Martin Müllen

I am also offering something else that is "old" but not really. The 2008 Martin Muellen Trarbacher Hühnerberg Spatlese Trocken for as little as $24.99 on the 4-pack. This wine is also a stunner. 2008 in the Mosel is also a high acid vintage with perhaps the last classic Kabinetten/Spatlesen ever made. This wine is like a laser and the flavors consist of luscious Mosel fruit, wild flowers and an eternal finish of minerals that is brought to a thunderous close by the waves of acid and mineral. It is a stunning wine just starting to drink now but will surely last 20 + years.

I have sold many Martin Muellen wines from the great Trarbacher Hühnerberg but I want to highlight a bit why it this site is  so special. In 1887 it was classified as a top site on the Mosel wine map. But it also went through a long period where it was abandoned because of the usual reasons in the Mosel.  Most Mosel vineyards are abandoned because they are overly steep with very low yields and are arduous to work.   It is Martin's favorite site that he makes wine from so since 2000, Martin has tirelessly re-cultivated the vineyard piece by piece because he believes it is a magical place. I agree. There are parcels with ungrafted vines and he got a huge parcel from some old guy who didn't want to deal with the labor any more. The parcels he got from the old man were in "ship-shape" condition. When he started re-cultivating in 2001 of the 20,000 sq/m surface, 14,000 had not been in use form over a decade. That's like no one using over 3/4 of Clos Vougeot for 10 years. So why is this spot so special. It is shaped like an amphitheater and has the best sun exposure possible. The slate is weathered blue-grey with some brown pieces as well. It also has a killer water supply in the shape of many streams that run into it and through it. The air is incredible pleasant as wel when I walked through the vineyard. Like all great vineyards it is about the unique sum of its parts that make is special. Basically, Terroir.

It does not mater if it is the smallest wine like his '98 QBA or his biggest wine like the 1995/1998 Auslese Trocken thye are all made with the same care. I do not exaggerate when I say he treats these like his children. Every wine he pours he gives a nice introduction and says it is very special, just like one would do with their children. They taste like that as well. Nurtured Riesling but never rushed which is why they need so much time and also why Martin holds so much back.

These will arrive in late fall and ship in fall/winter.

1996 Martin Muellen Krover Letterlay Spatlese Halbtrocken - $29.99 

($107.96 4-pack)

2008 Martin Muellen Trarbacher Hühnerberg Spatlese Trocken - $27.99 ($99.96 4-pack)