The Egon Müller estate has been in the hands of the Müller family since 1797. In the Mosel’s steep, slate vineyards, the winemaking master Egon Müller makes breathtaking Rieslings. The estate owns 8.3 of the 28 hectares of the famous Scharzhofberg vineyard in Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. The family exploits their single-vineyard holding to the fullest, and consequently is ranked among the region’s top wine producers. These wines are taut and racy, with dazzling fruit; they’re severely mineral and have an endless nish. Egon Müller’s wines are all made using estate-grown fruit from two parcels: 8.3 hectares of Scharzhof and 4 hectares of Le Gallais. The Scharzhofberg, or Scharzhof Mountain, is among the nest Riesling sites in Germany and is considered Grand Cru. As such, it is allowed to be labeled with its vineyard name, or “Einzellage”, rather than its village name. The Müller holdings here include a parcel of un-grafted vines that were planted in the 19th century. These wines deliver at the highest level of quality and are without question among the world’s great wines. They are fine, balanced, authentic, and enjoyable young as well as after many years of cellaring. The Müller family added to its estate holdings by purchasing Weingut “Le Gallais” in Wiltingen in 1954. Egon Müller also belongs to Primum Familiae Vini, (The First Families of Wine), a small group of elite, family-owned producers where he is the only German member.
All Muller wines are Rieslings, but the Scharzhof is the property’s most accessible wine. The Scharzhof Riesling is made utilizing grapes from Muller’s Saarburg and Wawern vineyards, and from the Wiltinger Braunfels and Wiltinger Kupp vineyards. This wine is a sterling introduction to Riesling and to the Egon Muller range.
Scharzhofberg is one of the most famous vineyard sites in Germany, likely to have originally been planted by the Romans. Situated in Wiltingen, removed from the Saar in a side valley and facing south, its slopes are quite steep, with a 30–60% grade, and high, at 180-280 meters elevation. Formed from grey Devonian slate, the soils are very deep with no bedrock. This wine is always delicate, crisp and exquisite on the palate.
This wine displays stony minerality, hints of acacia and lilac, grilled exotic fruit, sweet stone fruits and bracing acidity all combined in perfect harmony. Due to tiny production and high demand, this wine very rare.
Spätlese means “late harvest” but at Egon Müller, the term is used for wines made from grapes of superior ripeness. Spätlese wines can carry more sugar without losing their balance. While they’re off-dry to semi-sweet when young, they reward cellaring with an incredible degree of complexity. The Scharzhofberger vineyard can develop into truly elegant wines that defy the categories of sweet and dry.
