Merkelbach 2009 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett #13

The brothers... the Merkelbachs tend to a tiny (1.9 hectare) amount of land in Ürzig, at the far northern end of the good part of the Mosel. They pull fruit from the massive, grand hillside that frames the town, an impossibly steep mass of slate and vine that directly faces the wide, slow-moving Mosel. I spent four days of my last vacation in Ürzig. What better way to escape from the rigors of tasting wine for a living than to hide out in a tiny German village known for only one thing? That thing ain’t quality restaurants, which is a shame because the three streets that make up the entirety of Ürzig are dotted with more than their fair share of exceptional wineries. 

The struggle... To end on an insufferably serious note, it is my belief that the creation of wine from this vertical landscape is heroic. It demonstrates how man can harness and work within nature to create something that is the sum of our our abilities and hers. This special little time capsule: a year in the life of one plot of vines, in a bottle.