2011 St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese #23

St. Urbans-Hof was founded in Mosel in 1947. Today Nik Weis is the third generation owner of the well-regarded Mosel winery, and he has changed its name to Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof. Weis made the name change to avoid confusion between his estate and others around the world that also use the name St. Urban. (Saint Urban of Langres, who lived in the 4th century in Burgundy, France, was a bishop who converted vineyard workers to Catholicism. Thus he became the patron saint of winemakers, vineyard workers, and everyone who works in the wine industry.) Weis joined the family business in 1997 after completing a degree in winemaking and oenology. The estate owns 80 acres of prime vineyard parcels in Mosel and Saar. Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof makes a large portfolio of Riesling, from dry to sweet. He has recently attempted to make his offerings less confusing by using black labels for the sweeter wines, and cream-colored labels for dry and off-dry wines.

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is Germany’s most prestigious wine region and it is comprised of the vineyards surrounding the Mosel River and its tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer. This region is the northernmost of Germany’s primary viticultural areas, located on the western edge of Germany just above the northeast corner of France. Internationally Mosel Rieslings are considered among the finest white wines in the world. In Germany and elsewhere, the region’s name is often shortened simply to Mosel, and in fact since 2007 Mosel has been the formal name of the region for viticultural purposes. The references to Saar and Ruwer were dropped for ease of marketing. The distinctively crisp, mineral tasting, acidic Rieslings produced in Mosel are attributed partly to the region’s slate soils and extremely vertiginous vineyards. Many vineyards are on 60 to 80 percent cent inclines along the three rivers. Riesling grapes represent more than half of all the grapes grown in Mosel, followed by Muller-Thurgau, a white wine grape related to Riesling, and Elbling, an indigenous white wine grape often used for sparkling wines.