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Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Wines

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Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Wines

100 miles west of the family home and wine HQ in the Rheinhessen, Carolin Willems-Willems' family vineyards in the Saar river valley lie on largely blue Devonian slate soils, giving an entirely different profile to the wines. Near the village of Konz-Oberemmel, her 'Schiefer' ('slate') Riesling sits on south-facing slopes which retain the sun's warmth late into the evenings to aid ripening. Lighter in body and alcohol than many similar wines from the Rheinhessen or Pfalz, this crisp, dry yet mineral Riesling has a flinty, aromatic nose of lime and green apple which sets off the citrus and slate wonderfully. Great with aromatic Thai dishes featuring red chilli and fresh coriander.

The twists and ox-bow bends of the river Saar leads south to the village of Ockfen and one of the valley's most celebrated and historic slate vineyards – the Grosse Lage of Bockstein. Planted to around 55 hectares, its south-west facing vines are an offshoot from the river valley itself. This Kabinett bottling from Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt's 0.8 hectare holding is just off-dry with vif acidity to perfectly balance its sweetness and lowish alcohol by volume. Floral, elegant citrus aromas combine with juicy stone-fruit flavours and a little ginger spice give this the longevity to age for decades making it ideal with the sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami flavours of Asian stir-fries.

The historic Schloss Marienlay - east of Trier - has been home to Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt since the fourteenth-century. The winery now looks after some 46 hectares in a number of top sites across the Saar, Ruwer and Mosel, including a number of monopoles. Their much-lauded 'Alte Reben' ('old-vine') Riesling Trocken ('dry') comes from the best sites across the three regions and is a tribute to the art of blending. White peach, lime blossom and a flinty minerality dominate the nose with orchard fruit, fine herbs and a touch of rhubarb on the palate. Notable food pairings include Thai green curry or a ramen noodle soup. We have managed to acquire a small parcel of the 'Schloss Marienlay' Riesling in magnum from the terrific 2018 vintage. With slate and citrus zest aromas following to a slate and stone-fruit finish, this has the bones to age for over a decade.

Moving to the Mosel and the Graach municipality, the prized Josephshöfer's 5 hectares of south-facing Devonian slate sits below Bernkastel on former monastic land. With a slope of 50 to 70%, it is one of the steepest vineyards in Germany. The original purchase documents state 'Only the Imperial Count Kesselstatt is allowed to use the name Josephshöfer' – the vineyard remains solely owned by Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt and is classified as Grosses Gewächs – the highest quality level. Their Riesling Trocken is the epitome of top-class Mosel wine with orange zest and juicy stone fruit aromas combining with deep mineral notes and spice. Elegant and graceful, this has the bones to age for decades in good vintages yet is approachable young with mature hard cheese, wild mushroom risottos or grilled meats glazed with butter and miso.

The adjacent well-known Wehlener Sonnenuhr ('sundial') vineyard is the source for a lightly-sweet late-harvested Riesling Spätlese. Brimming with unctuous ripe stone fruit and honey, its green apple acidity and low(-ish) alcohol make it ideal with pâté, aged ripe cheese or orchard-fruit desserts - apple crumble with crème anglaise, anyone?

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  1. Saar: Willems-Willems 'Schiefer' Oberemmel Riesling 2021
    Bottle
    £20.25
    Bottle (Case)
    £243.00
  2. Mosel: Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 'Schloss Marienlay' Riesling Trocken 2018
    Magnum
    £50.50
    Magnum (Case)
    £303.00
  3. Mosel: Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshöfer GG Riesling 2018
    Bottle
    £39.50
    Bottle (Case)
    £474.00
    Magnum
    £86.00
    Magnum (Case)
    £516.00
  4. Mosel: Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Alte Reben Trocken Riesling 2020
    Bottle
    £22.40
    Bottle (Case)
    £268.80
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