St. Urbans-Hof Riesling

Country: Germany
Region: Mosel
Producer: St. Urbans-Hof
Grape variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2010
Found at: Willow Park Wines and Spirits (or see Liquor Connect and enter your postal code)
Price: $16.99

About the region: The Mosel is the coolest of Germany’s premium wine regions, known for it’s white wines, particularly Riesling. The best examples of Mosel Riesling show a great balance between sweetness and high acidity, combined with floral and green fruit characteristics. Due to its cool climate, the best sites are on steep, south-facing slopes that maximize exposure to the sun and as such benefit ripening. Unfortunately, the region’s reputation has suffered at at the hands of quite a few high-volume, lower-quality sub-regions, such as Piesport Michielsberg (not to be confused with the high-quality Piesport Goldtröpfchen).

About the wine: St. Urbans-Hof was founded in 1947 by  Nicolaus Weis and today is owned and operated by his grandson, Nik Weis. Since 2000, the winery is a member of the elite VDP group. St. Urbans-Hof produces two entry level wines: a non-estate Riesling from purchased grapes of various Mosel vineyards (called “Urban”) and his estate Riesling, which actually carries the “St. Urbans-Hof” name on the label (as shown above).  Both provide excellent value, with the estate wine being worth the extra few dollars: it’s aromatic with peach, lychee, grassy notes, and a hint of petrol, which is characteristic of many Rieslings. The taste provides a great example of high-quality Riesling: sweetness balanced with mouth-watering, mineral acidity.

If you are up to spending a bit more and upgrade to the next level, try the Kabinett Mosel Piesport Goldtröpfchen, which offers even greater intensity and richness.