“The bright colored 2019 Riesling Scharzhof displays very fine Saar typicity on the nose. This is like a spring mountain river full of Riesling rolling over crushed slate. It is highly delicate but lush and sexy, with great precision, crystalline acidity and lingering salinity, finishing with just the right amount of residual sugar. Impressively long and tensioned on the pure and stimulating finish, this is just gorgeous and possibly the most fascinating Scharzhof I have tasted in 20 years. The times of calling this a Best Buy are long gone, but if you want to taste the DRC of Riesling, you should definitely try it.” 94 points, Stephen Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate August 2020. Drink 2020-2040.
Egon Muller is the sole German member of the Primum Familiae Vini whose other members include Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Vega Sicilia, Torres, Pol Roger, Antinori and Hugel et Fils.
The Rieslings of the Mosel and the Saar are light and more restrained than those of the Rhine. Cold winds in the Saar region result in an overall cooler climate - creating more austere wines, with well-defined acidity. The family own vineyards scattered throughout the region, with plantings dating from the early 1900s. Their high density planting means all vines must be tended by hand. The slate soils here are poor in nutrients, so yields are low and grapes ripen slowly, developing intense flavour as they do. In the vineyard Egon Müller uses sustainable practices - no herbicides or pesticides and "traditionally minimalist" winemaking.
