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Mönchhof Urzig Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese Trocken Alte Reben is a German white wine made in the Mosel wine-growing region. The term “Alte Reben” is the German term for “old vines”. It is usually applied to vines over 30 years old.
Weingut Mönchhof is one of the oldest wineries in the Mosel Valley. The name translates as “Monks House or Monks Court” and it used to be owned by the Cistercian Abbey at Himmerod. There is documentation of vineyards in and around the village of Urzig dating back to 1177. After the secularisation of the French Revolution, the Eymael family purchased the estate from Napoleon at auction in Paris in 1804.
The last member of the Eymael family, the sixth generation, who did not have an heir, sold the winery to a wine-loving group of investors in 2016. Today, the winery is managed by winemaker Philippe Conzen, along with Volker Berres, vineyard manager, and cellar worker Remigius Schetter, who have both been working in the winery since the 1980s. They continue to produce superb Riesling.
The estate’s vineyards are located at the very steep Ürzig Würzgarten and the Erden Treppchen vineyards. The company has a good holding in one of the most prized jewels in the Mosel valley, the Erden Prälat vineyard. The vineyards are all 100% Riesling, on original rootstock, many up to 120 years old; no other grape varieties are grown.
The Urzig Wurzgarten vineyard fills a picturesque amphitheatre formed by a dramatic bend in the river. It is a bright red colour due to the red slate and red volcanic sandstone soils, and it is very steep with an 80% gradient. Due to the southern exposure and protective rocks, this vineyard has one of the warmer microclimates. Although it is directly adjacent to the vineyards of Erden, it produces a completely different kind of wine, with exotic, spicy aromas and a mesmerising earthiness. No other vineyard on the Mosel produces wines so bursting with tropical fruit flavours.
The Spätlese Trocken comes from ungrafted vines, planted in the 1920s in the rocky Kranklay section of Ürziger Würzgarten. These old vines (Alte Reben) yield low quantities of highly concentrated, refined berries, trained using the Mosel’s traditional single-pole system. This method, common a century ago, supports manual cultivation, enabling higher planting density and deep root systems, some extending 15 meters. Manually tended, the loose, healthy soils efficiently absorb rainwater.
Urziger Wurzgarten translates literally from German as “The Spice Garden Vineyard at Urzig”.
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This Riesling has bright floral aromas, mandarin, paired with subtle notes of spicy red currant. Light and vibrant with more mandarin and apple on the palate. Mineral grip and just the right balance between acidity and fruitiness.
Serve this Riesling with roasted poultry, such as herb-crusted chicken, delicate fish like sole or cod with a light sauce.
It would also pair well with a creamy mushroom risotto to complement its intense flavours and crisp acidity.
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