Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2023

Profile & Story

Alfred Merkelbach is a traditional, tiny (about 1-1.4 hectare) family estate in Urzig on the Mosel, in business since 1867. For decades it was run by brothers Rolf and Alfred Merkelbach, who worked the steep Wurzgarten and Kinheimer Rosenberg vineyards largely by hand -- tying posts, harvesting, and racking the large fuders themselves -- and were known for a classic, delicately fruity, never-too-sweet style true to an earlier era of Mosel winemaking, with vines on original, ungrafted rootstock averaging 45 years old. Following Rolf's death in 2023 and Alfred's in 2024, the neighboring Selbach family took over stewardship of the estate to preserve its traditional style. Urziger Wurzgarten's stony, red, weathered slate gives the wines their spice and structure; Kabinett here stays refreshingly light, true to Prädikat, rarely pushing beyond kabinett-level ripeness.