Selbach-Oster

Selbach-Oster might be one of the hottest domains along the Mosel, if not in all Germany.” – Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate.

Selbach-Oster

People |

Johannes (father), Barbara (mother & Sebastian (son) Selbach

Focus |

Passion and respect for the history, tradition, culture and practices of Mosel Riesling. Wines with a clear sense of place but a fruity, juicy, inviting ease to them as well. 

Country |

Germany

Region: |

Mosel

Village |

Zeltingen

Climate |

Cool Continental

• Defined as very cold winters, hot, short, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• Until climate change this was the very northern edge of where grapes could ripen fully, but usually an average of about 7 out of 10 years.
• Vineyards were planted on steep, south facing slopes to capture the maximum amount of sunlight every day, and often along rivers for the reflection of the sun back on the berries. Every little bit counted.
• Those long dry autumns are key to making great Riesling. It is a variety that can take advantage of super long ripening periods, getting ever riper and more flavorful skins (physiological ripeness), accumulating more sugar, without loosing acidity (needed for freshness and aging) the way other grapes do. Germany’s climate and Riesling are a heavenly match.
• Now: winters are usually not as cold, summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem 4 or the last 5 years, and autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• The unpredictability is what makes Mosel wines especially vintage sensitive and creates havoc (and high costs!) for winemakers.
• Cool climate wines are high in acid, low in alcohol, light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors rather than fruit.
• Usually white wines are made, but some light reds, like Pinot Noir can also ripen enough.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

24 hectares across 4 villages in the Middle Mosel. 

Soils |

Blue Devonian slate is found in every site. This is low pH, high iron and mineral content rock. It is very friable, allowing roots to penetrate very deep into the hillsides in search of water and nutrients.

• Zeltingen: Selbachs home village on the right bank. All vineyards here have blue Devonian slate.
• Himmelreich: The coolest site, now a boon in these warmer years. A very steep, due south facing, and warm parcel right behind the village, where Anrecht is located. Most of the hill faces west and many great Kabinetts come from the top section of the hill. Wines tend to be more lime green and herbal here, very zippy acidity. 

• Schlossberg: Slightly warmer than Himmelreich and cooler than Sonnenuhr, middle in elevation and steepness as well. Aspect is west, south-west, with the Schmitt parcel facing due south. More clay and topsoil for more water retention with wines that fare well in drier years. From white pith to lime, orange peel and grapefruit to ripe peach and tropical mango.

• Sonnenuhr: An extension of its more famous neighbor Wehlener Sonnenur (thanks to a certain winery located in a village across the river). It too has a sundial (this one is older), and is steeper, high elevation Grand Cru facing due south with very little topsoil. The wines here are deep, can get very ripe and spicy but with a salty minerality,  in cooler years have that perfect balance of levity and concentration.

• Wehlen: Across and down river from Zeltingen. Blue devonian slate soils. Home to J.J. Prum.
• Sonnenuhr: Also blue Devonian slate as it is a continuation of the Zeltinger Sonnenhur. The same steep slopes in most places, same altitude, same rocky meager stop soil. Different sundial. These can be some of the most gossamer, intriguing and yet perfectly fruity wines in the world.

• Graach: A unique village and set of vineyards downriver from Wehlen on the right bank of the river with a south, south-west exposure. Natural springs throughout the vineyards provide water to the vines, even in the driest of years. It has the same blue Devonian slate with big chunks so quartzite as its neighbors in Wehlen and Zeltingen but a deeper layer of loam on top for more water retention. It is also set a little further back from the river than most other villages, making it slightly cooler, with less direct sun reflection as well. There is a very specific flavor profile from these sites, an earthy-peach note that comes through in the wine no matter the producer. Home to Willi Schaefer.
• Himmelreich: fruity, charming, delicate and elegant, more easy going.

• Domprobst: Darker, herbs, darker fruit, earthier, takes longer to open up, ages even longer.

• Bernkastel: Blue devonian slate soils and home to possibly the most famous site in Germany the Doktor. This is the start of the Miracle Mile and the village is large enough to span both sides of the river.
• Badstube: a large 68 hectare, gently sloping hill behind the village. Doktor, Graben are individual sites within it. Wines tend to be fruity and rich with notes of berries and peach and effusive aromatics.. They have a parcel of ungrafted vines.

• Graben: A recent purchase of a plot with 100 year old vines to the left of the Doktor. Very hot, but shut down during ripening, which kept the fruit from producing too much sugar. Intensely concentrated wines brimming with minerality and a shockingly high amount of acidity.

 

Grape Varieties |

 

• Riesling: 
• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

• Pinot Noir: ​​
• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

• Weissburgunder
• A white skinned mutation of Pinot Noir
• The secret weapon of the Teutonics. They make the best versions of this grape, and they don’t share them.
• Germany is now the world’s leading producer of Pinot Blanc
• pale to straw yellow in color, and delicate on the nose. A slightly nutlike aroma is typical. Vinified dry, its medium to full body and fine acidity complement many types of food.
• Good examples age very well, although generally made with the aim of everyday fresh and dry wines in mind. Even these seemingly innocuous wines have the ability to age over decades..

Farming |

Practicing Organic

Cellar Work |

Very traditional, low intervention

• Even with a state of the art facility and all the gadgets available at hand the majority of these wines are made simply.
• Spontaneous fermentation, no temperature control, allowed to take as long as it needs.
• Fermentation and aging of most of the wines is in large old Fuder (1000L barrels)
• Some of the younger, fruitier wines are made in stainless steel.
• Nothing added except sulfur.

About the winery |

This is a happy place full of smart, dedicated, and passionate people. Johannes is like a walking, talking history book, always connecting the dots, with an incredibly deep understanding and insight into his home region and its wines. 

The Selbachs have been in the Mosel wine business since the 1600s. Johannes' great-grandfather Mathias Oster started a negotiation business, which is still thriving today. It provides some of the best value Riesling in the US. 

Sebastian, while not as effusive as his father, has the intense concentration and dedication of someone much older than himself. He’s an incredibly talented winemaker with some of the best wines of the estate being made on his watch.

The best thing about Selbach-Oster is that while they are rooted in tradition, it's their understanding of it that allows them to push forward into the future. From the new GG’s to Pet-Nat’s and zero alcohol wines, they are always innovating, always trying something new, and always striving to do so in the most loving and inviting way possible.

What do the wines taste like?

Happiness. Fruity, and juicy, but with enough freshness to keep them alive on your palate and in bottles should you choose to cellar some.

There are a number of very old vine bottlings with deep, intense mineral concentration.

The GG’s are great for beginners to the style. A new addition to the already extensive line up, but with the structure and composure to make you think they’ve been around all along. These are on the easier drinking side, dry, but not harsh, fruity but also with a salty, stoney intensity.

And finally, there are few things in life as good as the single parcel “snap-shot” wines Anrecht, Rotlay, Bömer, and Schmitt. All harvested at once, towards the end of harvest with everything on the vine, no matter ripe, underripe or botrytized for a perfect expression of place. Picked at an “Auslese'' level of ripeness, but never with a designation. They are dizzyingly complex, with a steely core of mouthwatering acidity from the under ripe grapes and a silky, mouth filling texture. I have never, ever had wines that lasted so long on the palate as these. Worth every penny, and underpriced as far as I’m concerned.