This Estate is now among the finest of the region, and a must address for acid-affine lovers of Saar Riesling. — Mosel Fine Wine Review
This Article Contains |
People |
Stefan Muller
Focus |
Riesling from the Saar, showcasing his excellent holdings through wines that are balanced, ripe, delicate and aromatic.
Country |
Region |
Mosel
Sub Region/Village |
Saar Valley, Village of Konz
Climate |
Cold Continental
The wind whipped Saar Valley has always been one of the most difficult regions in the world to ripen grapes. Global warming has helped with more consistently great vintages, but this is still a place where acid-heads find their happy place.
Vineyards |
- Niedermenniger Herrenberg: Red slate, always adds a little extra spice. Lots of old and un-grafted vines
- Niedermenniger Sonnenberg: Red slate, from iron influence = a nice kick of spice, west, south-west exposition. Vines up to 50 years old.
- Krettnacher Altenberg: Blue slate and the local green slate known as Diabas. Smaller vineyard, cooler site. Very steep
- Krettnacher Euchariusberg: Gray and blue slate with quartz, vines planted in 1944 and 1964. Very steep, owns 5 hectares.
Grape Varieties |
Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc
Farming |
Sustainable
- Pragmatic, will use fungicides to save the vintage
- No herbicides or pesticides
- lots of organic practices
- Hand harvested
- Vineyards full of vegetation, bugs and other critters for a very healthy eco system.
Cellar Work |
Ad Hoc, with low intervention techniques
- Mix of stainless steel vats and old, used barrels
- Wild yeast
- No chaptalization
- Sulfur only at bottling
- No recipe for any wine, each is made on its own merits, depending on what the vintage calls for
About the winery |
Stefan is a pragmatist who believes in preserving the unique qualities of each site. This is best done with careful farming in the vineyard with as few interventions there and the cellar as possible. He’s not beholden to a recipe, but makes each wine on its own.
His collection on old vines in some of the almost-forgotten sections of the Saar are given extra special attention. Riesling lovers will recognize some of the names from Zilliken and Falkenstein who are also devoted to reviving this section of the Saar. Every vintage these wines gain more and more clarity, making them an excellent value.
What do the wines taste like?
The Saar has always been ground zero for the most delicate, mineral driven and laser beam focused wines in the world. The wines at Müller are exquisitely balanced, succulent, wildly aromatic, unapologetically ripe, and true to the Saar.