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Producer name: Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof

Wines:

2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 100.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2070

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Trockenbeerenauslese is light amber in hue. Gorgeous lift hits the sinuses with a candied lemon peel aroma. The superbly viscous palate cuts in with even more citrus notes of lemon marmalade and candied kumquat. It has a wonderful interaction of the sharpest, most aromatic acid and exquisite sweetness, forming a highwire act of immense balance and heart-stopping thrill. The 2023 has citric aromatics that live in the sweetness and the acid while slate makes it feel scalpel sharp. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 100.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2070

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Trockenbeerenauslese fermented well into the spring of 2025. It has a deep golden hue, moves with much viscosity and smells of fir honey fringed with candied lemon. The mouthfeel is incredibly concentrated and beautifully bright with shades of lemon peel colored with honey and candied peach. What an elixir, what an essence, still with saltiness informing its luscious sweetness and acid framing it with precision. (Luscious)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Eiswein
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2065

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Eiswein was harvested at 7 a.m. on 14 January 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten. It is the first Eiswein made here since 2010. Passion fruit flutters on the nose with tart, aromatic brightness. The palate is luscious, pristine and superbly sweet, with candied lemon tones that go deeper into zestiness. Leave it alone, the aromas still have to unfold fully. The 2024 is an infant. (Luscious)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2065

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Auslese Goldkapsel is still closed on the nose. Later on, mint and lemon oil aromas seem to unite. It is exquisitely light, svelte, linear, lemony and laser-like. A citrus streak travels across the palate like lightning. The 2024 is splendid, pure, serene and so harmonious. (Luscious)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2065

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese Goldkapsel is the only wine that Weis bottled from this site, from what was left over after the frost. A hint of scented citrus appears underneath some reduction on the nose. The palate is alive with candied lemon peel and tart, tropical highlights of passion fruit. It is immensely concentrated, pristine and impactful. The 2024 thrills with both sweetness and deliciously, thrillingly sharp acid. It is gravity-defying in its lightness and mind-bending with its lemony intensity. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese was made with around 15-20% of botrytized fruit. An ocean-like saltiness on the nose transitions into a tangerine peel scent. The palate then hits you with the sweetness of candied orange peel. It really is a beauty that sprays with citric charm, always tempered with that slate saltiness. The finish is intense and incisive with glorious acidity and gorgeous balance. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett presents mint, wild thyme and lemon zest aromas. The palate is bright and shimmering with passion fruit, slate and lemon notes of lovely lightness yet beautiful firmness. The 2024 is a totally straight-laced, stony Kabinett with a citric finish. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2023 Riesling Finale Schoden
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Finale Schoden is from a single parcel within the Schodener Saarfeilser. It is called Finale because it is the last wine Weis will make from this site. It is one of his special bottlings of a parcel that shows too much character to be part of another blend. The shy nose only hints at slate and lemon aromas. The palate is a streak of lemon, bright with ripe zestiness and tingling with lovely tartness, yet completely smooth. The 2023 has a beautiful linearity and an inherent coolness that seems to radiate. It has a finish of wet stone. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2023 Riesling Neuwiese Ockfen
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Neuwiese Ockfen is from the eponymous single parcel within the Ockfener Bockstein, from a clos in the lower reaches of the site. It is one of Nik Weis' special bottlings of a parcel that shows too much character to be part of another blend. Once a whiff of reduction has cleared off, a touch of creamy peach appears on the nose. The palate has a wonderfully smooth fluidity and a clean-cut, serene freshness. Lemon and stone are the chief notions, delving deeper into rock with incisive drive. It is a delightful contradiction to have such sharpness and smoothness united. The 2023 is a quiet wine with great character. Later on, with more air, it gives herbal overtones. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2023 Riesling Mutter Gottes Piesport
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Mutter Gottes Piesport is from the eponymous single parcel within the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. It is one of Nik Weis' special bottlings of a parcel that shows too much character to be part of another blend. Supple creaminess of oak on the nose leads to a textured, bone-dry palate of real fill. What at first seems super smooth begins to prickle with saltiness depicting stone and a gorgeous pepperiness. The 2023 is serene, polished and bright. Wait for this one. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2023 Riesling Am Wasserlauf Mehring
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Am Wasserlauf Mehring is from the eponymous single parcel within the Mehringer Plattenberg. It is one of Nik Weis' special bottlings of a parcel that has too much character to be part of another blend. The 2023 fermented in a two-year-old Fuder. A gorgeous tone of dried mint mixes with the creaminess of oak. The palate has all the suppleness, juiciness and ease of 2023, shimmering with a touch of Mirabelle plum in the background. It all comes together with so much charm, concentration and poise. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben is the only village wine Nik Weis made this year, picked exclusively in the Mehringer Plattenberg from vines that are 70 to 80 years old and rooted in blue slate. Cool air seems to emanate from the glass, promising clarity. The palate follows through with absolute precision, finesse and stone contoured with lemon, where buffered acidity, fill and svelteness unite. Gorgeous clarity gives the 2024 superb poise. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Kabinett is also a new wine in the portfolio. It was picked on the borders of the Leiwener Josephsberg and Klostergarten, open to cool air and hence predestined for Kabinett. It was fermented in large oak in a cool cellar. The slaty nose is slightly shy but the palate unfolds the full salty glory, tingling with lemon and brightness. It ripples across the palate with joy, ease and so much slate and salt. The 2024 is slender, stony and very animating in its off-dry nature. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Estate Bottled From Old Vines
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Estate Bottled from Old Vines was made from some of the oldest vines of the estate. Some were planted around the winery in the 1950s, some are from Neumagen and some from the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, all between 50 and 70 years old. Slate, smoke and lemon appear as a wonderful trinity on the nose. The palate adds saltiness to the compelling mix and makes it intensely mouthwatering. The body is light, lemony and so juicy. The 25 g/L of residual sugar add real playfulness. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Alte Reben is a new wine in the portfolio with fruit sourced from Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Mehringer Plattenberg and Leiwener Laurentiuslay. The vines are all between 40 and 70 years old. Beautiful slate blends with gorgeous, smoky lemon that speaks of the Mosel with the first whiff. Juicy slenderness makes for a cooling, bright and stony palate that is a total joy. Its lightness packs in so much flavor on the salty slate- and citrus-tinged finish. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Schiefer
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Schiefer has a gorgeous Granny Smith note on the nose that blends with slight smoke and slate aromas. The palate is flavorful, slaty and citric but also shimmers with green apple and lovely grapefruit tones. The 2024 has more residual sugar than usual, namely 12 g/L, but it comes across as dry, such is the verve of the wine. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2024 Riesling Mosel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2024 Riesling Mosel is from behind the house in the Leiwener Klostergarten with a subsoil of blue slate, loam and silt. A touch of flintiness on the nose leads to a serene and light-bodied palate that is linear, citric, taut and stony. Beautifully dry and so bright, the 2024 has freshness written all over it. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
For Nik Weis, who has sites in both Mosel and Saar, 2024 was a year of mixed feelings. Dramatic frost losses in the Saar stood in contrast to the joy of acquiring the special and historic Höräcker parcel in the Kanzemer Altenberg and being able to harvest an Eiswein for the first time since 2010. The Eiswein was picked at 7 a.m. on the morning of January 14, 2025 in the Leiwener Klostergarten.

The frost damage in the Saar meant no Riesling Saar or Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben—in fact no wine from Wiltingen at all—and no Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett. Weis did, however, make a jewel of an Auslese Goldkapsel from the Bockstein, the only wine he bottled from that site. The selection in 2024 is thus more svelte than usual, as are the wines themselves. Weis also presented the 2023 single-parcel selection from his GG sites, as well as a 2023 TBA. The single-parcel bottlings are perfect for Riesling lovers wanting to dive deeper into the sites. These wines are not necessarily more obvious— on the contrary, they are quieter but have much personality.
2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2056

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese, made without botrytis, presents gentle lemon on the nose. The palate mirrors this gentleness, with supple sweetness unveiling lemon-zest-edged peaches. It offers much freshness and calm, beautifully smooth, wonderfully bright and balanced, gently sweet and pure. It contains around 65 g/L of residual sweetness.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese Gk
Color: Sweet White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese GK, made with 50% botrytized fruit, presents heightened orange and peach as gelée des fruits and candied, almost gilded. The palate introduces candied bergamot peel with its inherent spice and layered aromatic thrill. This wine is full-on and precise, chiseled like stone, vividly sweet yet deliciously sharp. Riesling on a knife's edge!

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2056

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese, made with around 25% botrytized fruit, offers a seductive nose of flint and crushed tansy. Candied orange peel aromas swirl with sweetness and tanginess in equal measure, while bitter orange peel at the heart of this wine makes the mouth water and adds another aromatic dimension. It's long, concentrated, fresh, sweet and linear.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese starts clouded by reduction but opens into citric floral charm. The palate is immensely juicy with a beautiful textural touch of herbal tisane and a total impression of tangerine peel. Aromatic, alluring, light and soaringly pure, this wine is slender, exquisite, bright and full of life force.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2100

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Beerenauslese, made with around 50% botrytized fruit, presents the clearest, most lifted candied lemon on the nose. This ethereal aroma continues on the palate, where exquisite passionfruit tartness adds a crowning accent. The acidity fizzes with a live current, following an absolutely precise, linear, lemony path. It's so dangerously direct it should be a controlled substance.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese Gk
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2070

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese GK, made with about 50% botrytized fruit, offers candied white and yellow peach wrapped in subtle creaminess. The palate bursts with citrus and delicious, almost delirious sharpness. Laser-like precision of candied lemon shimmers with notions of peach, showcasing charm and exactitude with absolute clarity.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese features about a quarter of botrytis-affected fruit. Saffron and marmalade on the nose signal this botrytis loud and clear. The palate adds Mirabelle jelly, candied lemon zest and even more marmalade. This is rich, deliciously sharp, so fine, so bright, so sleek. Yes, this is exquisitely sweet but also damn racy. Totally compelling and electric.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Mehringer Layet Auslese Gk
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2070

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Mehringer Layet Auslese GK, made with around 50% botrytized fruit, offers a nose of Seville orange marmalade with a gorgeous citric lift that hits the sinuses. The palate is exquisitely sweet, walking a tight path of sharp acid with an echo of peppermint oil—so heady, pure and concentrated. Incredible.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 98.0

Drinking window: 2035 - 2100

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Beerenauslese, made with 70-80% botrytized fruit, soars with lemon oil and candied lemon, offering an ethereal, energetic lift. A touch of peppermint oil appears as an overtone, while the palate adds white pepper and orange oil. These flavors travel in a concentrated, bullet-like fashion, driven by sheer brightness and luminous energy, like a starburst spraying with lemon sparks. Yes, this is exquisitely sweet but also exquisitely sharp.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2056

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben, picked from vines planted in 1900 in the Wiltinger Schlangengraben on red slate, offers an apple-like juiciness alongside some yeast. The palate is immensely juicy and light-footed. It's a wonderful thought that such ancient vines produce agile offspring that beguile with ease and joy. The finish homes in on stone and fruit, tangerine and lemon, smooth, rounded and vivid. Simply delicious.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Schiefer
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Schiefer represents both Mosel and Saar, picked in Wiltingen and Mehring. Lovely reductive funk on the nose promises much, with fruit underneath barely contained. The palate kicks in with wet slate and lovely zest, almost with a touch of tangerine. The finish is all salt and zest.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Saar
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Saar, picked in the Wiltinger Schlangengraben, still shows reduction on the nose. However, the palate bursts with juiciness, lively, vivid, zesty and incredibly animating. Absolute lightness is its virtue and absolute juiciness is its central pleasure factor. The finish is all citrus juiciness.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2056

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett crackles deliciously with reduction on the nose, slowly revealing slate and lemon. The palate dances on that slate, exuding joy and lemon with a good dollop of peach and such verve. This dynamic wine is full of life, with 40 g/L of residual sweetness and an exciting 10 g/L of acidity, making it electric.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Grosses Gewächs, made from basket-pressed unsedimented must, stayed on gross lees until the following summer. It unites creamy apple flesh and crushed, ethereal yarrow on the nose—unusual but totally enticing. More air adds a sense of wet stone. The palate is fine, streamlined and graceful in its detail, texture and bearing. It seems buffered, bedded on smooth yeast, finishing with a pure, clear, serene tone of lemon. Elegance and length are key.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2056

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett still has some flinty reduction on the nose. The palate bursts with gorgeous lemon vivaciousness and pure slate, dashing across the palate and hitting refreshment central. It pops with life! Lightness, freshness and gentle sweetness are thoroughly articulated and tension makes everything bounce.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2070

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs crackles with flint, lemon and herb, almost like smelling a sun-warmed patch of vineyard with crushed potentilla. The palate is immensely juicy and nakedly stony, yet smooth with all manner of citrus—zest, aroma, tanginess. Beautiful concentration and total tension relents with citrus charm. Sinew and smile, tension and charm define this wine and its wonderful depth.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Ockfener
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Ockfener comes exclusively from the Bockstein. A floral tone, as tender as apple blossom, precedes vivid citrus on the nose. The palate is taut, stony and superbly salty, with tingling slate and enticing, almost untold depth. Beautifully uncompromising, racy, sleek and so full of tension.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Mosel
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Mosel Gutswein, picked behind the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten on unweathered blue slate with alluvial topsoil, offers a flinty and yeasty nose with promising reduction. The palate maintains a yeasty vibe, but zestiness soon takes over, creating a mouthwatering, super-juicy, refreshing experience with a lovely tone of saltiness on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2056

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs opens with sunny freshness and a herbal frisson that still holds yeast. The palate brings lemony pith and a little zest, with salty, mouthwatering layers interspersing red, green and yellow apple with tangerine, lime, clementine and grapefruit. This wine shimmers and veers aromatically, dazzling you completely. All this happens on a bouncy, smooth bed of yeast and finishes on pithy zestiness.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2044

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben comes from the soft, weathered, crumbly blue slate of the Mehringer Plattenberg, with vines aged 70-80 years. Smoky reduction, tangerine peel and crushed tansy unite on the nose of this superbly sleek, racy wine. Stone and zest bring immense juiciness and a deep sense of slate. This is super zippy!

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2023 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs offers a tender nose with a scent of creamy peach, suggesting suppleness. The palate is smooth and flowing, with tension and elasticity, providing give in its softness. It shows lovely depth on the midpalate, tapering to the finest, clearest, saltiest lemon on the long, slim finish. Sublimely fresh and clear as a bell.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis delivered a stonking collection of 2023 wines, running the full gamut of Riesling styles. Weis continues to hone and chisel the house style. In 2023, this was evident in the uncommon brilliance that defines all the wines, from dry to sweet. Weis notes that rain and high temperatures made life difficult, which in some sites meant waiting for ripeness while rot advanced. He explains, “For us, the focus is on dry wines, with some nobly sweet treasures, but in 2023, because some good botrytis appeared toward the end of harvest, we indeed picked TBAs in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the Ockfener Bockstein [both of which are still fermenting]. So, there are many wines but at low volumes.” Weis sums up that, in the end, they overcame the difficulties through sorting, but it was “not a great year for the volume of dry wines.” While he lost 50% of the Bockstein crop due to sorting, an almost full yield could be picked in the Laurentiuslay. Readers should note that there will be a 2023 Saarfeilser GG, but it was still fermenting during my visit and I did not taste it.
2022 Riesling Einzelfuder Ockfener Bockstein Capello
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Einzelfuder Ockfener Bockstein Capello is from a parcel next to the more famous Zickelgarten, facing southwest. Yeasty, reductive funk holds quite an explosive mix of aromas: white pepper, ripest lemon, crushed nettle and juicy mango. The palate carries on with this wonderfully unruly, vivid, colorful intermezzo, showing uncommon playfulness and utter exuberance. Underneath all this is a single, expressive, zesty parcel of stony Riesling that today shows itself in party mood. So alive, so joyful, so spicy. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Einzelfuder Leiwener Laurentiuslay an Der Kehr
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Einzelfuder Leiwener Laurentiuslay An der Kehr is from a single Fuder,. Yeast still holds sway on the nose but is imbued with much fruit. Velvety pear and yellow plum are already seductive. The palate is dry, fresh, textured, creamy, and vivid, still with the yeasty tang but also much charm, much juiciness, much seductive fruit and a vein of luminous, luscious, salty citrus taking this to an impressive dry finish. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese is a gentle vision of smooth, lemon-edged peach on the nose. The palate adds slight creaminess to the affair, along with lemony brightness. The result is a vision of velvety, vivid, gentle peach and smooth, light-footed elegance ringing long with pure, expressive and brilliant fruit. 60g/L of residual sweetness. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: Sweet White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett has subtle pear peel and peach notes. The palate brings out far more yellow plum, juicy and textured with some pith, plus a hint of yellow plum compote. The smooth palate has some citrus spiciness, and the finish is medium sweet but not very long. (Medium)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese was made almost without botrytis. A touch of apple plays along with the stone fruit, becoming more and more intense with each sniff: Mirabelle and golden Reine Claude plums take turns with Golden Delicious apple and nutmeg spice on the nose. The palate is rounded and sweet, yet beautifully balanced, edged by nutmeg, sporting lemon peel texture and generosity with immense juiciness. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Ockfener
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Ockfener was harvested entirely in the Bockstein vineyard from younger vines and some de-classified fruit that does not make it into the GG. It opens with gentle, slatey smoke, with a subtle citrus and floral perfume later verging into citrus leaf. The palate has an exquisite lightness, serene comportment, and slender stoniness running alongside citrus notions of lemon and citron, with just an edge of pith. Dry and stony with a long finish from this exceptional site. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Mosel Gutswein
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Mosel Gutswein was harvested mostly in the Leiwener Klostergarten right behind the winery, from 50-70-year-old vines and younger plantings. It opens with vivid, fresh fruit, uniting green pear, ripe Mirabelle plum and subtle citrus. The palate continues in the same style, combining ripeness and juiciness with fresh elements and leaving zesty, clear fruit. This is vividly bright and beautifully fresh, finishing dry. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs is shy on the nose, with subtle citrus appearing only in brief glimpses alongside subtle yeastiness. The palate is juicy and flowing but comes with a certain lightness, carrying gentle, stony saltiness that is enticing and mouth-watering at its core. The palate is bone-dry, the body slender but with vivid clarity, edged with gentle zestiness. The overall feeling is of slender, citrus-juicy clarity. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben was harvested in the Wiltinger Schlangengrapben; the vines are partially own-rooted with some centenarian vines. Almost creamy lemon blossoms into riper, juicer melon fruit. A most charming wine due to its creaminess and gentle citrus-framed stone fruit boosted by 12.4g/L of sweetness. The finish is just off-dry and sits well with this wine's creamy, aromatic charm. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Grosses Gewächs is still funky with yeast and vivid fruitiness. There is muscular substance here and stony solidity. Underneath the hearty nature of this barrel sample, the vineyard shines through: solid, firm, earthy and structured. A kind of counterpart to the far more ethereal Bockstein. This is like a firm handshake and will need time to show its true nature. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Schiefer Gutswein
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Schiefer Gutswein is both from Mosel and Saar, from Mehring and Wiltingen. It opens with slatey smokiness and a slight, gentle savoriness playing around ripe but fresh stone fruit notions. Very bright, very fresh and wonderfully clean-cut, yet rounded with fruit and the beginnings of a zesty texture. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Saar
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Saar 2002 was harvested in the Wiltinger Schlangengraben. Juicy fresh Mirabelle and Mirabelle compote unite on the enticing nose. The palate is rounded, full of fruit and ease, with a slight web of pithiness lending subtle structure to the light, refreshing body. Full of verve and gentle sweetness at 23.8g/L of residual sweetness and 7.5g/L of acidity. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Grosses Gewächs is creamy, juicy and still slightly yeasty on the nose, promising generosity and richer fruit. The palate, however, presents concentration, stony depth and layers of citrus and yeast that still have to unfurl to present themselves in their grown-up glory. But it’s all here: the slightly pithy texture, the firmness and concentration, the fuller playfulness of fruit with lush pear, pale and gold citrus notions, and stone fruit ripeness. Tingling, salty, almost herbal spice held in that Mosel generosity. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett has a hint of mango, mango juice, and a gentle funk. The palate also has a tropical passion fruit spin, uniting Riesling's alluring fruitiness with its tart nature. The palate is balanced and edged with pithiness and sweetness of around 50g/L. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs charms immediately with crushed citrus foliage, white pear flesh and riper citrus aromas. The palate carries this citrus vision on with a slightly textured and concentrated yet svelte body. Beautiful citrus intensity, subtlety and slight pithiness unite and accentuate saltiness and lasting clarity. An unfrilly, stone- and citrus-focused interpretation of the site that relies on stony substance. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben is from the Mehringer Plattenberg from 70-80-year-old vines. A flinty crackle still hovers before pear peel and slight zestiness appear. Later on, there is a tropical frisson of pineapple. The palate has a stony impression, edged with juicy fruit, but stone speaks louder here, with gentle slate spice, a slight herbal tang and balanced citrus freshness on the finish. Juicy and precise. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs has gentle but enticing fruit notions on the nose, referencing tropical highlights of pineapple alongside peppery, golden pear peel and lemon that still swing with gentle yeastiness. The palate brings out the pear peel nuances with their twin expression of skin and flesh, juicy, aromatic and textured. There is more concentration and ripeness here, countered with fresh, bright acidity with pithy lemon notes. The finish is dry, a tightly coiled wine that has yet to unfold. All the promise is there. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Einzelfuder Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Mutter Gottes
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Einzelfuder Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Mutter Gottes is from a part of this site that has never undergone Flurbereinigungclose to the river, amidst the rocky outcrops with mostly 60-70-year-old vines and some even older ones. Tropical mango notions set the tone. The palate has much clarity already, and an almost miso-like touch of saltiness informs juiciest Mirabelle, laced with freshness. It finishes with a striking balance of fruit and saltiness. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Beerenauslese results from a very stringent and painstaking selection with about 40% botrytis. For now, sulfur dioxide still hovers around lemon-edged candied plum notes. The viscous, rich palate has edges of blossom honey and lemony caramel. A tropical passion fruit notion adds more allure to this concentrated, viscous, compact, highly aromatic wine with a gentle, ethereal lift and long length. (Luscious)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese still has a touch of reduction on the nose that does not manage to cloud vivid passion fruit hints with a touch of nettle. The palate presents a core of juicy, bold sweetness, again with an echo of passion fruit. This vintage has gentleness rather than thrill as its hallmark, but the Bockstein perfume charms as much as ever. 66g/L of residual sweetness. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese opens with a nose of Mirabelle compote: intense, fruity and bold. The palate is just as sweet and intense, almost viscous. Made from super-ripe rather than botrytized grapes, the mid-palate presents the full aromatic stone fruit allure with tropical overtones. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded St. Urbans-Hof estate in Leiwen. By now, the property spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein, Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg, and one of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. The family vinifies considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen noted that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now primarily made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Since the Weis family also runs a nursery, they have cool houses where the grapes are refrigerated before going into the press, which, according to Nik Weis, “makes a huge difference.” The Rieslings received no skin contact in 2022. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. Apart from the full range of 2022 Rieslings on this visit, I also tasted wines from the Einzelfuder series, which started in 2020. These are separate, specialist bottlings of single parcels within the Grosse Lagen that show distinct personalities. Quantities are limited, but these wines provide a deep dive into a site. They will make beautiful comparisons with the GGs themselves – a very niche pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless. “We often had wines that stood out, that were particular in their character or simply did not quite fit into the blend,” Nik Weis explained. “So, the decision was made to bottle the single Fuder.” The names used on the label are not necessarily the cadastral names but nicknames for these parcels. Weis noted that these wines are not on the general price list as they are “one-hit wonders” that may not appear again. Clearly, this is aimed at aficionados. In 2022, I feel the dry wines are more successful than the off-dry and sweet wines. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Blanc and finished in late October. Exceptionally, for 2022, St. Urbans-Hof was able to harvest a Beerenauslese. Please note that the 2022 estate entry level wines were already reviewed during my visit in April 2023. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2020 Pinot Noir Nik Weis
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: From Pinot Noir vines in both Mosel and Saar, with sites that are a mix of loams and soils and not necessarily steep, the Pinot Noir Nik Weis 2020 was vinified in new and old 500L and second use pièce. The nose shows ripe and almost luscious black cherry that speaks of 2020 ripeness. The palate is more balanced, also showing lovely pepper spice and some volume, checked by acidity that keeps the ripeness in check. Easy-drinking but absolute value for Pinot Noir. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: Gentle wood smoke still accompanies the vivid nose of Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese 2021 that shines with both fresh and candied lemon, along with a spicier portion of grapefruit zest. The palate totally seduces with sharply cut citrus and thrilling acidity. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: Gentle peach notes open the 2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese, having said good-bye already to the usual reductive notes. More air brings a smidgeon of candied lime peel and a lovely lift. The palate is bright and vivid, framing its sweetness with sharp, welcome acidity. What thrill, what bearing, what poise. Long live the Saar. Lovely and long finish. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The nose is still shy on the 2021 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese, but the palate displays soaring purity of Mirabelle and lemon. Juiciness and freshness meet in a really sweet spot. The mid-palate and finish hold the keys to brilliance: clarity, brightness and energy. Lovely with a really promising future. Hard to resist now, it will be even harder to resist in a decade's time. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: Stony slate and subtle citrus join the slight reduction on the nose of the 2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese. The palate is full of orange peel notions, juicy, aromatic, ripe, and alluring with its tart yet full-fruited citrus draw, walking a tightrope between killer acid and subtle sweetness. Only Riesling can do this. A svelte Spätlese that is all the more attractive for its tension and poise. Gorgeous. This will be pure seduction with bottle age. (Sweet)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: Slate, wet stone and lemon dominate the nose of the 2021 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett. More air brings notions of golden pear and ripe Mirabelle. The palate falls in step with the nose presenting juicy, rounded ripe Mirabelle combined with mouth-watering and clear lemon brightness. A most seductive combo that is irresistible and utterly refreshing. A perfect wine to convert civilians into Riesling nuts. Bravo. (Medium)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: A smudge of reduction still sits atop the 2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett 2021, but lovely citrus spice - think grapefruit, lime and tangerine - are beautifully present, too. The palate is joyful, juicy, vivid and so energetic. All the fruit, including juicy peach among all this citrus pleasure, is boosted by sweetness but made so precise by vivid acidity. Incredibly animating and dangerously easy to drink. Gorgeous citrus length. (Medium)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Kabinett Nik Weis
Color: Sweet White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: A subtle hint of smoke and flinty reduction still mark the nose of the 2022 Riesling Kabinett Nik Weis. The palate is light-footed, subtly sweet and very fresh. It has all the virtues of an medium-sweet Kabinett - bright, lemony and totally refreshing. The finish has total lemon focus. (Medium)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Old Vines Gutswein
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2028

Tasting notes: Made predominantly from Leiwen sites with some small additions from the Saar and vines that are at least 40 years old, the 2022 Riesling Old Vines Gutswein is open, with ripe peach notes virtually flashing from the glass, a real flirt. Hints of Granny Smith apple complete the picture. The palate carries a vestige of reduction but the fruitiness and lightness are absolutely evident. Light, bright and very Riesling. Strikes a natural balance on its just off-dry finish. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Old Vines Gutswein
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Old Vines Gutswein is made mostly from the vines surrounding the house in Leiwen with small additions from Wiltingen or Ockfen, from vines that are at least 40 years old. Some reduction still lingers, but the nose sports lovely stone fruit and citrus notes. On the palate that tart greengage and lemon-edged Mirabelle shine with easy juiciness. The inherent zestiness just puts away the residual sweetness so the wine finishes off-dry. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Urban Riesling
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Urban is the label that the estate introduced in 2006, created for its numerous export markets: a calling card that represents value and introduces the light-footed style of the house. It is a textbook Mosel Riesling: light-bodied, lemony and enough residual sweetness (30 g/L) to round out the acidity. This is your party wine or your go-to for spicy cuisines. Mouthwatering. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs is from one of the warmest sites in this portfolio. The tender nose unites subtle herbal savor with ripe Mirabelle and Amalfi lemon. The lemon moves center stage on the palate - bright, expressive, with gorgeously ripe acidity and unaided by sweetness. This is pure and grown-up; it shines in this year. Luminous lemon freshness and absolute tension. Lovely. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2050

Tasting notes: Just a flicker of reduction plays on the nose of the 2021 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs, otherwise the wine is shy. On the palate the concentration, drive and tension become clear. This is super-bright, citric, energetic but slender. A lovely Saar Riesling for lovers of dry wine, lip-smacking and vivid, linear and straight, with powerful Saar energy. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs is mostly from ungrafted vines, directly on the Mosel where the river is at its broadest - a very warm site, but on poor, gray slate. A rather underrated site since the village never had big-name winemakers. Layet is within the Blattenberg and a classified Grosse Lage. The nose is still shy, with just a little reduction. The palate almost has a touch of spiced apple and there is real texture, more body and more oomph. The finish is full of lemon clarity and yeasty texture. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2050

Tasting notes: Nik Weis has large holdings in this site so the estate can afford to select and make a range of Prädikat and a GG, including this 2021 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Grosses Gewächs. For a long time, they only made residually sweet wines, but this parcel, bought later, was first made as a GG in 2019. The shy nose brings tart hints of ripe stone fruit - think greengage and Reine Claude plum edged with grapefruit. The palate is gorgeously taut, vivid, expressive and spraying with citrus charm. So open, so ready, very hard to resist, yet with the stuffing to last the distance. A lovely rendition of 2021. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Grosses Gewächs is one of the few sites directly on the river Saar, facing fully south. The nose shines with alluring citrus aromas uniting crushed citrus leaf and Seville orange peel. The palate is bone dry and utterly strait-laced, taking no prisoners. All that citrus allure is there, waiting to burst forth with just a little bottle age. Wonderful concentration, the slightest hint of pith plus real tension and clarity. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Wiltinger Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Wiltinger Alte Reben Feinherb still prickles with a little reduction but there are highlights of tingling grapefruit spice. The palate is a lovely citrus tease, this time with a smidge of residual sweetness bringing out the citric juiciness. The body is beautifully light and animating. Residual sweetness, 12g/L, just disappears and the finish is barely off-dry. (Off-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Ockfener
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Ockfener is made from de-classified Ockfener Bockstein fruit, the first Ortswein (village wine) made from this site, therefore a bargain. The nose is still shy and takes a lot of swirling. Its real nature becomes apparent on the palate where exquisite, whistle-clean, pale lemon freshness meets wet stone. There is not much weight, but a good deal of clarity and a citrus-focused light-footedness that does not resort to sweetness. It is just a little short but very fresh. Lovely, one for purists. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Mehringer Alte Reben is made mostly from 70-year-old vines from three sites in Mehring: Blattenberg, Zellerberg und Goldkupp. There is a slight flicker of pineapple and lime but I am told Mehring takes a while to show its true colors. The palate, however, speaks of exquisite clarity: a very slender, bright and bone dry wine that is a true representation of 2021, carried by its clear, bright acidity and just a hint of welcome pithiness. Lovely, slender, clear. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Schiefer Gutswein
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Schiefer Gutswein is mostly from fruit in Mehring (Mosel) and Wiltingen (Saar) on slate slopes. It immediately presents slatey smokiness and fine lime peel notes. The palate is light, tender, bone dry, and full of vivid citrus. A very honest and clear presentation of 2021 virtues: superb freshness and slenderness. Great for those who like it dry and fresh. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2021 Riesling Mosel Gutswein
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2021 Riesling Mosel Gutswein is made mostly from Leiwen sites only, whose mix of slate and some loam soils lie on land that is less steep. The nose is beautifully open, lending notions of both sweet and tart citrus fruit, both their flesh and peel. The palate strikes a lovely balance, presenting the slenderness and tension of 2021. The finish is dry and wonderfully mouth-watering. One for Riesling purists and acid lovers. (Dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Riesling Mosel Dry Nik Weis
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: Smoky reduction still plays on the nose of the 2022 Riesling Mosel Dry Nik Weis, but aromatic green and yellow citrus flickers enticingly, almost with a flash of green Seville orange. The palate brings that same citrus verve and convinces with effortless, balanced freshness. Your perfect summer wine: refreshing, dry and light with an aromatic citrus finish. Very well done. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Pinot Noir Rosé Nik Weis
Color: Rosé

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: Just a touch of flinty reduction hovers on this pale pink 2022 Pinot Noir Rosé Nik Weis, before a hint of strawberry compote comes through. The palate is exquisitely light, bone dry and wonderfully fresh. Just the thing for a sunny afternoon or evening, with or without food. Fresh and easy. A perfect aperitif or party material. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Grauburgunder Nik Weis
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: The 2022 Grauburgunder Nik Weis presents clear ripe yellow pear flesh, juicy and aromatic. The palate is slender and fresh with a lovely, easy balance of acidity. The result is an incredibly friendly, easy-drinking wine that has more flavor and backbone than most Pinot Grigios. A simple, clean pleasure. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2022 Weissburgunder Nik Weis
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: Made both from estate and bought-in fruit, the 2022 Weissburgunder Nik Weis still has the slightest whiff of reduction, but underneath, bright, fresh fruit beckons - think pear flesh and pale lemon. This is very fresh, easy and has just a little yeasty texture. The finish is bone dry and clean. (Bone-dry)

Producer Commentary:
Daniela and Nik Weis are en route to the top in their 1947-founded estate in Leiwen that by now spans 45 hectares in both Mosel and Saar in sites like the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Mehringer Layet, Ockfener Bockstein and Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg. One of the newer holdings is in the Dhroner Hofberg, which is being planted to Pinot Noir. They vinify considerably more under the Nik Weis label, all in stainless steel, from bought fruit and vineyards they do not own but manage. All wines under the St. Urbans-Hof label are from estate fruit only. While Hermann Jostock remains the viticulturist (and famous nurseryman), Kai Hausen has been the cellarmaster since 2019. Hausen and Weis keep fine-tuning. Hausen notes that over the past four years, they decided on earlier harvest dates – except for the late 2021, of course – and even lower yields. The wines are fermented spontaneously wherever possible and made in both stainless steel and wood, with the GGs now mostly made in stainless steel only. More parcels are vinified separately than ever, allowing for more precise blending decisions. The evolution continues: as of 2022, an enclosed basket press allows for the gentlest pressing in entirely reductive conditions. Daniela Weis noted that yields were down in 2021, but losses were not significant. Hausen explains that he and Weis worked with skin contact and extended lees aging, leaving the 2021s on their gross lees until July 2022. The estate did not make any Beeren- or Trockenbeerenauslesen in 2021. All the GGs are uncompromisingly dry and translate their sites. The fine-tuning works: they turned out consistently bright, elegant and very fine wines in 2021. Reconstruction in 2020 also means a new, airy tasting room is now open to visitors.
2014 Wiltinger Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: Sourced from the Schlangengraben, this old-vines bottling was still shrouded by cheesy byproducts of fermentation when I last tasted it. But a good shaking roused attractive cherry and apple blossoms on the nose, and corresponding fruit juiciness made for mouth-filling yet buoyant refreshment. (Even after light chaptalization, this dry-tasting Riesling weighs in at a mere 10.5 percent alcohol.) Apple pit and lime zest piquancy and saliva-inducing salinity lend stimulating appeal to a lingering finish.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2008 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lively aromas of apricot, lemon oil and mint. The palate is animated by bright peach pit flavor and bracing acidity. A crisp, clean, pleasingly off-dry riesling with attractive spiciness on the persistent finish.

Producer Commentary:
If anything, Nik Weiss has done an even better job in 2008 than he did in 2007. Even the simple wines, which have sometimes lacked character, were spot on this year. Given the total annual production of 250,000 bottles at this estate, that is an important message for any consumer looking for a reliable label. In particular, the off-dry rieslings were classically balanced and a string of succulent spatleses eminently drinkable. Like last year, they are all in a more classical restrained style, this time dictated by the vintage. Further, his simple estate riesling at 86 points remains a steal Also recommended: 2008 Riesling Trocken (86), 2008 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2008 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (88), 2008 Riesling (85), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (91). (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY
2018 Riesling Wiltinger Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: White peach, lime and grapefruit on the nose project a sense of healthy ripeness allied to animating acidity, and that impression is confirmed on the succulently juicy yet subtly creamy palate. Nut oil richness, mouthwatering salinity and transparency to wet stone add to the appeal of a lusciously sustained finish supported by hidden sweetness. The Schlangengraben site seldom if ever really dries out – plus, of course, Weis’s old vines have deep roots – so it makes sense that this wine, even with relatively late picking, would exhibit especially efficacious acidity by vintage standards. 

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Wiltinger Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2027

Tasting notes: Sourced as usual from the estate’s oldest Schlangengraben vines, this finished with a surprisingly hidden yet supportive 22 grams of residual sugar. Something that does seem quite evident here from the sense of density is extract-richness, but that’s allied to alcoholic levity (at just 10.5%). Scents of apple and cherry are coolingly laced with mint. The impression on a polished palate is corresponding juicy and minty, leading to a bell-clear, lusciously lingering, at once soothing and stimulating finish capped by nips of cress, mouthwatering salinity and a strong undertone of wet stone.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2016 Riesling Wiltinger Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: Sourced as usual from the estate’s oldest Schlangengraben vines, this leads with pungent suggestions of grapefruit peel and wet stone accompanied by resinous notes from a second-year oak cask. The glossy palate is sappy in its apple and grapefruit intensity and invigorates with the piquancy of seeds and tang of skin and zest. The residual sugar is nicely integrated and supportive. Enough juiciness carries into the buoyant, slightly sweet finish to refresh. But this bottling certainly won’t cause you to forget its memorably fine 2015 predecessor.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Wiltinger Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

Tasting notes: At a mere 10.5 percent alcohol, this delightfully lightweight effort still manages to taste dry, its residual sugar being supportive but not perceptible as sweetness. Tart-edged, infectiously juicy lime, apple and cherry are piquantly and invigoratingly accented by seeds and pits. Stony underpinnings along with subtle smoky and ashen notes lend interactive intrigue to a penetrating, exhilarating, consummately refreshing finish. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2014 Urban Riesling
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2016

Tasting notes: The one-wine Urban Riesling brand was created a decade ago for a dry-tasting though not legally trocken wine sourced from purchased fruit grown principally in Mehring, and it tends to offer excellent value. In the present instance, from a vintage that was especially difficult around that village, we have juicy apple and honeydew melon on a polished, slightly loose palate and a finish of pleasing refreshment, if with less focus, brightness or clarity than other vintages of this wine have displayed. 

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2013 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Also recommended

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2014 Schodener Saarfeilser Riesling Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: Given the botrytis on this site, some of the fruit needed to be directed toward an unapologetically sweet Spätlese instead of solely toward the usual wine finished feinherb. Rich, peachy fruit is accented with nutmeg and allspice on a subtly oily and expansive yet buoyant palate. Enough fresh lime and grapefruit arrive to render the sustained finish refreshing as well as soothing. While this lacks quite the clarity or mineral dimension of the corresponding feinherb bottling, the kinship is abundantly evident.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2018 Riesling Wiltinger Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: White peach and yellow cherry inform a forthcoming nose and a brightly juicy as well as glossy and buoyant palate. There is a bit of extraneous sweetness on the generous finish that may well recede or integrate with time, but that doesn’t inhibit refreshment, and smoky, stony nuances serve for welcome diversity. This bottling based on fruit from the Schlangengraben has been positioned as the estate’s lower-priced Kabinett. It won’t return from vintage 2019, but only because of a paucity of fruit specific to Schlangengraben in that year.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Wiltinger Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2025

Tasting notes: This rather obviously sweet offering is loaded with Saar-typical apple and cherry as well as pear and honeydew melon. It displays a more rounded personality and softness of acidity than do most of Weis’s other 2017s, but fortunately the stone-lined finish not only refreshes but also stimulates with nips of cress.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2013 Saarfeilser Riesling Spätlese
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2024

Tasting notes: Quince, licorice and acacia blossom dominate the bouquet. The palate is dominated by creamy peach fruit, but tantalizing acidity provides clarity and purity on a satisfying finish. For those who enjoy the verve of Rieslings from the Saar, this is a beautiful interpretation of the 2013 vintage.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2002 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lovely fresh apricot, flowers and honey (from a touch of botrytis, says Weis) on the nose. In the mouth, honeyed apricot is enlivened by refreshing citricity and starched with slate. The wine is quite sweet, but the acidity provides nerve and drive, leading to a long finish. Saarfeilser, incidentally, is the estate's variation on the site, officially named Saarfelser Marienberg. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2003 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Aromas of white peach, apple pit and white pepper. Juicy, open-knit and billowy. The wine stopped fermenting and nature seems to have perfectly judged the residual sugar. Soft but clear and persistent, with white peach, honey and salts in the finish. ("Saarfeilser" is the estate's variation on the site name "Saarfelser Marienberg".) 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2018 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2048

Tasting notes: So prominent was noble rot in this steep, cobbled riverside site that this wine from thoroughly botrytized fruit – as well as a potential TBA (otherwise BA) that was still fermenting at the time of my visit – was essayed over and beyond a “regular” Auslese that was already prominently botrytis-affected. Peach and purple plum jams are shot through with Chartreuse-like herbal and floral distillates on a penetratingly high-toned nose and glossy, glycerol-rich palate. Piquant nuttiness, herbal pungency, mouthwatering salinity, and even a hint of site-typical dustiness serve for stimulation that offsets prominent sweetness on an impressively persistent and remarkably animating finish. This bottling offers a delicious illustration of the extent to which botrytis, insofar as it engenders shriveling, as it did in Weis’s gold-capsule Auslesen, often concentrates acidity as well as sugar. (Past notes on wines of Nik Weis, Lauer and Weinhof Herrenberg from this same site have explained why it is officially identified in many different ways. 2018 is the second vintage in which Weis employs not just two but three different geographical identifiers: “Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg.”)

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2016 Saarriesling
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2018

Tasting notes: In vintage 2015, Weis went from offering two generic estate Rieslings of long standing (one dry-tasting and one decidedly off-dry) to offering three. (There is also an export-only cuvée “From Old Vines” sourced in the Schlangengraben, which I have not recently tasted.) The present wine – referred to on the estate’s price list and in small print on its back label as “Saarriesling” but on the presentation label simply as Riesling – is finished subtly sweet, thus filling the stylistic niche formerly occupied by Weis’s “black label” generic. It’s sourced – at least on this inaugural occasion – from younger vines in the Saarfeilser. Saar-typical cherry and apple fruit dominate on a surprisingly soft palate. Hints of crushed stone and sweaty salinity add some site-typical interest, though it would be nice if it were longer-lasting and the finish a bit more focused and refreshing. (What for this estate reveals itself as vintage-typical low acidity is compounded by the proclivities of this steep, cobbled site directly adjacent to the Saar. The measurable upshot is barely seven grams total acidity.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2014 Schodener Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: Heat-retentive cobbles and proximity to the water combined to render Saarfeilser fruit both riper and more botrytis-prone in 2014 than that from most other Saar vineyards. There is smoky pungency as well as an aura of crushed stone on the nose, along with nutmeg, allspice and peach kernel that go on to inflect a palpably extract-rich, glycerol-slicked and subtly creamy-textured palate. The bitter, smoky and dusty elements are balanced in the strikingly-sustained finish by a welcome abundance of juicy, peachy fruit, and thanks to the alcohol’s having reached only 11.5 percent, there is a lovely sense of lift.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rich golden yellow. Striking aromas of white peach, lemon oil and woodsmoke over a bed of honeyed botrytis. Candied, glazed apricot laced with vanilla on the palate. Crisp, vibrant and clean with a persistently spicy finish, this trockenbeerenauslese shows outstanding depth and length, and great potential. A monumental effort.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2015 Riesling Riesling a.p. #12
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2021

Tasting notes: This virtually dry, high-volume generic bottling sourced principally from Leiwener Klostergarten with a small contribution from Wiltinger Schlangengraben delivers juicy, animatingly bright fresh white peach and lime laced with crushed stone and mineral salts, leading to a finish of considerable penetration and grip as well as saliva-liberating salinity. A dozen grams of residual sugar are hidden yet supportive, among other things helping to hold alcohol to a buoyant 11 percent, which underscores the wine’s sense of vivacity. (A judiciously but decidedly sweet generic bottling bears the A.P. #31 and is also reviewed in this report.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2018 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2040

Tasting notes: Site-typical smoky and stony notes mingle with scents of lime and grapefruit zest. The palate impression is glossy but with underlying firmness. Luscious mirabelle and quince emerge, stimulatingly marked by piquancy of citrus zests and seeds. An almondy element enhances the sense of richness. Sweetness here is ideally balanced despite the relatively low-acid proclivities of this steep, cobbled riverside site. Sugar has been kept relatively low by having allowed alcohol to reach 11% – atypically high nowadays for any Spätlese, even one from the Pfalz. But here is another one of those vintage 2018 demonstrations (as if it shouldn’t be obvious to growers) that levity does not require limiting alcohol to a mere 7.5 or 8.5%. The lingering finish decisively reprises the smoky and stony themes familiar from the nose, while the combination of zest and mineral impingements invigorates, and pit fruit juiciness guarantees refreshment. (Past notes on wines of Nik Weis, Lauer and Weinhof Herrenberg from this same site have explained why it is officially identified in many different ways. The 2018 vintage is the second in which Weis employs not just two but three different geographical identifiers: “Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg.”)

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2018 Riesling Schiefer
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2022

Tasting notes: This represents a cuvée from both Saar and Mosel fruit, favoring Wiltinger Schlangengraben, Leiwener Klostergarten, as well as grapes from Mehring. Subtle sweetness supports luscious pear and white peach lightly threaded with lime on a flatteringly silken palate. Like the nose, the lusciously lingering finish is pure-fruited, and it’s also admirably transparent to wet stone. 

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2016 Riesling Schiefer
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2019

Tasting notes: When Weis introduced last vintage a generic “Schiefer” bottling, it came largely from the Wiltinger Schlangengraben, with a minority share from the estate’s home vineyard, Leiwener Klostergarten. This year, fruit from those sites has migrated into two of what (if one counts an export-only “old vines” bottling that I haven’t tasted) are now four different generic offerings. The majority role in this “Riesling Schiefer” is assigned to vineyards in Mehring (hometown of Weis’s wife), with an assist from the gently sloping lower reaches of the Laurentiuslay. Legally halbtrocken, this cuvée’s marginally higher acidity than that of the “Moselriesling” and “Saarriesling” cuvées results in productive tension and welcome animating midpalate juiciness. Scents of bruised apple and wet stone anticipate the pit-inflected apple and underlying stoniness on a firm palate. The finish is a bit diffuse, but offers satisfying refreshment as well as a bit of mineral intrigue and saliva-inducement from alkalinity and marine salinity. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2016 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2028

Tasting notes: A heady nose of almost-overripe pear, hazelnut paste and candied lemon peel incorporates hints of site-typical quarry dust. A glossy palate is lusciously fruity, its overt sweetness underscoring the wine’s slightly confectionary cast. This finishes with soothing, caressing length. (It was picked in mid-October in the lower reaches of the Saarfeilser where site-typical warmth is amplified by the immediate proximity of the river and of a stone wall.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2036

Tasting notes: Early picking helped maintain modest alcohol in the corresponding Grosses Gewächs from this fast-warming site immediately adjacent to the river, but this sweet Spätlese from partly botrytis-affected fruit was harvested even earlier. Scents of peach, quince and Rainier cherry preserves presage a confitured and unapologetically sweet impression on the buoyant, silken, glycerol-rich palate. Subtly stony, smoky, site-typical inflections lend interesting counterpoint to an otherwise opulent, lusciously lingering finish. While hardly the most complex of St. Urbans-Hof Spätlesen, this is seductively next-sip-compelling.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2018 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2025

Tasting notes: At 12.5%, this is only slightly higher in alcohol than was its vintage 2017 counterpart, and it evinces no sense of heaviness. Site-typically dusty and stony notes accompany strongly pit-inflected white peach on the nose. The feel is glossy and expansive, and the finish lusciously peachy as well as stimulatingly piquant and stone-infused. It will hardly make one forget that memorably fine 2017, but nevertheless represents an admirable effort. (Past notes on wines of Nik Weis, Lauer and Weinhof Herrenberg from this steep, partially cobbled riverside site have explained why it is officially identified in many different ways. This latest Weis rendition is his second to employ not just two but three different geographical identifiers: “Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg.”)

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2028

Tasting notes: In advance of the pass that netted this Grosses Gewächs, Weis and his team thoroughly picked out any nobly botrytized or desiccated fruit (for an Auslese that I have not yet tasted), as a result of which, despite the proclivity of both vintage 2017 and this site for engendering high must weights, a legally dry wine of barely 12% alcohol was achieved. Grapefruit, apple and pit-inflected white peach ally themselves to a pleasant turnip-like earthiness and display site-typical dusty accents. There is a palpable sense of high extract and stone suffusion to the polished palate, yet also buoyancy, infectious juiciness and transparency to earthy, coolingly green herbal, piquant and savory saline nuances, leading the finish exemplifying clarity, animation and complexity that surpasses other recent Rieslings from this slope, whether from Weis, Lauer or Weinhof Herrenberg. What a contrast with Weis’s soft, borderline-bitter 2016 rendition! I’m staying conservative in my prognostication of ageability, but I would not be surprised to witness this wine defying it. (Past notes on wines of Nik Weis, Lauer and Weinhof Herrenberg from this steep, partially cobbled riverside site have explained why it is officially identified in many different ways. This latest Weis rendition becomes the first to involve not just two but three different names: “Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg.”)

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2014 Riesling Trocken Feilser Geffen Hashalom
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2016

Tasting notes: In parallel with Max von Kunow (whose results I reviewed in my report on the Saar), Weis collaborated with rabbis from France and Luxembourg in rendering the first modern kosher wines from VDP estates. This one, labeled with that site's longtime nickname, comes from the Saarfeilser, whose upper reaches remained botrytis-free and in fact only modestly ripe. (Its other label name is that of this project as a whole, and means "vines of peace.") The dearth of sulfur here has engendered a not-unattractive oxidative overlay, and also a suggestion of smokiness that fits the site. At 11 percent alcohol, there is attractive buoyancy, and nutty, stony notes lend pithy persistence to a finish sufficiently endowed with primary juiciness to refresh.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2018 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2035

Tasting notes: “There was quite a bit of botrytis present here,” noted Weis, “but as soon as we get to our Goldkapsel Auslesen, there is more of it.” Caramelized peach dusted with brown sugar is conveyed on the nose, and joined by praline confection on a flatteringly glossy, glycerol-rich albeit dominantly sweet palate. The lingering finish benefits from its touch of nutty piquancy and a measure of fresh peach juiciness, but comes off as slightly sticky. Here is another one of those vintage 2018 instances where my “drink by” prognosis reflects an attempt to reconcile likely sheer longevity with the probability of continued flavor interest. (Past notes on wines of Nik Weis, Lauer and Weinhof Herrenberg from this same site have explained why it is officially identified in many different ways. 2018 is the second vintage in which Weis employs not just two but three different geographical identifiers: “Schodener Saarfeilser Marienberg.”)

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2016 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: This second installment of St. Urbans-Hof Grosses Gewächs from the steep, cobbled, shore-hugging Saarfeilser leads with a dusty evocation of crushed stone typical for that site, accompanied by a Scheurebe-like combination of grapefruit peel and sage that translates on the palate into piquancy bordering on outright bitterness. Unlike many 2016s, this wine’s imposing sense of stuffing on a glossy palate is not allied to lift from alcoholic levity. It was picked in mid-October – the earliest of any major Urbans-Hof site in 2016 – but early accumulation of sugar in this vineyard is also typically accompanied by relatively low acidity, compounding what at this estate is a tendency of the vintage. The finish clings bittersweetly in its evocation of citrus peel and green herbal concentrates, with a hint of oiliness where I would personally prefer to have experienced greater juiciness. I lack experience with Riesling from this site that’s vinified in the manner of this one, but I have trouble conceiving of it meriting significant cellaring. (This represents a large assemblage, vinified and aged partly in tank and mostly in casks, some of which were being used for only the third time.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2024

Tasting notes: This first-ever St. Urbans-Hof Grosses Gewächs from the steep, distinctively cobbled, shore-hugging Saarfeilser was crafted in conjunction with a culling of any botrytis-affected bunches to inform a corresponding Spätlese. At just 12 percent alcohol, it evinces a lovely sense of lift that I have not experienced for a long time from any dry Riesling grown on this site. (Lauer and Loch also bottle Rieslings from here, although for technical reasons under different names for the site.) Site-typical smoky, stony and ashen notes inflect a juicy meld of white peach and lime on a polished yet firm, slightly stiff palate. The finish is brashly penetrating, tart-edged and adamantly mineral. It should be fascinating to follow this for a few years, and I’d actually give it a couple before revisiting. Hopefully it will loosen up a bit and gain in both nuance and refreshment.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2015 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: (375ml) Penetrating, prickly aromas of grilled pineapple and candied grapefruit peel scarcely lead one to anticipate the syrupy palate impression that follows. Quince preserves, honey and white raisin dominate, leading to a vibrant finish of remarkable persistence albeit extreme sweetness. This needs to be forgotten for a while; it will take a very long time for the dominance of residual sugar to recede significantly. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2018 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs Z
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The “Z” stands for Zickelgarten, which designates a prime surface area, centered on the small surface area that bears the cadaster designation "Bockstein", now owned entirely by Weis. While this wine’s vintage 2017 predecessor originated there as well, it was labeled without the additional geographical indicator “Z,” which is needed in 2018 to distinguish the present wine from an otherwise eponymous Grosses Gewächs sourced from elsewhere in the Bockstein Einzellage. Piquantly pit-inflected mirabelle and white peach mingle with orange blossom and rowan on a high-toned, intensely penetrating nose. The glossy, full palate offers a corresponding floral and fruity profusion, leading to a powerful, prodigious finish that combines succulent richness with resonance of tongue-tingling stone, citrus zest and peach fuzz. Regular readers will know that I am not one to treat power as a virtue in Grosse Gewächse, much less those from the Mosel. But here it’s allied to vibrancy as well as compelling complexity. Weis thinks this might be the finest legally dry wine yet from his estate. If not, it comes close.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2016 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: Fermented in a new large cask, then transferred in February to tank, this nearly dry bottling exhibits a resinous, faintly gummy suggestion of young oak. But this comes off as not entirely inappropriate given the prominence of bittersweet, oily orange and grapefruit zests. A lacing of tarragon is cooling and complementary. To my surprise, the wood hasn’t dried out the finish, which offers some juicy flesh of citrus and peach. Thanks to the wine’s ripe aura and low acidity, that finish is subtly sweet, even given a mere 13 grams of residual sugar. I can’t imagine this being worth cellaring to a point where the oak influence would back off. In fact, I wonder whether it ever will.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Schodener Saarfeilser
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

Tasting notes: The main label for this 10.5 percent alcohol, not quite legally dry bottling simply proclaims “Saarfeilser Riesling,” with the initials “G L” alluding to the VDP status of this site as a “Grosse Lage.” Ripely fragrant and infectiously juicy apple and white peach are tinged with their seeds and pits and infused with site-typical crushed stone and smoky ash. While I welcome this wine’s sense of levity and refreshment, not to mention its more winsome overall personality vis-à-vis its Grosses Gewächs counterpart, the latter, for now at least, displays greater finishing clarity. I would give both of them a couple of years before revisiting, which in the case of this non-trocken bottling will hopefully bring greater harmony and transparency to nuance.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2015 Riesling Riesling a.p. #31
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: This is the vintage’s judiciously but decidedly sweet (gold-on-black-labeled) St. Urbans-Hof generic, weighing in at just 10 percent alcohol, and dominated by fruit from the Leiwener Klostergarten with a mere 10-15 percent contribution from the Saar. (Two dry-tasting generic bottlings, one labeled A.P. #12 and the other designated “Schiefer,” are also reviewed in this report.) Scents and juicy palate presence of apple, grapefruit and mirabelle are discreetly backed by residual sugar that enhances the sense of luscious finishing fruitiness without significantly diminishing sheer refreshment or transparency to wet stone undertones.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2003 Riesling Qba
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: This generic estate riesling is a blend from flatter sites around the winery in Leiwen as well as from Wiltinger Schlangengraben on the Saar White peach and ripe apple aromas. Soft and juicy, full and satiny on the palate, but it also preserves a crisp edge of citrus and apple peel. Finishes clear, juicy and invigorating, with delicate florality, smokiness and slate stone and salty minerality. A terrific value. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2018 Riesling Saar
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2020

Tasting notes: Sourced from the Wiltinger Schlangengraben as well as the Saarfeilser, this is a modestly sweet cuvée benefiting from levity born of 11.5% alcohol. Ripe apple is tinged on both the nose and the polished, glossy palate with crushed stone and smoky black tea. The wine is not overly sweet, but low acidity by Saar standards – despite what I would have expected of Schlangengraben – is likely what leads to a rounded and not especially clear, animating or refreshing finishing impression. 

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Saar
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2022

Tasting notes: For a second year, there is this subtly sweet, relatively delicate generic bottling from Weis holdings on the Saar – happily, far more successful than the inaugural installment. Saar-typical, lime-laced apple and cherry accented by the piquancy of their seeds and pit inform a forthcoming nose and a lusciously fruited, animatingly bright palate, leading to a refreshingly sustained, stone-lined, subtly salt-tinged finish.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2018 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2048

Tasting notes: Quince and mirabelle jellies studded with candied lemon and pink grapefruit peels are suggested on the forceful nose of this botrytis-concentrated Auslese, as well as on a glycerol-rich palate where marzipan and caramel, but also lusciously juicy, super-ripe Persian melon, join in. Tingling zest as well as a fair measure of juiciness from pink grapefruit help leaven the lingering finish and temper the dominant sweetness of this rich, colorfully fruity performance, while an influx of mineral salts serves to activate the salivary glands. (A TBA – sorted out from this same material – was still fermenting at the time of my visit.)

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 2022 - 2050

Tasting notes: I last tasted this just ahead of its mid-September 2018 bottling, but it was already poised, focused and deliciously multifarious. Candied grapefruit peel and horehound join quince preserves and honey on the nose. A silken feel and alcoholic delicacy complement the luscious palate concentration of grapefruit and pineapple with quince and mirabelle preserves. The finish blazes with animating citricity, offering a remarkable combination of richness with vibratory energy and sheer refreshment. Almost needless to say, I envision an impressive future for this elixir.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2015 Riesling Riesling Schiefer
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2020

Tasting notes: This bottling effectively reverses the shares of Leiwener Klostergarten and Wiltinger Schlangengraben (here the majority partner) that characterized the corresponding generic Riesling A.P. #12. Fusel, smoky and wet stone notes first appear on the nose, followed by seed-inflected fresh apple that contributes tart-edged juiciness to the firm palate. While possessing a half percent less alcohol and correspondingly higher residual sugar than the A.P. #12, this displays only a marginally enhanced sense of levity and virtually the same effective dryness. The juicy, impressively persistent finish is transparent to stony and alkaline notes but lacks the mouthwatering salinity of that generic sibling.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2018 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2029

Tasting notes: For the first time, Weis has added a Grosses Gewächs to his array of Goldtröpfchen bottlings, all of which were until now residually sweet. This originates in a recently purchased one-and-a-quarter acre parcel above the hamlet of Ferres. The site features especially hard, quartzite-rich slate and is planted with single-post-trained vines that, like those in the nearby Schubertslay, were left undisturbed when most of Goldtröpfchen underwent the facelift known as Flurbereinigung. Grapefruit and pineapple on the nose anticipate welcome brightness, juiciness and tang on the palate, but those features are juxtaposed with a silken texture, fullness and richness by way of ripe apricot. Grapefruit peel, raw hazelnut and apricot kernel serve for striking counterpoint and sweaty, tangy salinity lends salivary stimulation on a finish that manages to animate and refresh while simultaneously soothing and caressing. I was amazed to discover that this beauty harbors (and hides!) 13.5% alcohol.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2016 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese a.p. #21
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2038

Tasting notes: This 500-liter auction lot leads with a confectionary variation on the non-auction Spätlese’s Scheurebe-like aromas: candied grapefruit peel, cassis drops and pungently green-herb-infused lozenges. Given the wine’s high residual sugar, that confectionary aura is intensified on the glycerol-rich palate. Happily, like its non-auction counterpart (and here, even more surprisingly), a rush of fresh pink grapefruit juiciness comes to the rescue of the finish, and the herbs take on a cooling aspect, counteracting what might otherwise have been an overly sweet, candied impression. Interestingly, this represents a bit of an experiment, as the fruit was allowed some skin contact, a procedure that helps explain its harboring a mere 7.1 grams acidity. It certainly clings impressively, but doesn’t approach the poise or mouthwatering appeal of that ostensibly lesser sibling.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2060

Tasting notes: Fresh orange and lime with their candied peels, quince jelly, white peach preserves, marzipan and hazelnut paste combine in a performance of modestly intense but seductive aromatics and a palate impression of implosive concentration, oily textural richness, and mouth-shaking energy. Given a peek on paper at the more than 13 grams of acidity present here, perhaps the sheer penetration and intensity on display come as less of a surprise. The deep layering of citrus, fruit confiture and nut paste flavors, and the electric charge conveyed on the near-endless finish are remarkable. Even knowing that anything remotely this concentrated (unless it were an Eiswein) requires significant efforts from Botrytis cinerea, it’s hard to reconcile that recognition with the clarity and pure fruit on display here. What a future this has, and what a high point for Bockstein! (And to think that until a dozen or so years ago, I suspected that this site, despite its long-standing renown, was overrated. I simply hadn’t experienced Bockstein Riesling from Nik Weis or the Lochs, for whom well-situated holdings in what has since 1971 represented a very large Einzellage were a priority.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2015 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese Zickelgarten
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2036

Tasting notes: From the estate’s monopole within the large Bockstein Einzellage, this auction-destined offering leads with scents of muskmelon, orange and mint. An opulent, glycerol-rich palate displays striking levity, although Persian and muskmelon lusciousness would have been nicely complemented by a greater sense of citric brightness. The mouth-coating finish, however, introduces a welcome measure of juicy orange as well as inner-mouth floral perfume that seems to take forever in hauntingly floating away. (Departing from usual practice, there is no corresponding “regular” 2015 Spätlese sourced from a wider range of Bockstein parcels.) 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2018 Riesling Mosel
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2021

Tasting notes: Sourced as usual largely from old vines in slate-rich, gently sloping sections of the Leiwener Klostergarten, this year’s dry-tasting Mosel Gutsriesling features borderline overripe peach and pear on an effusive nose and sappy palate. A supportive hint of sweetness is joined by welcome stimulation of tangy apple skin, zesty lime, piquant peach kernel and sweaty salinity, all of which also compensate for the hint of overripeness on the satisfyingly sustained finish.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Mosel
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2023

Tasting notes: Sourced as usual from old vines in slate-rich, sloping sections of the Leiwener Klostergarten, this year’s dry-tasting Mosel Gutsriesling managed to ferment down to legal Trockenheit, albeit barely. Scents and flavors of raw pumpkin or autumn squash are not unusual for Riesling from this site. On this occasion, alongside those scents come aromas and succulent palate presence of ripe pear. The feel is flatteringly glossy, and the buoyant finish is soothing but refreshingly juicy thanks to a squeeze of fresh lime, boasting inner-mouth perfume as well as squash-like, nutty-earthy flavors. On an utterly different qualitative level from its vintage 2016 predecessor, this curtain-raiser sent optimistic signals about Nik Weis’s vintage 2017 collection. 

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2014 Riesling Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: This virtually dry generic estate Riesling, sourced from the Leiwener Klostergarten and Wiltinger Schlangengraben, displays luscious apple, honeydew melon, white peach and lime on a silken palate, against a vivid background of wet stone. The prolonged, buoyant finish is focused, mouthwateringly salt-tinged and invigoratingly accented by peach kernel and lime zest. What terrific quality for a generic – and there are a hundred thousand bottles of it! (There is a legally trocken generic sourced from the Klostergarten and bottled solely for Weis’s domestic market, but I was not given an opportunity to taste it.) 

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2017 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 2020 - 2060

Tasting notes: Orange liqueur and strongly floral honey on the nose anticipate the glycerol-rich, viscous, creamy, luscious and extremely sweet impression conveyed on the palate, which features musky, narcissus-like inner-mouth perfume. Notes of nut brittle and salted caramel add mouthwateringly to the appeal of a vibrantly persistent finish in which there is just enough juicy fresh citrus character to genuinely refresh. I last tasted this just ahead of its mid-September 2018 bottling, and there is no doubt incipient complexity here that won’t express itself for a number of years, notwithstanding that the temptation to swallow is already irresistible.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2017 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese Lange Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2026 - 2046

Tasting notes: Representing a further cellar-sorting of the material that informed the corresponding “Goldkapsel” bottling, this is another of Weis’s nobly sweet vintage 2017 offerings that I last tasted just ahead of its mid-September 2018 bottling. The aromas here practically assault the nose with their pungent, high-toned, distilled-strength concentration of bruised orange and grapefruit peels, spruce resin and roux. White raisin adds a note of desiccated ripeness that becomes more prominent on the glycerol-rich palate, where there is a dusty sense of overt botrytis presence. The outrageously concentrated finish is grippingly piquant and brash. This needs time to settle down; right now it can’t compare with the gorgeous show being put on by its ostensibly lesser “mere” Goldkapsel counterpart.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2018 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2042

Tasting notes: Sourced form Weis’s younger vines in the Zickelgarten sector, this leads with effusive scents of orange, grapefruit and lime, all three of which convey a candied cast on the glossy palate. Marzipan serves to accentuate the wine’s confectionary aura, but unquestionably also enhances its sense of richness. The exuberantly persistent finish is dominantly sweet, but refreshingly juicy, mouthwateringly salt-tinged and remarkably transparent to underlying wet stone. Here’s one Weis 2018 Spätlese that I feel confident will stand the test of time.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2016 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2030

Tasting notes: Cress, marjoram, mint and smoky black tea inflect kumquat, grapefruit and ripe pear on an impressively pungent and heady nose. The palate impression is lush, almost plush, with the citrus elements appearing as candied peel rather than fresh juice. The wine’s cooling, piquant, incisive green herbal aspects lend welcome, stimulating counterpoint to its confectionary aspects on a lingering finish, though it wants a bit for focus or primary juiciness. Busch pointed out that this harbors “only 58 grams of residual sugar.” But given the degree of sweetness on exhibit – presumably due in large part to the wine’s relatively low (7.7 grams) acidity – I imagine that any more would have been a mistake. (A Bockstein Spätlese blend like this, usually a fixture of Urbans-Hof collections, had no direct 2015 counterpart, since the only Bockstein Spätlese from that vintage was sourced entirely from – and labeled for – the Weis monopole Zickelgarten.) 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2018 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2038

Tasting notes: A penetratingly pungent combination of mint, cilantro, cress and orange blossom is accompanied by prickly hints of reduction, which, however, conveys some invigoration on both nose and palate. And although this Kabinett – in contrast with the corresponding Goldtröpfchen – harbors a mere 8% alcohol, there is considerable acidity to balance out its high residual sugar, if with a somewhat sweet-sour upshot. The feel is polished, and a sense of buoyancy and a mouthwatering lick of salinity accompany floral perfume, herbal pungency and bright lime and apple juiciness on the finish. When this settles down in bottle, it may prove yet more impressive.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2038

Tasting notes: A penetratingly pungent and haunting site-typical nose features apple, orange blossom, honeysuckle, roux and mint. The brightly juicy, glossy and delicate palate perpetuates both cooling and nipping green herbal elements as well as billowing floral perfume. The finish, while rather obviously sweet, is vibrant, strikingly layered, and capped with a saliva-liberating hint of salinity, not to mention irresistibly luscious. “We didn’t even begin harvesting in Bockstein until October 15 or 16,” related Weis, so it isn’t shocking that the fruit for this bottling was harvested at 93 Oechsle. Whether the designation “Kabinett” fits is neither here nor there in terms of quality.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2016 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2032

Tasting notes: On the nose, this delivers incisive notes of cress to complement scents of orange, grapefruit and apple. The palate, while subtly and flatteringly creamy in texture, picks up pep and bright juiciness from just over nine grams of acidity, translating into an animation, clarity and refreshment not approached by any other wine in the St. Urbans-Hof 2016 collection. Add a mouthwatering lick of salt, plus the continued invigoration of cress, and you have a superb advertisement for the stimulating, tonic-like virtues of Saar and specifically Bockstein Riesling. (This features fruit from the so-called Zickelgarten sector of Bockstein, a monopole that has been inscribed on selected past Urbans-Hof labels, but not that of this wine.) 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2013 Riesling
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2019

Tasting notes: Also recommended

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2018 Riesling Mehringer Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2027

Tasting notes: Unsurprisingly, this harbors a full percent more additional alcohol (at 12%) than did its vintage 2017 counterpart, but there is still some sense of lift. Very subtle sweetness supports the succulence of mirabelle and white peach that were intimated on the nose. Honeysuckle perfume emerges inner-mouth, where a flatteringly silken, subtly creamy texture leads to a soothing, lusciously fruity finish, yet one benefiting from lightly invigorating tingle of lime zest and peach fuzz as well as exhibiting admirable transparency to wet stone underpinnings. (For more on this wine and Weis’s Mehring vineyards, consult both my notes on his 2017s and the introductory text that accompanied those notes.)

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Mehringer Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2022

Tasting notes: This year’s Mehringer Riesling is as usual labeled “feinherb,” although fermentation, no doubt stimulated by the employment of a new fuder, proceeded down to 13 grams of residual sugar, and the wine tastes essentially dry. Yet it harbors just 11% alcohol and enjoys a corresponding sense of levity, something of an advertisement for the virtues of the Mehringer Blattenberg but perhaps even more so for ancient vine genetics. (Centenarian vines still predominate in Weis’s holdings, but the young vines reflect selections taken from the oldsters.) On the nose , white peach and passion fruit are only subtly accented by oak resin, although there is an underlying firmness of feel to the polished palate and a slightly drying spot in the buoyant finish of this bottling that betray its exposure to new wood. Fortunately, stony and ashen notes come through as well, ensuring a certain measure of intrigue, though I would have been happier had I been able to derive more sheer refreshment. It will be interesting to observe the bottle evolution of this particular wine, though I’m sure Weis doesn’t share my skepticism. “One reason that wooden casks – and not always old ones – are the tradition on the Mosel,” he commented as we tasted, “is that these vessels conduced to the wines’ ageability.”

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2016 Riesling Mehringer Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2019

Tasting notes: This comes from largely old vines in the Mehringer Blattenberg (and the younger vines interspersed here all reflect their ancient neighbors’ genetics). Hints of resin and lanolin from a once-used oak cask mingle with scents of muskmelon, mirabelle and pumpkin that point to the wine’s combination of ripeness with relatively low acidity. The palate is glossy and expansive but buoyant, and introduces a nip of grapefruit peel for a bit of invigorating piquancy. But there is a dearth of primary juiciness and consequently of refreshment on the finish, which can probably be laid at the door of that newish cask. The contrast with this wine’s 2015 predecessor could (alas) scarcely be greater. Busch reported that this bottling was targeted to approach or attain legal dryness, but Rudi Hoffmann was so taken with it in the present, very subtly sweet, form that he intervened (literally).

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Mehringer Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

Tasting notes: Brightly juicy and aromatically pungent grapefruit and lime acquire intriguingly smoky, stony and iodine-like mineral accents on a lithe, buoyant (11 percent alcohol), polished palate. A mouthwatering saline-sweet savor akin to shrimp-shell reduction segues into a long, consummately refreshing, electrically charged finish. There is an almost severe edge to the combined effects of high acidity, fruit skin tartness, citrus zest and mineral matter, but that serves for bracing invigoration without turning in the least objectionable. Fans of Middle Mosel Riesling unfamiliar with the vineyards of Mehring – just downstream from Longuich and less than five miles as the crow flies from Mertesdorf on the Ruwer – or who know them only from the distinctively different efforts of Clüsserath-Weiler, have a delicious discovery in store. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2017 Riesling Mehringer Layet Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2042

Tasting notes: The aromatic and palate impressions here are almost severe in their concentration of bright, zesty lime and piquantly pit-inflected apple. The feel is flatteringly silken, making for fascinating and buffering contrast with the tartly invigorating flavors that dominate. The buoyant, vibrant, slate-saturated finish delivers rapier penetration and precision. That there is only 7.5% alcohol present suggests how high in residual sugar this bottling must be, yet it tastes only slightly sweet. Weis noted that among his vintage 2017 Spätlesen, this was from the beginning the one that stood out to him and his colleagues as the most impressive. It’s hard for me to imagine that it won’t be long-lived, or that it won’t become more ingratiating in the process. (For more on this site, consult my introduction to this coverage of Weis’s 2017s.)

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2018 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2029

Tasting notes: For the first time, Weis has bottled two Bockstein Grosse Gewächse. This is from the Neuwies (a.k.a. Auf der Nauwies) sector of Bockstein; the other – which carries on its label the added designation “Z” – originates in the Zickelgarten sector (centered on the small surface area that bears the cadaster designation "Bockstein"). A pungent, shrubby nose evokes privet, roux and fennel, along with site-typical orange blossom. The glossy, full palate avoids heaviness or heat despite 13.5% alcohol, and introduces zesty orange and luscious albeit piquantly pit-infected white peach. The powerful, mouthwateringly lingering finish adds to the aforementioned herbs and fruits a strikingly savory, sweet-saline and iodine-tinged layer akin to lobster shell reduction, as well as a delightful and totally unexpected sense of tingling stony impingement. I am under no illusions as regards the possibility that this wine’s alcohol might catch up with it after some years in bottle, so I have been cautious in my prognostication. But I am amazed that a Saar Riesling of 13.5% alcohol has turned out so impressively. Powerful, yes; but also animating as well as compellingly complex.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2026

Tasting notes: From the Zickelgarten portion of Bockstein that is now a virtual Nik Weis monopoly, this displays scents and juicy abundance of site-typical apple and orange tinged with anise. As with Weis’s corresponding Saarfeilser, there is barely 12% alcohol, which translates into a lovely sense of lift to complement underlying density on a polished palate. Piquancy of orange seed and nips of cress heighten the invigoration of a refreshingly sustained, stone-lined finish. (Since “Zickelgarten” has recently been prominently identified as the place of origin on certain St. Urbans-Hof labels, I was surprised that this wasn’t the case here. But the site is not yet been classified by the VDP as a “Grosse Lage” and, in addition, Weis probably wishes to hedge his bets as to the portion of Bockstein from which future Grosse Gewächse might issue.)

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2018 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2026

Tasting notes: Smoky pungency of marjoram accents apple, white peach and grapefruit on the nose, setting the stage for a correspondingly fruity and herb-tinged palate performance. There is considerable weight as well as glycerol from 13.5% alcohol, and the finish is powerfully but slightly warmly sustained. Happily, there is also ample primary juiciness and a vivid undertone of wet stone. A far cry from the dramatically successful inaugural Layet Grosses Gewächs of 2017, this is almost certainly not a wine that will approach that 2017’s aging potential either. (For background on this site, consult my introduction to coverage of Weis’s 2017s. Given the impressive range of residually sweet site-specific wines from Layet in 2017, I was surprised to learn that there is only one such from 2018: a BA that was deemed not yet ready for sampling at the time of my most recent tasting visit.) 

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Mehringer Layet Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: What a wonderful, succulent sense of fruit concentration and impeccable balance this debut exhibits! White peach, Crenshaw melon and quince inform the nose and the polished, subtly glossy palate, complemented by raw almond, piquant peach kernel and wafting, bittersweet inner-mouth floral perfume. The vibrant, lusciously lingering finish, grounded in wet stone and garlanded in flowers, glows with entirely positive piquancy while not forgetting Riesling’s fundamental duty to refresh. (I should mention that other critics have been complimentary but not nearly as carried away by this wine as I. For more on the site, consult my introduction to this coverage of Weis’s 2017s.) 

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2017 Riesling Mehringer Layet Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 95.5

Drinking window: 2020 - 2065

Tasting notes: Picked out in connection with the harvest of this year’s outstanding Layet Spätlese, this BA – which I have not tasted since its mid-September 2018 bottling – is dominated by dried quince, apricot and mirabelle, with fresh lime conveying spine-tingling brightness, while thyme, narcissus and iris serve for pungent, hauntingly musky and bittersweet perfume that persists on the viscous, glossy yet almost weightless palate. The vibrantly sustained finish is correspondingly memorable. This Beerenauslese combines jammy richness, alcoholic levity, brightness and uncanny energy in a manner that I usually only associate with Eszencia. But unlike an Eszencia, there is nothing in the least exaggerated or merely embryonic; instead, an amazing sense of balanced complexity is already in full flower, even though time will no doubt bring yet greater profundity. (For more on this site, consult my introduction to this coverage of Weis’s 2017s.)

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2017 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 2020 - 2055

Tasting notes: I last tasted this just ahead of its mid-September 2018 bottling. The nose is already a marvel of complexity and sensual allure. Scents of quince preserves, candied orange, lemon curd, jellied white currant, green tea and white raisin anticipate the multifarious, strikingly creamy and delicate palate impression. The soaring finish is luscious and light-footed, with tang and animation to balance the richness and persistent creaminess.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2014 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2016

Tasting notes: Prominently nutty and with a slightly dull background earthiness, this bottling fortunately also offers a satisfying measure of apply primary juiciness. The modestly refreshing finish pulls in a rather bitter direction, suggesting apple seeds and walnuts, an impression Hofmann considers typical for Rieslings from this village nine winding miles upstream from Leiwen. 

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2016 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2038

Tasting notes: Like its Spätlese counterpart, this displays pungency and bite from marjoram, cress, fennel and smoky black tea, all of which are signaled on the nose, along with fruity scents anticipating the overripe pear and quince that dominate on an oily, glycerol-slicked palate. The herbal components, together with a suggestion of candied orange peel, push back against the wine’s high residual sugar, resulting in a bittersweetly lingering finish. I can’t recall any previous Auslese exhibiting this curious combination of overripeness and botrytis inflection with concentrated herbal flavors. The result is striking – and not at all inharmonious.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2018 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2038

Tasting notes: Candied mint and orange peel are accompanied on the nose by invigoratingly cress-like intimations of fresh green herbs, and there is a delightful corresponding combination of cooling, zesty and incisive impingements that help counteract dominant sweetness and serve for counterpoint to honeydew melon liqueur on an otherwise glossy palate. Unlike the corresponding Saarfeilser, this wine issued from entirely healthy fruits and for that reason, said Weis, it was considered a candidate for bottling as Spätlese Goldkapsel. But it finishes with the same outright stickiness – albeit also sheer persistence – of that Saarfeilser. Only time will tell whether the sweetness here ever significantly backs off, but if it does, it will not be soon.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 2022 - 2046

Tasting notes: Last tasted just ahead of its mid-September 2018 bottling, this is redolent of candied kumquat along with strongly flower- and herb-scented honey. The impression on a glossy palate is correspondingly confitured, piquant and honeyed as well as being animatingly cut by brightly juicy lime. The finish is formidably penetrating and cheek-gripping. This should have a terrific future.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2015 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2045

Tasting notes: This diversely sourced bottling (which has no 2015 Spätlese counterpart) features heady scents and luscious palate presence of melon and orange liqueurs, papaya syrup and quince jelly. A creamy texture, extravagant ripeness and botrytis ennoblement have not kept this beauty from displaying transparency to stony, saline, white pepper and citrus zest nuances. The ravishingly sustained finish activates the salivary glands and sets the tongue tingling.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2015 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2040

Tasting notes: The mere 600 liters of this elixir resulted from culling the most heavily botrytized bunches a day ahead of harvesting 1,500 liters for Grosses Gewächs, and then picking through those ennobled bunches to pull out a tiny amount of TBA (also reviewed in this report). Candied orange peel, crystallized ginger, quince preserves and apple jelly dominate the heady but prickly nose and opulent, subtly oily palate. Hints of licorice and sassafras reinforce the bittersweetness of orange peel and help counteract any syrupy tendency of a lushly and compellingly persistent finish. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2015 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2055

Tasting notes: A nose of head-turning intensity, featuring candied orange peel, quince jelly and white raisin, anticipates the liqueur-like richness of a subtly oily, expansive but buoyant inner-mouth impression. An unexpected and strikingly beneficial influx of mineral salts sets the salivary glands pumping and helps stop the viscosity and sheer sweetness from turning syrupy. The luscious, mouthwatering, nonstop finish seductively compels the next sip while obligingly cleaning and innervating the palate as if with an electric current.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2018 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2029

Tasting notes: Orange zest, raw hazelnut and a touch of cilantro accent ripe peach on the nose. The feel is strikingly as well as seductively creamy without precluding generous juiciness or transparency to stony and alkaline nuances. And 13% alcohol serves for fullness without generating harshness or heat. The vibrant finish offers delightful diversity as well as counterpoint to this wine’s richness, exhibiting a surprising sense of animation and sheer refreshment given its origin in such ripe and high-must-weight fruit.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2025

Tasting notes: Lime and orange are laced with mint and roux on a penetrating nose and zesty palate. This bottling registers roughly 13% alcohol and is thus predictably fuller than the corresponding Bockstein or Saarfeilser, but that fullness isn’t accompanied by any particular textural appeal. Lime zest and peach kernel lend stubborn, invigorating, prickly piquancy to a finish that fortunately also manages to refresh. But to say that this estate’s flagship “home” site has tough competition in the current lineup would be an understatement. Hopefully, greater clarity and complexity will emerge with time in bottle. (I am aware of talented tasters who insist that this is Weis’s most successful vintage 2017 Grosses Gewächs.)

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2016 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: At 12.5% alcohol and barely more than seven grams of acidity, the analysis here explains much of the wine’s fullness, expansiveness and softness, which comes at the expense of focus, animation or refreshment. But all of that having been noted, there is also much to like here. Scents of orange blossom, celery and fennel seed, along with dusty intimations of crushed stone, introduce a glossy, expansive midpalate, bittersweet in its evocations of citrus oils, so that the cut and salinity of those fennel and celery seeds comes as very welcome counterpoint. The finish clings in similarly bittersweet but, thankfully, lightly juicy and saliva-inducing fashion. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2013 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Beerenauslese
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2040

Tasting notes: Deep gold. Rich aromas of dried apricot, candied quince and sweet brown spices mingle above the honeyed botrytis. On the palate, salty minerality provides brightness and elegance to the unctuous, weighty tropical fruit flavors. A wine of incredible depth, but nonetheless perfectly balanced, spicy and extremely long. This very impressive Trockenbeerenauslese is one of the finest noble late harvest wines of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: A dense, thick, liqueur-like concentrate of citrus and tropical fruits and white raisin. Bittersweet, oily grapefruit zest accents along with an unusual buttery feel in the finish. This is impressive, but tastes a long way yet from displaying a complete personality. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rich gold. Sumptuous aromas of peach skin, ripe apricot and clove waft over a base of smoky botrytis. The rich, dense passion fruit flavors are creamy and silky, but nicely enlivened by an ethereal minerality. Finishes with excellent depth and length. Offers enormous potential.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2018 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2029

Tasting notes: In striking contrast with the corresponding Saarfeilser, this 9% alcohol Laurentiuslay is overridingly sweet, and that sweetness is accompanied by a rather generic, vaguely melony sense of overripe fruit, an impression underscored by a soft feel and a gently sustained finish. Fortunately, that finish incorporates ample primary juiciness. When it comes to Weis’s 2018 collection, is this the proverbial “one that got away”? “I’m willing to admit to this being one of those all-too-common 2018s that exhibit a Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit character,” said Weis with a sheepish grin. “Though,” he added, “let’s see how it tastes in 10 years.” Okay: I’ve conceded it precisely that many years. 

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2042

Tasting notes: Ripe pear and Persian melon are laced with lime and mint on a fetching nose and a luscious, brightly juicy, glossy palate. The superbly sustained finish features both cooling and invigoratingly nippy green herbal accents as well as subtly glowing piquancy and mouthwatering salinity. Certainly the sweetness here is unabashed, yet it’s entirely supportive. Comparing this beauty with recent dry (Grosses Gewächs) bottlings from the Laurentiuslay, I have to ask myself whether, with increasingly warm and precocious growing seasons, the talents of this site might not be shifting stylistic direction. (In many past vintages – before the bottling of Grosse Gewächse became an imperative for Weis – dry-tasting Laurentiuslay bottlings tended to be lower in alcohol than they are today and or were legally halbtrocken.)

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2016 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 2016 - 2028

Tasting notes: Hints of resin from a relatively new barrel mingle with what I suspect are yeast-generated notes of banana oil, as well as with scents of almost-overripe pear and fig. The palate is glossy and expansive, its ripe fruitiness strongly underscored by prominent residual sugar. The caressingly lingering finish brings with it a welcome abundance of primary, peary juiciness that I had not anticipated. This was picked early – and one can certainly taste evidence for Busch’s testimony that “no good was going to come of letting the fruit hang longer.” The wine had not yet been bottled when I tasted it in late July 2017. It wasn’t made clear to me why that was the case, though one possibility is that more time on the fine lees was intended to convey structure in the face of low acidity.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2017 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2026 - 2046

Tasting notes: This represents material further selected out from the harvest that netted the corresponding “regular” Laurentiuslay Auslese, and the resulting must weight as well as the presence of botrytized berries were substantially higher. I last tasted it just ahead of its mid-September 2018 bottling. It opens with a whiff of smoke as if from a combination of black tea and charred wood, accompanied by scents of candied grapefruit and orange peels, all of which anticipates the gripping, pungent and zesty presence on an oily-rich, palpably dense palate. The formidably persistent finish borders on severity, and lacks quite the brightness or animation of its ostensibly lesser fraternal twin. But it’s really early, unevolved days for this smolderingly concentrated Auslese.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2014 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spätlese Zickelgarten
Color: Sweet White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2018

Tasting notes: A bit of fruit from the Zickelgarten found its way into this year's "regular" Bockstein Spätlese, but here we have a bottling – destined for auction – dedicated to and labeled for that monopole. Most of the fruit for this was botrytis-free, the ennobled grapes having informed an Auslese. Vinification and maturation were split between tank and cask. An unusual nose mingles celery and green pepper with apple and honeydew. The subtly creamy and expansive palate delivers apple jelly and banana for an odd and exotic contrast to the aromas. The finish is dominated by its sweetness and lacks any mineral dimension (other than a bit of celery-stalk salinity) or much juiciness. I'm not sure what to make of this but will try to re-taste it soon in hope that it had simply not yet gotten its act together on my first encounter.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2002 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Harvested on December 8, this didn't freeze to the point of Eiswein, but it is certainly marked by the cold. Aromas of freshly grated horseradish, grilled pineapple, candied lemon and white raisin lead to a palate of enormous sweetness but at the same time a near sharpness of acidity and intense citricity. But there is also a hint of creaminess and a honeyed richness. A slight note of caramel in the long citrus and honey finish further emphasizes the advanced ripeness and even light botrytization of the fruit. (The actual Eiswein subsequently harvested from this parcel was still awkwardly acidic and difficult to judge compared with this Gold Capsule Auslese. ) 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Golden yellow. Rich aromas of papaya, candied pineapple and clove are underpinned by brown spice botrytis. Slightly high-toned apricot fruit is energized by a restrained acidity that accentuates the wine's freshness. The long, glossy finish is underscored by bracing slate and delicate spiciness. This wine needs cellaring.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2012 Ockfener Bockstein Zickelgarten Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Apricot, quince and persimmon dominate the bouquet, complicated by green apple and lemon oil. On the palate, smoky, wet stone minerality keeps the sweet, ripe peach fruit in check. Finishing long and complex, with a hint of slate, this is one of the finest spÃ¤tleses of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
I have always been impressed that an estate of this size can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Nik Weis's "simple" estate-bottled riesling is already captivating--and a steal for the price. And in each of the quality levels kabinett, spÃ¤tlese and auslese he placed a wine in what I call the top ten in all of Germany. Interestingly, it was his Bockstein site on the Saar in Ockfen that took all the honors. (www.urbans-hof.com) Also recommended: 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (87), 2012 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben (86), 2012 Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb (87), 2012 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2012 Riesling (87), 2012 Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese (89), 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese (89). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken.
2014 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2045

Tasting notes: Candied grapefruit rind and cherry preserves, white raisin and maraschino inform this penetratingly high-toned, confectionary and voluptuous Auslese. Smokiness of black tea and hints of brown spices add allure and counterpoint. The sensationally sustained finish displays remarkable concentration, vibrancy and thrust as well as transparency to stony and crystalline nuances rare in a Riesling so elevated in residual sugar and so far-gone on noble rot. (375 ml.)

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow. Lively bouquet of peach pit, acacia blossom and clove. Juicy, elegant passion fruit flavor is given lift by refreshing acidity and a floral element. Dense yet ethereal, with a pleasing spiciness and a long finish, this is an excellent kabinett.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Peach pit, lime oil and clove on the nose. Elegant passion fruit is given a juicy quality by vibrant acidity. At once glossy and crisp, finishing with an enticing spiciness, this is a lovely kabinett.

Producer Commentary:
If anything, Nik Weiss has done an even better job in 2008 than he did in 2007. Even the simple wines, which have sometimes lacked character, were spot on this year. Given the total annual production of 250,000 bottles at this estate, that is an important message for any consumer looking for a reliable label. In particular, the off-dry rieslings were classically balanced and a string of succulent spatleses eminently drinkable. Like last year, they are all in a more classical restrained style, this time dictated by the vintage. Further, his simple estate riesling at 86 points remains a steal Also recommended: 2008 Riesling Trocken (86), 2008 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2008 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (88), 2008 Riesling (85), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (91). (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY
2014 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2026

Tasting notes: Musts little higher than 80 Oechsle made for a delightfully buoyant Riesling, with 42 grams of residual sugar left behind but perfectly integrated. (That’s significantly less sugar than this wine has often harbored, and alcohol here is at 9.5 percent – high by modern Mosel Kabinett standards.) Aromatically pungent grapefruit piquantly marked by its peel lends zest and subtle oiliness to a palate almost plush in its textural richness, yet shot through with bracing and thirst-quenching acidity. Hints of liquid floral perfume add allure and an undertone of wet stone nicely sets off the effusive fruit in a soothing and stimulating finish.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 2.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Golden Delicious apple and tropical fruit aromas. Lush tropical fruit and nut oil flavors as well as a sweet, buddleia-like florality in the mouth are allied to perfectly judged sweetness on the palate, incorporated into a delicate frame. Flowers and walnut oil in a finish so weightless and perfumed you practically inhale it. And yet, there is a lasting, decidedly slatey note as well. A classic rendition of a great site, such as one might heretofore have expected only from the cellar of Theo Haart. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
I met youngx000D proprietor Nik Weis and his cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann last year and wasx000D impressed with their ambition and the consistent quality of their rieslingsx000D from bone dry to nobly sweet. Spacex000D limitations plus the fact that so many of the best wines I tasted last yearx000D were from earlier vintages prevented full coverage of this estate in Issuex000D 100. Begun by Weis grandfather, St.x000D Urbanshof has expanded beyond Leiwen and now owns more than 80 acres ofx000D riesling vines. These include choicex000D portions of Leiwen Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, and threex000D vineyards in the Saar which, for simplicity, are considered below together withx000D Mosel. The Saar was picked earlier thisx000D year than the Mosel, where the fruit and vines were healthier longer.x000D Vineyard manager Uwe Jostock reported thatx000D in his 20 years here he cannot recall seeing fruit so ripe and aromatic andx000D virtually botrytis-free as in this vintage. x000D In the cellar, says Weis, "we never took so many chances, fermentedx000D so many wines on wild yeasts, or put so many ideas into action as inx000D 2001." St. Urbanshof hasx000D eliminated mention of Trocken or Halbtrocken from their labels, so you will notx000D see those designations in the descriptions below. x000D That a wine is Trocken or at least tastes dry is signified by thex000D estate having dispensed with an attribution of Pradikat as well.x000D (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY)Also recommended: 2001 Ockfener x000D Bockstein Riesling, 2001 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Rieslingx000D Kabinett, 2001 Saarfeilser Riesling, 2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Rieslingx000D Spatlese ($20), 2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese ($16).
2004 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright aromas of peach pit, lemon oil and clove. Juicy, elegant passion fruit flavor framed by vibrant acidity and lifted by a floral topnote. Manages to be at once dense and ethereal, with a pleasing spiciness and long finish.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2005 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow.Lively aromas of apricot pit, lemon oil and nutmeg. Juicy, elegant passion fruit flavor with a refreshing acidity and a vibrant floral element.Shows lipsmacking elegance on the persistent finish.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2012 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Peach pit, lime oil and clove on the nose. Juicy, elegant passion fruit flavor with vibrant acidity. At once crisp and glossy, with an appealingly spicy finish, this is a lovely kabinett.

Producer Commentary:
I have always been impressed that an estate of this size can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Nik Weis's "simple" estate-bottled riesling is already captivating--and a steal for the price. And in each of the quality levels kabinett, spÃ¤tlese and auslese he placed a wine in what I call the top ten in all of Germany. Interestingly, it was his Bockstein site on the Saar in Ockfen that took all the honors. (www.urbans-hof.com) Also recommended: 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (87), 2012 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben (86), 2012 Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb (87), 2012 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2012 Riesling (87), 2012 Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese (89), 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese (89). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken.
2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bouquet of peach stone and clove. Juicy apricot fruit with a vibrant salinity sets the tone. Crisp kabinett with an appealing finish.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss has always had a penchant not only for spontaneous fermentations but also for an incredible richness in his wines.After the vibrant purity of the 2010s, the unctuousness was often--with the exception of the two sumptuous trockenbeerenausleses--above and beyond the call of duty.While there is not a single wine among the 16 that I would not recommend, there are few of the coups de coeur that the previous vintage brought across the entire range. Also recommended:2011 Riesling Trocken (86), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (88), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2011 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2011 Riesling (85), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (86), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese (88+?), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (89+?), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94).
2009 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Delicate aromas of cherry, apple blossom and sweet herbs. Quite firm on the palate, with a flavor of apricot pit and an attractive balance of sweetness and acidity. The elegant finish offers enticing slate-driven minerality.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of choice vineyards in Piesport, Leiwen and Ockfen, this estate straddles the Saar and Mosel. Typically, their off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2009 almost everything was on equal footing. Particularly impressive is the "simple" riesling, which is Nik Weiss's calling card. You might say, "but you rated it only 86 points." That, though, is a good mark on my scale, especially at its modest price, and he makes 120,000 bottles of the wine. Also recommended: 2009 Riesling Trocken (85), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2009 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2009 Riesling (86), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (90).
2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Vibrant bouquet of peach pit, lime oil and clove. Juicy, elegant apricot fruit lifted by a vibrant saline character. At once glossy and crisp, finishing with a pleasing spiciness, this appealing wine is an exemplary kabinett and one of the finest of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese #16
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Apricot, quince and persimmon dominate the bouquet. The smoky, wet stone minerality keeps the sweet, ripe peach flavor in check. Finishes long and complex, with a hint of slate.

Producer Commentary:
If anything, Nik Weiss has done an even better job in 2008 than he did in 2007. Even the simple wines, which have sometimes lacked character, were spot on this year. Given the total annual production of 250,000 bottles at this estate, that is an important message for any consumer looking for a reliable label. In particular, the off-dry rieslings were classically balanced and a string of succulent spatleses eminently drinkable. Like last year, they are all in a more classical restrained style, this time dictated by the vintage. Further, his simple estate riesling at 86 points remains a steal Also recommended: 2008 Riesling Trocken (86), 2008 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2008 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (88), 2008 Riesling (85), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (91). (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY
2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Beneath a light, youthful veil of cheesy yeastiness is a lovely spiced apple aroma. Fat and glossy in the mouth but with the ripeness of fruit nicely reinforced by a hint of sweetness and balanced with wet stone slatiness. Twelve-plus alcohol is notable in the power and the less than Saar-typical weight of this wine, but not in any heat. Subtly perfumed in the back, with suggestions of mint and brown spice as well as salt and wet stone minerality. Potential 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2004 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Subtle bouquet of pineapple, nut oil and lemon zest. Luscious yet crisp papaya fruit is brightened by a refreshing mineral character. Deceptively light and wonderfully drinkable, this spatlese is sheer fun.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2005 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow. Subtle bouquet of candied pineapple, nut oil and lemon custard.At once luscious and crisp, with ripe papaya fruit leavened by a refreshing mineral character. Deep yet deceptively light and persistently spicy, and one of the finest spatleses of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2002 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: There is palpable mineral extract here by way of wet stone and chalky palate impressions, and the brown spice-tinged fruit is richly satisfying but refined and sleek compared to the gaudier expression of fruit Goldtropfchen often generates. Long and satisfying. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Apricot, quince and persimmon dominate the bouquet. The smoky, wet stone minerality keeps the sweet, ripe peach flavor in check. Persistent tropical fruit flavors with a hint of slate make for a long, complex finish.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2014 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2020

Tasting notes: Candied lemon and grapefruit rinds dominate in this cask-raised, bittersweet bottling. A waxy texture is allied to alcoholic levity, with alkaline and stony undertones lending counterpoint in a sustained finish, but one slightly short on primary juiciness or sheer refreshment. Fifty grams of residual sugar certainly represents admirable restraint in a wine that already has a marked confectionery side. This lacks the fineness, juiciness or interplay of the corresponding, tank-raised Kabinett.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow. Seductive aromas of apricot, acacia blossom and brown spice. The rich papaya flavor is paired with a touch of lemon oil and braced by slate. Deep yet deceptively light and persistently spicy, this is one of the finest spatleses of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2002 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Weis's portion of Goldtropfchen was once known as Jud and is located well downstream from the old town itself. Grapefruit and pine nut aromas. Lovely balance of creaminess and brightness on the palate, with a refreshing cut of citricity and nice inner-mouth florals. Long and juicy. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright aromas of peach pit, lemon oil and clove. Juicy, elegant passion fruit flavor is enlivened by vibrant acidity and a perfumed floral element. At once dense and glossy, with a pleasing spiciness and an appealing finish.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of prime vineyards and a total production of 250,000 bottles a year, Nik Weiss owns and manages one of the larger private properties on the Mosel. Typically, his off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2007 the trio of spatlese bottlings crowned the collection. None are as rich as his excellent 2006s, but they are all more classic in style-and, as always, offer good value for money. In that light, his simple estate riesling is a steal. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2007 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2007 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2007 Riesling (87), 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage Auction Wine (89), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (89). Other wines tasted: 2007 Riesling Trocken, 2007 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Subtle floral, peach and clove aromas. Creamy apricot fruit on the palate, but framed by a present saline character. Finishes with slate and a hint of nutmeg.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss has always had a penchant not only for spontaneous fermentations but also for an incredible richness in his wines. After the vibrant purity of the 2010s, the unctuousness was often--with the exception of the two sumptuous trockenbeerenausleses--above and beyond the call of duty. While there is not a single wine among the 16 that I would not recommend, there are few of the coups de coeur that the previous vintage brought across the entire range. Also recommended: 2011 Riesling Trocken (86), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (88), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2011 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2011 Riesling (85), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (86), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese (88+?), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (89+?), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94).
2009 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Reticent bouquet of apricot and lemongrass. Dense nectarine fruit is enlivened by saline minerality. This vibrant, nicely balanced off-dry riesling finishes with spicy length.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of choice vineyards in Piesport, Leiwen and Ockfen, this estate straddles the Saar and Mosel. Typically, their off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2009 almost everything was on equal footing. Particularly impressive is the "simple" riesling, which is Nik Weiss's calling card. You might say, "but you rated it only 86 points." That, though, is a good mark on my scale, especially at its modest price, and he makes 120,000 bottles of the wine. Also recommended: 2009 Riesling Trocken (85), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2009 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2009 Riesling (86), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (90).
2010 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lively aromas of apricot, lemon oil and mint. A bright peach pit flavor with bracing acidity animates the palate. Crisp, clean and persistent, this is a vibrant, appealing off-dry riesling with a lingering spiciness.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2013 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spätlese
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2024

Tasting notes: Subtle bouquet of white peach, apple blossom and oyster shell. At once soft and lively, with luscious apricot fruit nicely counterpointed by ripe, understated acidity. Enticingly sweet Riesling with an appealing spicy finish.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Discreet aromas of white peach, quince and mint over a subtle background of licorice botrytis. Rich, juicy apricot fruit is delicately balanced by understated but present acidity. Creamy lemon curd and salty minerality mingle on the long, sensuous finish.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2006 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Bright aromas of candied peach, lemon oil and acacia honey. Glossy baked apple and glazed honey flavors are balanced by an understated salinity. The long, subtle finish combines mineral salts, sweet herbs and nut oils.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2002 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Harvested at the end of November, this fruit hung longer than nearly all of the other St. Urbanshof 2002s. Nut and honey aromas lead to a lusciously sweet, glossy, creamy palate that preserves the essence of tiny berries and also a remarkable sense of delicacy, given the high ripeness and botrytis in play here. Nut oils, tropical fruits, blackcurrant, pink grapefruit and honey are vividly underscored by slate and refined and polished into a long, glistening finish. I've never before tasted a Goldtropfchen that so lived up to the imagery of its name: tiny golden droplets weeping from the riesling berries. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Bright, crisp aromas of candied peach, lemon oil and acacia honey. The sweet tropical fruit flavors display remarkable delicacy in spite of the wine's depth. The long, glossy finish is underscored by slate and a refined spiciness.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of prime vineyards and a total production of 250,000 bottles a year, Nik Weiss owns and manages one of the larger private properties on the Mosel. Typically, his off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2007 the trio of spatlese bottlings crowned the collection. None are as rich as his excellent 2006s, but they are all more classic in style-and, as always, offer good value for money. In that light, his simple estate riesling is a steal. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2007 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2007 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2007 Riesling (87), 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage Auction Wine (89), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (89). Other wines tasted: 2007 Riesling Trocken, 2007 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2004 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright and crisp on the nose, with dominant aromas of candied peach, lemon oil and acacia honey. The lusciously sweet tropical palate maintains a remarkable delicacy in spite of the wine's considerable richness and depth. The long, glossy finish is underscored by slate and offers a refined spiciness. Few ausleses from the vintage possess this much class.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2013 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2030

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Aromas of pear nectar, mint and sassafras. The decidedly creamy yet delicate palate is marked by apricot, brown spices and mineral salts. In spite of the wine's alluring sweetness, the lipsmacking finish prevents this dense Auslese from cloying.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2014 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2035

Tasting notes: A nougat-like note and a hint of maraschino add to the confectionery impression of candied grapefruit and lemon peel. Complementary spiced apple jelly tinged with caramel and studded with white raisin testifies to fruit that was considerably shriveled and botrytized. This is an extravagantly fruited and strongly ennobled Auslese with a creamy, glycerol-rich feel and unabashed sweetness reinforcing that impression. Thankfully, a luscious sense of primary juiciness remains on the soothingly and seductively lingering finish.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Candied apricot, clove and a touch of smoky botrytis on the nose. On the palate, a creamy nectarine flavor is nicely accentuated by salty minerality. A rich and subtly complex wine with a finish that's still somewhat closed.

Producer Commentary:
If anything, Nik Weiss has done an even better job in 2008 than he did in 2007. Even the simple wines, which have sometimes lacked character, were spot on this year. Given the total annual production of 250,000 bottles at this estate, that is an important message for any consumer looking for a reliable label. In particular, the off-dry rieslings were classically balanced and a string of succulent spatleses eminently drinkable. Like last year, they are all in a more classical restrained style, this time dictated by the vintage. Further, his simple estate riesling at 86 points remains a steal Also recommended: 2008 Riesling Trocken (86), 2008 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2008 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (88), 2008 Riesling (85), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (91). (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY
2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Tropical fruits, green tea and toasted nut aromas. On the palate, this is plush and lushly overgrown with cassis and tropical fruits, yet bracingly citric and saltily mineral as well. A lovely tart edge of blackcurrant and plum skin, along with the bright acids and well-defined minerality, make what might otherwise have have been an overly decadent, over-the-top fruit bomb into something refined and site-typical. The fruit here was supremely ripe but rot-free. (A Goldtropfchen Spatlese was nearly as dense, but for the moment much less expressive. The estate also harvested two Eisweins this year, which I did not taste.) 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
I met youngx000D proprietor Nik Weis and his cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann last year and wasx000D impressed with their ambition and the consistent quality of their rieslingsx000D from bone dry to nobly sweet. Spacex000D limitations plus the fact that so many of the best wines I tasted last yearx000D were from earlier vintages prevented full coverage of this estate in Issuex000D 100. Begun by Weis grandfather, St.x000D Urbanshof has expanded beyond Leiwen and now owns more than 80 acres ofx000D riesling vines. These include choicex000D portions of Leiwen Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, and threex000D vineyards in the Saar which, for simplicity, are considered below together withx000D Mosel. The Saar was picked earlier thisx000D year than the Mosel, where the fruit and vines were healthier longer.x000D Vineyard manager Uwe Jostock reported thatx000D in his 20 years here he cannot recall seeing fruit so ripe and aromatic andx000D virtually botrytis-free as in this vintage. x000D In the cellar, says Weis, "we never took so many chances, fermentedx000D so many wines on wild yeasts, or put so many ideas into action as inx000D 2001." St. Urbanshof hasx000D eliminated mention of Trocken or Halbtrocken from their labels, so you will notx000D see those designations in the descriptions below. x000D That a wine is Trocken or at least tastes dry is signified by thex000D estate having dispensed with an attribution of Pradikat as well.x000D (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY)Also recommended: 2001 Ockfener x000D Bockstein Riesling, 2001 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Rieslingx000D Kabinett, 2001 Saarfeilser Riesling, 2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Rieslingx000D Spatlese ($20), 2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese ($16).
2011 Mehringer Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Apricot and pine nut on the nose. The tropical fruit is nicely weighted and balanced by spicy acidity on the palate. Refreshing on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss has always had a penchant not only for spontaneous fermentations but also for an incredible richness in his wines.After the vibrant purity of the 2010s, the unctuousness was often--with the exception of the two sumptuous trockenbeerenausleses--above and beyond the call of duty.While there is not a single wine among the 16 that I would not recommend, there are few of the coups de coeur that the previous vintage brought across the entire range. Also recommended:2011 Riesling Trocken (86), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (88), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2011 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2011 Riesling (85), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (86), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese (88+?), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (89+?), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94).
2014 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2040

Tasting notes: There were 600 half bottles of this elixir selected-out in the Zickelgarten. Candied tangerine rind, apricot preserves, sultanas and dates combine in a heady nose and on a viscous palate, where fresh grapefruit, lemon and tangerine serve as a foil for liqueur-like richness and sweetness. The finish, prominently sweet though it is, evinces mouth-shaking energy, implosive density and impressive reach, for an invigoratingly sweet-tart, viscous yet buoyant, honey- and apricot jam-glazed lemon meringue impression. This may not have left me scratching my head in intrigue, but it certainly managed to raise a few goosebumps. (375 ml.)

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Beerenauslese
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (for 375 ml.) Deep golden yellow. Perfumed aromas of pear preserves, wild honey and clove embedded in layers of smoky botrytis. Complex in the mouth, with a flavor of candied apricot studded with lime peel, and brown spices thrown in for good measure. Tightly coiled and yet already immensely pleasing, this beerenauslese boasts outstanding depth and length, not to mention aging potential.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of choice vineyards in Piesport, Leiwen and Ockfen, this estate straddles the Saar and Mosel. Typically, their off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2009 almost everything was on equal footing. Particularly impressive is the "simple" riesling, which is Nik Weiss's calling card. You might say, "but you rated it only 86 points." That, though, is a good mark on my scale, especially at its modest price, and he makes 120,000 bottles of the wine. Also recommended: 2009 Riesling Trocken (85), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2009 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2009 Riesling (86), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (90).
2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (for 375 ml.) Distinct aromas of cherry, lime zest and clove. The glossy yet vibrant peach flavor is animated by a slate character and a wonderfully tart citricity. Tightly coiled yet already immensely pleasing, this eiswein boasts excellent depth and length.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2002 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese #24
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Aromas of vanilla, licorice and orange liqueur. Fabulously rich yet invigorating on the palate. This exhibits a nearly unfathomable depth of both fruit and mineral, managing effortlessly to balance a measurably high level of residual sweetness and to arrive at a long and complex conclusion. This comes from the Weis family's original parcel in the Laurentiuslay, whose old name Blassberg ("blowing hill") suggests its breezy location and hence one of the reasons for its consistently outstanding concentration of fruit and acidity. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2001 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese #24
Color: White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Peach, honey and muskmelon aromas and fruit. Silky in texture and quite sweet, but both of those factors play to the ripeness of the fruit. Impressions of hazelnut puree and marzipan emerge on the creamy palate as well. The finish is positively dripping with honey and ripe pit fruits and melons. But for all that, you can't compare this with the Laurentiuslay Spatlese A.P. #16 for complexity and reflection of a great site. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
I met youngx000D proprietor Nik Weis and his cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann last year and wasx000D impressed with their ambition and the consistent quality of their rieslingsx000D from bone dry to nobly sweet. Spacex000D limitations plus the fact that so many of the best wines I tasted last yearx000D were from earlier vintages prevented full coverage of this estate in Issuex000D 100. Begun by Weis grandfather, St.x000D Urbanshof has expanded beyond Leiwen and now owns more than 80 acres ofx000D riesling vines. These include choicex000D portions of Leiwen Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, and threex000D vineyards in the Saar which, for simplicity, are considered below together withx000D Mosel. The Saar was picked earlier thisx000D year than the Mosel, where the fruit and vines were healthier longer.x000D Vineyard manager Uwe Jostock reported thatx000D in his 20 years here he cannot recall seeing fruit so ripe and aromatic andx000D virtually botrytis-free as in this vintage. x000D In the cellar, says Weis, "we never took so many chances, fermentedx000D so many wines on wild yeasts, or put so many ideas into action as inx000D 2001." St. Urbanshof hasx000D eliminated mention of Trocken or Halbtrocken from their labels, so you will notx000D see those designations in the descriptions below. x000D That a wine is Trocken or at least tastes dry is signified by thex000D estate having dispensed with an attribution of Pradikat as well.x000D (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY)Also recommended: 2001 Ockfener x000D Bockstein Riesling, 2001 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Rieslingx000D Kabinett, 2001 Saarfeilser Riesling, 2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Rieslingx000D Spatlese ($20), 2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese ($16).
2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Subtle bouquet of pineapple, pine nut and lemon oil. Luscious yet crisp papaya fruit shows a refreshing mineral character. Deceptively light and wonderfully easy to drink, this spatlese is just plain fun.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of prime vineyards and a total production of 250,000 bottles a year, Nik Weiss owns and manages one of the larger private properties on the Mosel. Typically, his off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2007 the trio of spatlese bottlings crowned the collection. None are as rich as his excellent 2006s, but they are all more classic in style-and, as always, offer good value for money. In that light, his simple estate riesling is a steal. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2007 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2007 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2007 Riesling (87), 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage Auction Wine (89), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (89). Other wines tasted: 2007 Riesling Trocken, 2007 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Elegant aromas of Bing cherry, apple blossom and roasted pine nuts. At once delicate and creamy on the palate, with a mirabelle flavor complicated by sweet herbs and a touch of vanilla. Lemon curd and slate give thrust to the compelling finish of this serious sp a tlese.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of choice vineyards in Piesport, Leiwen and Ockfen, this estate straddles the Saar and Mosel. Typically, their off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2009 almost everything was on equal footing. Particularly impressive is the "simple" riesling, which is Nik Weiss's calling card. You might say, "but you rated it only 86 points." That, though, is a good mark on my scale, especially at its modest price, and he makes 120,000 bottles of the wine. Also recommended: 2009 Riesling Trocken (85), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2009 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2009 Riesling (86), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (90).
2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow.Lively aromas of apricot, acacia blossom and brown spice. Juicy and sweet in the mouth, with peach fruit framed by restrained acidity and bright minerality.Densely packed yet delicately spiced, this spatlese finishes with excellent length.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Aromas of fresh apple and lemon oil. With its honeyed papaya fruit, this spatlese is kept alive by its understated acidity. Clear and spicy on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss has always had a penchant not only for spontaneous fermentations but also for an incredible richness in his wines. After the vibrant purity of the 2010s, the unctuousness was often--with the exception of the two sumptuous trockenbeerenausleses--above and beyond the call of duty. While there is not a single wine among the 16 that I would not recommend, there are few of the coups de coeur that the previous vintage brought across the entire range. Also recommended: 2011 Riesling Trocken (86), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (88), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2011 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2011 Riesling (85), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (86), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese (88+?), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (89+?), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94).
2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Yellow plum, licorice and brown spices on the nose. Deep but austere star fruit flavor shows excellent concentration, with vibrant mineral salts keeping the palate fresh. Still closed but showing excellent potential, this is a serious sp a tlese.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2012 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Smoky aromas of pear, sweet herbs and lemon candy, plus a hint of hyacinth. Glossy, plush apricot pit flavor is framed by harmonious mineral structure. The subtly sweet, appealingly long finish features nutmeg and slate.

Producer Commentary:
I have always been impressed that an estate of this size can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Nik Weis's "simple" estate-bottled riesling is already captivating--and a steal for the price. And in each of the quality levels kabinett, spÃ¤tlese and auslese he placed a wine in what I call the top ten in all of Germany. Interestingly, it was his Bockstein site on the Saar in Ockfen that took all the honors. (www.urbans-hof.com) Also recommended: 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (87), 2012 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben (86), 2012 Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb (87), 2012 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2012 Riesling (87), 2012 Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese (89), 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese (89). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken.
2016 Moselriesling
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2018

Tasting notes: In vintage 2015, Weis went from offering two generic estate Rieslings of long standing (one dry-tasting and one decidedly off-dry) to offering three. (There is also an export-only cuvée “From Old Vines” sourced in the Schlangengraben, which I have not recently tasted.) The present wine – referred to on the estate’s price list and in small print on its back label as “Moselriesling” but on the presentation label simply as Riesling – is finished legally halbtrocken but tastes virtually dry, thus filling the stylistic niche formerly occupied by Weis’s “white label” generic. It’s sourced from the estate’s home vineyard, Leiwener Klostergarten. A pleasantly juicy if rather loose palate features piquantly pit-tinged fresh apple. Subtly stony underpinnings and a hint of salinity add to the appeal of a sustained albeit understated finish that barely hints at sweetness.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2014 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2024

Tasting notes: A faux-Muscat nose of mint, sage and orange blossom (not unusual for this site) leads into a luscious, feather-light palate featuring brown-spiced apple and candied orange peel backed by considerable but supportive sweetness. There is a hint of underlying wet stone on the delightfully lingering finish, if not the clarity or juiciness of this genre at its best.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2013 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Succulent aromas of cherry, apple blossom and sweet herbs. Firm apricot fruit on the palate. With its elegant finish featuring persistent slate minerality, this Kabinett has a touch more nerve than the Goldtröpfchen.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Peach pit and lemon oil on the nose. Elegant passion fruit flavor is kept crisp by juicy acidity. A glossy kabinett whose spicy character gives it an appealing finish.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of choice vineyards in Piesport, Leiwen and Ockfen, this estate straddles the Saar and Mosel. Typically, their off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2009 almost everything was on equal footing. Particularly impressive is the "simple" riesling, which is Nik Weiss's calling card. You might say, "but you rated it only 86 points." That, though, is a good mark on my scale, especially at its modest price, and he makes 120,000 bottles of the wine. Also recommended: 2009 Riesling Trocken (85), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2009 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2009 Riesling (86), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (90).
2012 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Delicate aromas of apricot, clove, pine nuts and lemon oil. The alluring tropical fruit flavors are nicely balanced by crisp, clear, spicy acidity on the palate. Refreshing, captivating, long finish. One of the top kabinetts of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
I have always been impressed that an estate of this size can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Nik Weis's "simple" estate-bottled riesling is already captivating--and a steal for the price. And in each of the quality levels kabinett, spÃ¤tlese and auslese he placed a wine in what I call the top ten in all of Germany. Interestingly, it was his Bockstein site on the Saar in Ockfen that took all the honors. (www.urbans-hof.com) Also recommended: 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (87), 2012 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben (86), 2012 Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb (87), 2012 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2012 Riesling (87), 2012 Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese (89), 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese (89). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken.
2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Guava and lemon oil on the nose. Crisp, elegant passion fruit flavor is enlivened by juicy acidity. Glossy kabinett with a pleasing spiciness and an appealing finish.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow.Bright bouquet of peach stone, acacia blossom and clove. Delicately sweet on the palate, offering a nice interplay of apricot and luscious citricity.Dense yet ethereal, finishing with a pleasing spiciness and very good length. This is an excellent kabinett.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rich aromas of mango, passion fruit and clove are underpinned by a trace of smoky botrytis. Baked pineapple and glazed honey are kept vibrant by an understated saline character. Hints of caramel and brown spice add complexity to the finish. Richer than the normal auslese but not as bright.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule
Color: White

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Golden yellow. Rich aromas of papaya, candied pineapple and clove, underpinned by brown spice botrytis. Glossy baked apple and glazed honey flavors are nicely balanced by an understated saline character.A hint of caramelly peach and a sweet herbal essence add complexity to the finish. Richer than the normal auslese but not currently as bright; will this one day be the better wine?

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2012 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Grosses Gewachs
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lively aromas of apricot, lemon oil and mint. Bright peach pit fruit is animated by bracing acidity. This crisp, attractively dry riesling finish with very good clear, spicy length.

Producer Commentary:
I have always been impressed that an estate of this size can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Nik Weis's "simple" estate-bottled riesling is already captivating--and a steal for the price. And in each of the quality levels kabinett, spÃ¤tlese and auslese he placed a wine in what I call the top ten in all of Germany. Interestingly, it was his Bockstein site on the Saar in Ockfen that took all the honors. (www.urbans-hof.com) Also recommended: 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (87), 2012 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben (86), 2012 Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb (87), 2012 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2012 Riesling (87), 2012 Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese (89), 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese (89). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken.
2014 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: This bottling originated almost entirely in the Zickelgarten, but, unlike the corresponding Auction Spätlese, is not labeled as such. And like the "regular" Bockstein Auslese, there is, amazingly, an entire fuder's worth. Crystallized ginger, candied orange rind, musk, and high-toned almond extract dominate the nose, then join dried apricot and apple on a thickly-rich palate. Musky, sweaty as well as spicy notes in the finish make for a slightly rustic and drying effect, testifying to not quite one hundred percent noble botrytis. That said, this is impressively concentrated, complex, penetratingly persistent stuff. (375 ml.)

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2005 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rich gold. Distinctive aromas of chocolate-covered cherry, glazed mango and nutmeg, embedded in a web of honeyed botrytis. The glossy yet vibrant flavor of apricot nectar is perfectly complemented by slate.Offers a delicate interplay of ethereal sweetness, wonderfully tart citricity and slightly bitter botrytis tones.A TBA of outstanding depth and length, not to mention enormous potential.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Amber-gold. Intense aromas of dried apricot, butterscotch and cinnamon glide over the honeyed botrytis. Sumptuous, concentrated peach syrup flavor maintains good grip thanks to vibrant acidity. With unctuous richness on the long, spicy finish, this wine will need years to find its balance.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss has always had a penchant not only for spontaneous fermentations but also for an incredible richness in his wines.After the vibrant purity of the 2010s, the unctuousness was often--with the exception of the two sumptuous trockenbeerenausleses--above and beyond the call of duty.While there is not a single wine among the 16 that I would not recommend, there are few of the coups de coeur that the previous vintage brought across the entire range. Also recommended:2011 Riesling Trocken (86), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (88), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2011 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2011 Riesling (85), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (86), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese (88+?), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (89+?), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94).
2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow with a green tinge. Subtle bouquet of candied pineapple, nut oil and lemon custard. Juicy, sweet peach fruit is nicely framed by restrained acidity and a bright mineral element. The play of sweetness and acidity gives balance to this concentrated wine. Finishes with spicy length. Offers very good potential: perhaps I have underrated it.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Fruit-driven aromas of apricot and quince, lifted by a floral element. The subtle tropical fruit flavors are paired with a touch of licorice and a good shot of slate, with the harmonious balance of sweetness and acidity belying this wine's concentration. Finishes with good length and offers good potential. I may be underrating this.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of prime vineyards and a total production of 250,000 bottles a year, Nik Weiss owns and manages one of the larger private properties on the Mosel. Typically, his off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2007 the trio of spatlese bottlings crowned the collection. None are as rich as his excellent 2006s, but they are all more classic in style-and, as always, offer good value for money. In that light, his simple estate riesling is a steal. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2007 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2007 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2007 Riesling (87), 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage Auction Wine (89), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (89). Other wines tasted: 2007 Riesling Trocken, 2007 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Quince jelly, candied lemon and brown spice on the nose. The sweet tropical fruit palate maintains a pleasing delicacy in spite of the wine's richness and depth. A hint of caramelized peach and sweet herbal essences add complexity to the finish.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Spiced apple and candied lemon aromas. Cinnamon-spiced applesauce on the palate. Pretty and proportional, with acidity and sweetness perfectly judged; invigorating and delicate yet very long in the finish. I cannot claim to have considered Bockstein a really formidable site (and the present wine is still not the last word in complexity) but St. Urbanshof Bockstein rieslings tasted from several vintages in the past two years are causing me to reassess. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
I met youngx000D proprietor Nik Weis and his cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann last year and wasx000D impressed with their ambition and the consistent quality of their rieslingsx000D from bone dry to nobly sweet. Spacex000D limitations plus the fact that so many of the best wines I tasted last yearx000D were from earlier vintages prevented full coverage of this estate in Issuex000D 100. Begun by Weis grandfather, St.x000D Urbanshof has expanded beyond Leiwen and now owns more than 80 acres ofx000D riesling vines. These include choicex000D portions of Leiwen Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, and threex000D vineyards in the Saar which, for simplicity, are considered below together withx000D Mosel. The Saar was picked earlier thisx000D year than the Mosel, where the fruit and vines were healthier longer.x000D Vineyard manager Uwe Jostock reported thatx000D in his 20 years here he cannot recall seeing fruit so ripe and aromatic andx000D virtually botrytis-free as in this vintage. x000D In the cellar, says Weis, "we never took so many chances, fermentedx000D so many wines on wild yeasts, or put so many ideas into action as inx000D 2001." St. Urbanshof hasx000D eliminated mention of Trocken or Halbtrocken from their labels, so you will notx000D see those designations in the descriptions below. x000D That a wine is Trocken or at least tastes dry is signified by thex000D estate having dispensed with an attribution of Pradikat as well.x000D (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY)Also recommended: 2001 Ockfener x000D Bockstein Riesling, 2001 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Rieslingx000D Kabinett, 2001 Saarfeilser Riesling, 2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Rieslingx000D Spatlese ($20), 2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese ($16).
2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Golden yellow. Sublime aromas of candied apricot, clove and oyster shell are woven into a background of smoky botrytis. Creamy nectarine fruit with salty minerality refresh the palate. Rich but subtle, with its complex finish still somewhat closed, this wine will surely mature into one of the great ausleses of the vintage. Very impressive.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Apple jelly, candied lemon and brown spices on the nose. The glossy peach fruit is highlighted by lively acidity. The subtle, complex finish is still somewhat closed, calling for a bit of patience. There's more here than meets the eye.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of prime vineyards and a total production of 250,000 bottles a year, Nik Weiss owns and manages one of the larger private properties on the Mosel. Typically, his off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2007 the trio of spatlese bottlings crowned the collection. None are as rich as his excellent 2006s, but they are all more classic in style-and, as always, offer good value for money. In that light, his simple estate riesling is a steal. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2007 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2007 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2007 Riesling (87), 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage Auction Wine (89), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (89). Other wines tasted: 2007 Riesling Trocken, 2007 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Fascinating bouquet of licorice, honey, fennel, apple, citrus and pure botrytisin. Rich and dense on the palate, yet somehow conveys an impression of lightness. Exudes juicy, appley fruit and honey that mingle with brown spices and stony minerality in the finish. Quite refined and long, with hints of white raisin, honey, herbal distillate, apple jelly, citrus and spice. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: A yeasty overlay on the nose parts to reveal apple jelly, candied lemon and brown spice aromas. The palate is dominated by apple jelly and spice, with a glossy texture and honeyed suggestion pointing toward botrytis, yet a lively acidity accentuates the fresh fruit aspect. The long finish, in fact, is very much of fresh juicy apple mingled with honey and brown spices. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2014 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2045

Tasting notes: From diverse parcels, this late-harvested elixir features apple jelly and plum preserves mingled with juicy fresh lime and orange for a lovely balance of ennobled richness and vivacity. Plum pit piquancy lends counterpoint and salinity serves for saliva inducement, so that substantial residual sugar is able to reinforce the fruity richness without depriving us of freshness, let alone turning obscurant or cloying. In fact, there is a tingling, crystalline sense of mineral matter in the lushly lingering, irresistibly seductive finish. Incredibly, there is a thousand-liter fuder's worth of this!

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2004 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Trocken
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Subtle mineral aromas with white pepper and a hint of clove. The luscious pit fruit flavors shimmer with fresh acidity. Dense slate underpinnings dominate an impressively long finish.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2005 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Feinherb Erste Lage
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow. Rich bouquet of apricot, persimmon and lemon oil. The succulent, sweet peach fruit is enlivened by a bright saline minerality.Nicely balanced, lively off-dry riesling with satisfying length.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Feinherb Erste Lage
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow with a green tinge. Quince jelly, candied lemon and clove on the rich nose. The succulent, sweet apricot fruit is brightened by a restrained saline minerality. With fine depth, this is one of the finest off-dry rieslings of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Feinherb Erste Lage
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rich bouquet of apricot and lemongrass. The dense, sweet peach flavor is animated by a lively saline minerality. This well-balanced, vibrant and attractive off-dry riesling finishes with good spicy length.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of prime vineyards and a total production of 250,000 bottles a year, Nik Weiss owns and manages one of the larger private properties on the Mosel. Typically, his off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2007 the trio of spatlese bottlings crowned the collection. None are as rich as his excellent 2006s, but they are all more classic in style-and, as always, offer good value for money. In that light, his simple estate riesling is a steal. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2007 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2007 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2007 Riesling (87), 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage Auction Wine (89), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (89). Other wines tasted: 2007 Riesling Trocken, 2007 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2003 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Melon, white peach and subtly sweet green herbal notes on the nose. Creamy and glossy on the palate; gentle but with lift and elegance. Saturates the back of the palate with honey, flowers, melon, wet stone and white pepper. (An auction Spatlese from the Laurentiuslay was disappointingly diffuse, or perhaps simply unformed, by comparison.) Potential 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2004 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rich bouquet of apricots and lemongrass. The dense, sweet peach fruit is animated by a lively saline minerality. Well-balanced and vibrant, this is an excellent off-dry riesling with impressive length.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2008 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Yellow plum, licorice and brown spices on the nose. Fresh and concentrated, with juicy star fruit depth and vibrant mineral salts keeping the palate fresh. Still youthfully closed, but offers good potential.

Producer Commentary:
If anything, Nik Weiss has done an even better job in 2008 than he did in 2007. Even the simple wines, which have sometimes lacked character, were spot on this year. Given the total annual production of 250,000 bottles at this estate, that is an important message for any consumer looking for a reliable label. In particular, the off-dry rieslings were classically balanced and a string of succulent spatleses eminently drinkable. Like last year, they are all in a more classical restrained style, this time dictated by the vintage. Further, his simple estate riesling at 86 points remains a steal Also recommended: 2008 Riesling Trocken (86), 2008 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2008 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (88), 2008 Riesling (85), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (91). (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY
2002 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese #27
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: This represents the harvest from a particularly choice parcel planted in 1951 rather than a selection of bunches. For this reason, the botrytis element is quite restrained compared to what one meets in many a Mosel auction Spatlese. The vanilla and orange notes of this year's non-auction Laurentiuslay Spatlese are here taken in a direction of honeyed richness and of confectionery orange-vanilla. For all of the sheer sweetness and patisserie character, as well as the creaminess of texture the wine displays on the palate, it manages to retain its poise and its refreshment value. Nor are subtle nut oil and wet stone suggestions covered over by the high residual sugar. Glossy and mouthcoating, this really clings. Weis and Hoffmann say they'd be happy to see this wine compared stylistically with a Joh. Jos. Prum Spatlese, and I can happily acknowledge the resemblance. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2008 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Beerenauslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (for 375 ml.) Rich golden yellow. Striking aromas of white peach, lemon oil and woodsmoke over a bed of honeyed botrytis. Candied glazed apricot laced with vanilla animates the palate. Finishes crisp, vibrant and clean, with a persistent spiciness.

Producer Commentary:
If anything, Nik Weiss has done an even better job in 2008 than he did in 2007. Even the simple wines, which have sometimes lacked character, were spot on this year. Given the total annual production of 250,000 bottles at this estate, that is an important message for any consumer looking for a reliable label. In particular, the off-dry rieslings were classically balanced and a string of succulent spatleses eminently drinkable. Like last year, they are all in a more classical restrained style, this time dictated by the vintage. Further, his simple estate riesling at 86 points remains a steal Also recommended: 2008 Riesling Trocken (86), 2008 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2008 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (88), 2008 Riesling (85), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2008 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (91). (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY
2001 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese #16
Color: Sweet White

Score: 2.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Tangerine, melon, honey and lime aromas. In the mouth, this is lusciously citric, exotically melony, honeyed, floral, and suffused with wet stone and salty minerality that positively cascade into a near-endless finish. Enormous flavor and mineral extract are combined with delicacy, and vivid acidity with polish. "This year in the Laurentiuslay," says Weis, "you could honestly claim that perfectly ripe fruit was caught at the perfect moment." The taste confirms this not more than six or eight other 2001 Mosels I tasted are on this level. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
I met youngx000D proprietor Nik Weis and his cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann last year and wasx000D impressed with their ambition and the consistent quality of their rieslingsx000D from bone dry to nobly sweet. Spacex000D limitations plus the fact that so many of the best wines I tasted last yearx000D were from earlier vintages prevented full coverage of this estate in Issuex000D 100. Begun by Weis grandfather, St.x000D Urbanshof has expanded beyond Leiwen and now owns more than 80 acres ofx000D riesling vines. These include choicex000D portions of Leiwen Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, and threex000D vineyards in the Saar which, for simplicity, are considered below together withx000D Mosel. The Saar was picked earlier thisx000D year than the Mosel, where the fruit and vines were healthier longer.x000D Vineyard manager Uwe Jostock reported thatx000D in his 20 years here he cannot recall seeing fruit so ripe and aromatic andx000D virtually botrytis-free as in this vintage. x000D In the cellar, says Weis, "we never took so many chances, fermentedx000D so many wines on wild yeasts, or put so many ideas into action as inx000D 2001." St. Urbanshof hasx000D eliminated mention of Trocken or Halbtrocken from their labels, so you will notx000D see those designations in the descriptions below. x000D That a wine is Trocken or at least tastes dry is signified by thex000D estate having dispensed with an attribution of Pradikat as well.x000D (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY)Also recommended: 2001 Ockfener x000D Bockstein Riesling, 2001 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Rieslingx000D Kabinett, 2001 Saarfeilser Riesling, 2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Rieslingx000D Spatlese ($20), 2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese ($16).
2014 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2024

Tasting notes: Picked from the same vines several days ahead of the corresponding Grosses Gewächs and with a bit more botrytis, this was encouraged by a cool cellar environment to stop fermenting in cask before it reached legal dryness, as Weis wisely felt more alcohol might push the botrytis contribution in a bitter direction. Orange, blood orange and overripe yellow plum in the nose all anticipate the luscious fruitiness experienced on a silken, glycerol-slicked and lees-enriched palate. A long finish harbors more than enough primary juiciness to guarantee refreshment, and botrytis contributes light ginger spice and a subtly but seductively honeyed aura, without engendering even a hint of roughness or bitterness. 

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2013 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Also recommended

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Feinherb
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Yellow plum, licorice and brown spices on the nose. Creamy, deep star fruit flavor shows excellent concentration, with vibrant mineral salts keeping the palate fresh. Still closed, but offers very good potential.

Producer Commentary:
I have always been impressed that an estate of this size can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Nik Weis's "simple" estate-bottled riesling is already captivating--and a steal for the price. And in each of the quality levels kabinett, spÃ¤tlese and auslese he placed a wine in what I call the top ten in all of Germany. Interestingly, it was his Bockstein site on the Saar in Ockfen that took all the honors. (www.urbans-hof.com) Also recommended: 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (87), 2012 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben (86), 2012 Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb (87), 2012 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2012 Riesling (87), 2012 Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese (89), 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese (89). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken.
2004 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Fruit-driven aromas of apricot and quince, lifted by a floral element. The complex tropical fruit flavors are complicated by a touch of licorice and a good shot of slate. The fine balance of sweetness and acidity belies this wine's concentration. Offers excellent length and potential.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2005 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (auction wine) Pale greenish-yellow. Fruit-driven aromas of peach and kiwi, lifted by a floral topnote.The rich papaya fruit is nicely leavened by a touch of lemon oil and some bracing slate.This concentrated wine offers an attractive interplay of sweetness and acidity. Finishes with very good spicy persistence. May ultimately merit a higher score.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2010 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lovely aromas of peach, flowers and hazelnut. Creamy apricot fruit on the palate, but with a bracing citrus character lending support. Persistent, vibrant finishing flavors of slate, lemon oil and clove. A well-honed sp atlese with very good potential.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Smoky aromas of pear, sweet herbs and lemon candy. Glossy, plush apricot pit fruit nicely supported by a harmonious mineral structure. The subtly sweet finish features brown spices and pleasing length.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss has always had a penchant not only for spontaneous fermentations but also for an incredible richness in his wines.After the vibrant purity of the 2010s, the unctuousness was often--with the exception of the two sumptuous trockenbeerenausleses--above and beyond the call of duty.While there is not a single wine among the 16 that I would not recommend, there are few of the coups de coeur that the previous vintage brought across the entire range. Also recommended:2011 Riesling Trocken (86), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2011 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (88), 2011 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2011 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2011 Riesling (85), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (86), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese (88+?), 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (89+?), 2011 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (94).
2002 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The dry Laurentiuslay bottling here is once again an unqualified success. The nose is distinctly mineral, with a peppery pungency and a talcum note. In the mouth, luscious citrus and pit fruits shimmer with fresh acidity, and there is an almost doughy sense of pungent slate stuffing, along with an overlay of vanilla, that dominate an impressively long finish. Potential 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann managed another outstanding collection this year, and interestingly they seem to have scored bull's eyes both early and late in the season. As the rains of October continued, the team here became increasingly worried. "But you just had to taste the grapes," says Hoffmann, "to realize that these fears were unfounded, and that there would be outstanding wine. "I again had the opportunity this year to taste older vintages from St. Urbanshof - back more than 30 years, in fact - and can now even more fully appreciate what I had until recently been missing. To conserve space I have included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2002 Riesling, 2002 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2002 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett.
2001 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling
Color: White

Score: 1.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Baked apple, grapefruit and a hint of banana oil in the nose. Solid and mineral-rich in the mouth, but also flowery and possessed of ample citrus and apple fruit framed by ripe, refreshing acids. The faintly bitter cast of citrus pip and quinine doesn't impose itself in the finish, but segues into juicy fruit and strikingly persistent wet-stone and salt minerality. (Although no Pradikat is noted, this wine is unchaptalized, and would in the past have been labeled Spatlese Trocken.) 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
I met youngx000D proprietor Nik Weis and his cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann last year and wasx000D impressed with their ambition and the consistent quality of their rieslingsx000D from bone dry to nobly sweet. Spacex000D limitations plus the fact that so many of the best wines I tasted last yearx000D were from earlier vintages prevented full coverage of this estate in Issuex000D 100. Begun by Weis grandfather, St.x000D Urbanshof has expanded beyond Leiwen and now owns more than 80 acres ofx000D riesling vines. These include choicex000D portions of Leiwen Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, and threex000D vineyards in the Saar which, for simplicity, are considered below together withx000D Mosel. The Saar was picked earlier thisx000D year than the Mosel, where the fruit and vines were healthier longer.x000D Vineyard manager Uwe Jostock reported thatx000D in his 20 years here he cannot recall seeing fruit so ripe and aromatic andx000D virtually botrytis-free as in this vintage. x000D In the cellar, says Weis, "we never took so many chances, fermentedx000D so many wines on wild yeasts, or put so many ideas into action as inx000D 2001." St. Urbanshof hasx000D eliminated mention of Trocken or Halbtrocken from their labels, so you will notx000D see those designations in the descriptions below. x000D That a wine is Trocken or at least tastes dry is signified by thex000D estate having dispensed with an attribution of Pradikat as well.x000D (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY)Also recommended: 2001 Ockfener x000D Bockstein Riesling, 2001 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Rieslingx000D Kabinett, 2001 Saarfeilser Riesling, 2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Rieslingx000D Spatlese ($20), 2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese ($16).
2003 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The dry Laurentiuslay bottling is now officially Erste Lage, the Mosel equivalent of Grosses Gewachs, signified on the label only by the addition of a symbol that unites a cluster of grapes and the numeral "1". Lovely aroma of sweet flowers and honeydew melon. Almost shockingly soft, full-bodied and broad, yet it remains juicy and refreshing, displaying considerable clarity of fruit as well as subtle wet-stone slate minerality. Arguably this is as much like Condrieu as it is like a typical Laurentiuslay riesling, but no less delicious for that. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2014 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2024

Tasting notes: Although stringent efforts were made to select out any botrytis material, a little bit is betrayed in a prickly aromatic piquancy, featuring orange peel, raw ginger and white peach. This comes to the palate mouthwateringly salt-tinged, richly fruited, yet with persistent piquancy and prickle of orange peel, peach fuzz and peach near the core. Alkaline, stony and ashen notes add interest on the impressively sustained, transparent finish, pulling the wine unexpectedly in a slightly austere direction. But there is a welcome abundance of primary juiciness to guarantee refreshment and help reel you back in for the next intriguing sip. Raised in a combination of tank and cask, this was treated to slightly warmer cellar temperatures than the other Weis 2014s, so as to insure it would ferment to legal Trockenheit. 

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2004 Leiwener Laurentiushof Riesling Spätlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Withdrawn aromas of apricot and quince, lifted by a floral element. The complex tropical fruit flavors are complicated by a touch of licorice and a good shot of slate. The precarious balance of sweetness and acidity, now leaning towards the former, masks this wine’s concentration. Still rich and full, this Riesling offers excellent length and the potential for further development.

Producer Commentary:
This wine was part of a retrospective tasting, Germany: Ten Years After - 2004 Riesling Spätlese.
2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Beerenauslese Erste Lage
Color: Sweet White

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Rich golden yellow. Deep aromas of bing cherry, lime zest and clove over a bed of honeyed botrytis. The creamy yet vibrant flavor of glazed peach is animated by slate flavor and a wonderfully tart citric character. Tightly coiled yet already immensely pleasing, this beerenauslese boasts excellent depth, length and potential.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of prime vineyards and a total production of 250,000 bottles a year, Nik Weiss owns and manages one of the larger private properties on the Mosel. Typically, his off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2007 the trio of spatlese bottlings crowned the collection. None are as rich as his excellent 2006s, but they are all more classic in style-and, as always, offer good value for money. In that light, his simple estate riesling is a steal. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2007 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2007 Mehringer Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2007 Riesling (87), 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett (87), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage Auction Wine (89), 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (89). Other wines tasted: 2007 Riesling Trocken, 2007 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2001 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 2.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Candied citrus, pit fruits, nut oils and ginger are allied to decisive, salty, slate-mineral character. This is as compact and dense as any fruitcake, but layered and architecturally sound, with a bracing lime fruit note emerging and providing fascinating gustatory counterpoint. The saltiness and honey-drenched dried fruit finishing flavors are striking and long. This fruit was captured in two south-facing, rocky parcels just as it was going over to slight botrytization. Abnormally high sugar (the wine simply stopped fermenting and wouldn't budge) is perfectly integrated thanks to engaging acidity and enormous extract. And today the wine is probably hiding more than it shows. Potential 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
I met youngx000D proprietor Nik Weis and his cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann last year and wasx000D impressed with their ambition and the consistent quality of their rieslingsx000D from bone dry to nobly sweet. Spacex000D limitations plus the fact that so many of the best wines I tasted last yearx000D were from earlier vintages prevented full coverage of this estate in Issuex000D 100. Begun by Weis grandfather, St.x000D Urbanshof has expanded beyond Leiwen and now owns more than 80 acres ofx000D riesling vines. These include choicex000D portions of Leiwen Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, and threex000D vineyards in the Saar which, for simplicity, are considered below together withx000D Mosel. The Saar was picked earlier thisx000D year than the Mosel, where the fruit and vines were healthier longer.x000D Vineyard manager Uwe Jostock reported thatx000D in his 20 years here he cannot recall seeing fruit so ripe and aromatic andx000D virtually botrytis-free as in this vintage. x000D In the cellar, says Weis, "we never took so many chances, fermentedx000D so many wines on wild yeasts, or put so many ideas into action as inx000D 2001." St. Urbanshof hasx000D eliminated mention of Trocken or Halbtrocken from their labels, so you will notx000D see those designations in the descriptions below. x000D That a wine is Trocken or at least tastes dry is signified by thex000D estate having dispensed with an attribution of Pradikat as well.x000D (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY)Also recommended: 2001 Ockfener x000D Bockstein Riesling, 2001 Wiltinger Schlangengraben Rieslingx000D Kabinett, 2001 Saarfeilser Riesling, 2001 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Rieslingx000D Spatlese ($20), 2001 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese ($16).
2010 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Golden yellow. Fine bouquet of ripe apple, vanilla and sweet herbs, with a hint of brown spice botrytis. The rich palate displays undeniably sweet apricot fruit and a salty, resinous character. Lively spices leaven the wine's unctuous texture on the long finish.

Producer Commentary:
Like Kesselstatt, this is one of the few estates to have excellent vineyards on both the Saar and the middle stretches of the Mosel. Always one of the finest producers of off-dry riesling in any given year, Nik Weiss's past few vintages have been topnotch across the board, with both a kabinett and an auslese ranking in my top ten lists in 2010. Even the "simple" riesling merits serious attention for its value, and it has the decided advantage of being made in large volume and offered at a reasonable price. Also recommended: 2010 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (88), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89), 2010 Riesling (86), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese (89), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (93+?), 2010 Saarfeilser Riesling Beerenauslese (93), 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese (96), 2010 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein (96).
2016 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2022

Tasting notes: Site-typical orange peel and mint inform a penetrating nose and an at once piquant and cooling palate. There is some of the glycerol-richness bordering on oiliness that was noted in this year’s Saarfeilser Grosses Gewächs, but here that is accompanied by welcome primary juiciness of lemon and orange, which sets up a delightful and not at all inharmonious contrast with the wine’s richness of texture, and insures that the impressively sustained finish will deliver at least a modicum of refreshment. Taken together with pit piquancy, black tea smokiness, and nips of cress, the finishing effect is fortunately also quite zesty and invigorating. And at just 12% alcohol, there is certainly no heaviness. (This was fermented in stainless steel, then matured in old cask.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Grosses Gewächs
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2024

Tasting notes: This first-ever St. Urbans-Hof Bockstein Grosses Gewächs – issuing primarily from the estate’s Zickelgarten portion of that Einzellage – was picked relatively early and with the scrupulous exclusion of any botrytis-tinged fruit, for a bottling that only reached 12 percent alcohol, although not one that shares the sense of buoyancy conveyed by this year’s Saarfeilser Grosses Gewächs. Orange and apple blossoms on the nose are backed by the scent of those fruits themselves, whose juiciness and invigorating zest inform a firm, even slightly stiff palate. This finishes with such blazing brightness and sheer grip that it’s impossible to withhold high marks, although, for now at least, it’s more impressive than charming or winsome. I suspect that modest alcohol will become its saving grace as this matures in bottle, since there is no risk of heaviness and little danger that the wine’s pronounced fruit skin phenolics will turn bitter. I’m optimistic, but I’ll wait a year or so before revisiting.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein
Color: Sweet White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Nippy note of frost in the nose. Honeyed and rich on the palate: apple jelly studded with white raisins and sprinkled with brown spices. Less subtle and interesting than this year's two Bockstein Auslesen, this nevertheless displays admirable clarity and purity in a long, ennobled, but slightly nippy, horseradish-tinged finish. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2018 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese Goldkapsel
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2050

Tasting notes: Honeydew melon liqueur and candied herbal concentrates in the nose are backed by dominant sweetness on a glossy, glycerol-rich palate. I anticipated and hoped for more push-back of acidity here than in the Saarfeilser and Goldtröpfchen gold capsule Auslesen, but instead there is less. Thankfully, though, hints of nutty piquancy, along with mouthwatering salinity, serve quite effectively to counteract sweetness in an undeniably pure and prodigious finish. In Weis’s opinion, this was the best wine on the table during our tasting. (A T.B.A. – sorted-out from this same material –was still fermenting at the time of my visit.) (375 ml.) 

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule
Color: Sweet White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: White raisin, honey, quince jelly and licorice aromas. Highly elegant and refined in the mouth; more concentrated, oily, creamy and botrytis-ennobled than this year's "regular" Bockstein Auslese, yet if anything even juicier and more delicate and hovering in its palate impression. Quince preserve, dried apricot, apple jelly and white raisin in the mouth are cut by subtle grapefruit citricity and accented my nutmeg, licorice and musk. Ravishingly long, clear and complex. As complex and fine a wine as I have ever tasted from this well-known site. 2 stars.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2015 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

Tasting notes: Scents of overripe honeydew melon and herbal liqueur pave the way for a surprisingly lush palate that introduces only a hint of site-typical orange for freshness. The analysis reveals that vintage-typically high acidity is present, but the only tasteable clue to this is the extent to which the effects of 55 grams of residual sugar (high by this estate’s standards) are largely checked. Perhaps time will convey more animation and diversity. But I would give this a couple of years before bothering to revisit. (In a departure from usual practice, there is no corresponding 2015 Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese but instead only an auction Spätlese from the Zickelgarten sector, also reviewed for this report.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2017 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2042

Tasting notes: Less forceful and more mannerly on the nose than the striking corresponding Kabinett, this Spätlese leads with site-typical scents of orange blossom, mint and lime. The delicate, luscious palate impression is akin to a coolingly mint-laced orange and lime sorbet, at once creamy and animatingly bright. And as with so many of the Weis 2017s, the impressively persistent finish harbors mouthwatering salinity. 

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2014 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2034

Tasting notes: Honeysuckle and orange blossom carry from the nose through to the long, buoyant finish of this bottling, while generously juicy apple, white peach and lime deliver refreshment and zesty tang. A lick of salt serves to activate the salivary glands while crystalline stony notes positively shimmer and peach kernel lends a piquant glow. Reversing the situation with the Weis 2014 Piesporters, this Spätlese is clearer and juicier than the corresponding Kabinett. Sixty grams of residual sugar seems to have been perfect for setting off this electrically charged beauty's virtues without generating the least sense of opacity or of surplus, superficial sweetness.

Producer Commentary:
The longstanding but far from aged team of third-generation proprietor Nik Weis (in charge since 1997), cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock has made Leiwen-based St. Urbans-Hof a watchword for Mosel and Saar Riesling quality. (Weis recently incorporated his own name, front and center, into the winery’s official name, and “Nik Weis” is now also writ large on its completely redesigned labels, but this change was prompted not by ego but rather by the plethora of other wine estates in Germany and elsewhere named for Saint Urban.) The foundation of this estate is prime Middle Mosel vineyards from Weis's paternal grandfather and Saar sites from his maternal side. Highlights include superbly situated parcels in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and Leiwener Laurentiuslay; acreage recently expanded to monopole status in the Zickelgarten, within Ockfener Bockstein; and the largest of three shares in the steep, uniquely cobbled Saarfeilser (a.k.a. Marienberg) immediately adjacent to the River Saar opposite Schoden. (Lauer and Loch are the other two landholders in that last.) The ancient Weis vines in Wiltinger Schlangengraben, a level plateau above the Saarfeilser, serve as a source of vine cuttings coveted by growers throughout Germany, and after World War II, Weis's uncle took a Weis family vine selection with him to Ontario, where today they are the genetic basis for many of the finest Rieslings grown on the Niagara Peninsula. Weis’s wife of fourteen years brought her family’s acreage in underrated Mehring into the estate. (In 2014, Weis partnered with Martin Foradori of the Alto Adige to take controlling interest in Ockfen’s Dr. Fischer estate, and their first wines under that label were reviewed in my Saar report).

Weis and Hoffmann are partisans as well as masters of the hidden sweetness to which Riesling grown in Germany singularly adapts itself and which can result in inimitable wines of enormous versatility. In recent vintages, Weis has even fielded collections in which his Grosses Gewächs from the Laurentiuslay was the sole legally trocken wine. Although such tolerance for residual sugar automatically alleviates alcoholic pressure, Weis and Jostock have been concerned since long before this became a routine topic of conversation among German vintners, with farming in such a way that riper, more complex flavors – even though these require extended hang time – can be achieved at lower must weights. They pride themselves on treating their vineyards like a garden, and labor-intensive measures include composting, hoeing the soil, highly light-sensitive canopy management, short pruning, and in some instances even the nearly unprecedented and, to say the least, trend-bucking retraining of vines from wires to traditional single posts.

Despite the selectivity needed to achieve quality in 2014, Hofmann wasn’t shy in expressing his delight that yields were not only higher than anticipated, but represented a good long-term average. Of course that would not be cause for joy if the wines were not largely excellent, although Hoffmann noted that “they were difficult to taste during the first half of 2015,” and even now, despite many highly expressive and some absolutely sensational bottlings, this is by no means the most memorable recent St. Urbans-Hof collection. Picking began in early October and, exceptionally for the vintage, extended into November. Other than certain lots from Wiltinger Schlangengraben and the upper reaches of the Saarfeilser, the musts were not chaptalized, even those that measured only in the low to mid-80s Oechsle. At the opposite end of the Oechsle scale, it must be said of St. Urbans-Hof that, unlike most Mosel estates in 2014, botrytis was largely its friend; a series of often striking nobly sweet wines - and by no means small volumes of these – resulted in large part from late infections and selections.
2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale yellow. Fruit-driven aromas of peach and kiwi, lifted by a floral nuance. Crisp yet luscious papaya flavor shows a refreshing mineral aspect. Dense and yet delicately spicy, this spatlese finishes with deceptive length.

Producer Commentary:
As in the past, my favorites among Nik Weiss's wines are his off-dry rieslings, refreshing kabinetts and succulent spatleses, which are all wonderful to drink on a summer afternoon. Equally important for wine lovers, though, is the fact that his wines are not only extremely consistent but also generally very good value. Just one example: Although I've listed his simple estate riesling merely as "recommended," he sells 140,000 bottles of it each year. That's more than most estates produce across their whole range-and this wine sells for less than $10 in Europe! (H. B. Wine Merchant, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2006 Riesling Estate (85), 2006 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2006 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese Auction Wine (91), 2006 Mehringer Riesling Auslese (89). Other wines tasted: 2006 Riesling Trocken, 2006 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
2013 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spätlese
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2026

Tasting notes: Bright aromas of fresh apple, star fruit and nut oils. Densely packed but showing enormous verve and even an element of delicacy to its papaya flavor, this Riesling is kept alive by its brisk acidity. The clear, refreshing slate character on the long, spicy finish make this the estate's finest Spätlese of the vintage.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2017 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: Lemon and grapefruit are garlanded in honeysuckle and lily-of-the-valley on a fetching nose and a polished, clear, delicate and brightly juicy palate. Nutty piquancy and an undertone of wet stone add to the layered appeal of a lusciously lingering finish.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2013 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Subtle floral bouquet of peach skin and acacia blossom. Bright, slightly tart apple fruit shows refreshing, persistent acidity. This is the sort of invigorating, appealing Kabinett I like to drink. The Bockstein may have more nerve, but this has finesse and balance.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2018 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2028

Tasting notes: An alcohol content of 9.5% signals that this is one of the many vintage 2018 Kabinetts whose authors have allowed fermentation to proceed a bit further than usual so as to avoid extraneous or otherwise excess sweetness. In the event, this Kabinett is still very obviously sweet, and its syrupy midpalate expression of pear and pineapple – anticipated \on the nose – seems decidedly more Spätlese- than Kabinett-like. Fortunately, mint suffusion has a welcome cooling effect. The feel is glossy but with some sense of buoyancy. Nut brittle with it bittersweet and caramel aspects pulls the finish in a confectionary direction. I’ve no doubt this will outlive my “drink by” date but I’m skeptical of its meriting longer holding.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2015 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2030

Tasting notes: Grapefruit, lemon, tangerine and pineapple inform a pungent nose and a brightly juicy, zesty, tangy palate in this unabashedly sweet, featherweight bottling, while hints of mango and banana deliver an unexpectedly tropical accent. Smoky, faintly incisive hints of black tea serve for welcome counterpoint, and the long finish is tongue-tinglingly persistent.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2016 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2026

Tasting notes: Zesty grapefruit mingles with cassis, mint and marjoram in a highly pungent and piquant aromatic display that anticipates this wine’s performance on a glossy palate. Fresh grapefruit lends welcome juiciness to the coolingly herb-tinged, judiciously sweet finish, though one could not call that finish “bright,” and it wants a bit for focus, let alone mineral nuance. (At 8.7 grams, this wine has suddenly vaulted acidity into a more estate-typical realm.)

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2018 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: Ripe pear and pineapple on the nose give the impression on a glossy, decidedly sweet palate of having been lightly cooked in syrup. There is even an aura of canned fruit cocktail. Happily, musky, peony-like perfume serves for some enticement and intrigue, and the finish, for all of its sheer sweetness, is undeniably persistent and manages to modestly refresh. Here is another instance in the present collection where time might well bring greater focus and flavor interest, but where it will take considerable period for the wine’s superficial sweetness to significantly back off, if indeed that is destined to happen. Certainly this is a far cry from its superb vintage 2017 predecessor, and serves as one more illustration of how tricky it was in 2018 to capture fruit from Goldtröpfchen that would avoid overripeness or acid deficiency, and of how enormously variable is the quality of Goldtröpfchen Rieslings from this vintage.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2042

Tasting notes: Golden Delicious apple and pink grapefruit are laced with mint and wintergreen on an effusive nose and a lusciously juicy, delicate, creamy palate. Sweetness is obvious but deftly deployed in the service of profuse fruit. The gorgeously sustained finish adds animating tang of pineapple core, as well as a sweet-saline, saliva-inducing savor of raw scallop.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2013 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: Supple aromas of Cling peach, sweet lime and wild herbs. A deep, velvety passion fruit flavor is animated by a delicate acid backbone that gives the wine poise. This elegantly balanced Spätlese ends on a delicate spicy note.

Producer Commentary:
This estate now has a new label. Long known as St. Urbanshof, it now sails under the moniker of Nik Weis, the owner. “We wanted to simplify things,” he said, but the old name is still written in small letters under his so as not to confuse consumers. I have always been impressed that an estate with 32 hectares can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Weis's "simple" estate-bottled Riesling is already one of the best in Germany, but where others make only 12,000 bottles, he produces 100,000--and it's a steal for the price! Further, his wild fermentations make for Kabinetts and Spätleses that provide some of the most fascinating drinking you’ll find on the market.
2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Lime, white grapefruit, blackcurrant and honey in an intense aromatic display. Liqueur-like presentation of black and citrus fruits on the palate, along with notes of licorice and sweet florality. Drippingly rich and juicy finish. 1 star.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann insist that acid adjustment was unnecessary in wines of acceptable pH brought in during cool weather; indeed, they say, it would have resulted in a denial of vintage character and thus had to be rejected. In addition to green harvesting, Weis undertook considerable tagging of vines so that fruit from those that had succumbed to heat stress could be segregated at harvest. To conserve space, I have once again included, along with the Middle Mosel notes below, my account of Weis's most successful Saar wines of this vintage-and what a vintage it was for his Ockfener Bockstein! (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York NY) Also recommended: 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, 2003 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese.
2016 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese a.p. #10
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2040

Tasting notes: Scheurebe-like, the nose offers intensely pungent sage, mint, cassis and pink grapefruit peel. A creamy, buoyant palate packs a welcome, luscious abundance of juicy pear and pink grapefruit, leading to a pure-fruited, prominently sweet yet coolingly herbal and mouthwateringly salt-tinged finish that refreshes as it caresses. As proof that success this year at St. Urbans-Hof was not necessarily about acidity – and proof, as if it were needed, that a wine’s analysis can mislead – this seductress weighs in at a mere 7.4 grams of acidity!

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2015 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2040

Tasting notes: Grapefruit, pineapple, papaya and mango deliver a lovely, colorful if slightly gaudy mingling of tangy citrus and lush tropicality for what one easily recognizes as an extrapolation from the corresponding Kabinett. Hints of sassafras and cassis leaf add pungent counterpoint on a glossy, glycerol-rich, light-on-its-feet palate. Zest and tingle of citrus and pineapple contribute invigoration, and salinity offers irresistible saliva-inducement on an otherwise dominantly tropical, lusciously ripe finish of almost liqueur-like opulence and intensity. Heavily botrytis-affected fruit was picked out alongside for a Beerenauslese, explained cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann, but the rest of the crop, botrytis included, informed this Spätlese. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2009 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese
Color: White

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Green apple, lemon oil and clover on the nose. Light and lively but at the same time velvety on the palate. Rose petal and saline minerality mingle on the crisp, harmonious finish, which offers a lipsmacking elegance.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of choice vineyards in Piesport, Leiwen and Ockfen, this estate straddles the Saar and Mosel. Typically, their off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2009 almost everything was on equal footing. Particularly impressive is the "simple" riesling, which is Nik Weiss's calling card. You might say, "but you rated it only 86 points." That, though, is a good mark on my scale, especially at its modest price, and he makes 120,000 bottles of the wine. Also recommended: 2009 Riesling Trocken (85), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2009 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2009 Riesling (86), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (90).
2015 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2038

Tasting notes: Pungent scents of candied grapefruit and lemon peel, tinged with cassis syrup and peppermint, pave the way for a decidedly sweet but subtly piquant palate presence that combines glycerol-rich and honey-slicked opulence with lift. There is just enough fresh citricity to the long-lasting finish to keep this elixir’s syrupy side from turning cloying. 

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, joint cellarmaster for a short time with the Karthäuserhof, has joined the long-standing but far from aged Urbans-Hof team of proprietor Nik Weis, cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann and vineyard manager Hermann Jostock to help accommodate an increased volume of wine, including that generated by Weis’s collaboration with Martin Foradori in recently reviving the Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof winery (covered in my report on the Saar and Ruwer). The 2015 St. Urbans-Hof collection perpetuates a recent and in my view very welcome trend at this address to let wines come to fermentative rest slightly in excess of legal Trockenheit and in part for that very reason, although also due to harvest strategy, field a plethora of dry-tasting Rieslings that weigh in at or under 11 percent alcohol. This has left the estate’s Grosse Gewächse – a category nowadays incumbent, politically speaking, on VDP members – as the odd men out in a Nik Weis collection, an oddity reflected at the time of my most recent visit in September 2016 by the fact that the intended 2015 Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs was still fermenting its way to legal dryness, despite having already reached nearly 14 percent alcohol. In an attempt to make a virtue out of that situation, Weis has decided not to release the finished wine (which I did not have any subsequent opportunity to taste) until September 2017 and is seriously considering giving subsequent Laurentiuslay Grosse Gewächse a similarly delayed release with the consequent option of longer élevage. The low-alcohol, dry-tasting but not legally dry St. Urbans-Hof offerings have tended until recently to be designated as feinherb and sometimes also as Kabinett. But those designations have been marginalized first by being relegated to small print on what are effectively the bottles’ back labels and eventually by complete removal. And it seems dubious whether Weis will revert to labeling as trocken any future bottlings fitting that category’s parameters. The winery-internal convention here for distinguishing dry-tasting from judiciously but unapologetically sweet wines is that the former bear the relatively recent red-on-buff label and capsules while the latter continue to feature the gold-on-black label utilized until recently for all St. Urbans-Hof offerings.

“Yes, it was hot and dry in 2015,” observed Rudi Hoffmann, “but in our sectors of the Mosel and Saar we got bits of rain at just the right moments even before September. We were conscious of picking early by historical standards,” he noted; but then, contemplating the more than 100 degrees Oechsle at which this year’s would-be Laurentiuslay Grosses Gewächs arrived at the press house even after stringent culling of botrytis, “perhaps we need to pick even earlier in the future.” Weis and Hoffmann kept the fuders destined for unapologetically sweet in an exceptionally cool environment to encourage a prolongation of fermentation, and they weren’t bottled until June and July 2016 (whereas a number of the dry-tasting wines were bottled in May). As a by-product of that slow fermentation, some bottlings carry significantly higher residual sugar than usual, but vintage-typical acidity tempers its effects. Hoffmann confirms the welcome news that residually sweet Kabinett is staging a comeback among younger German wine lovers while retaining its popularity in American, Asian and selected European export markets. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introduction to my report on this estate’s 2014s.)
2018 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2040

Tasting notes: Candied grapefruit peel, mint and cassis on the nose anticipate the confectionary cast conveyed on a glossy, glycerol-rich palate, but here we also, thankfully, encounter not only the juiciness of exceedingly ripe Persian melon but also of fresh citrus, counteracting any tendency toward excessive sweetness. A hint of salinity that stimulates the salivary glands on the lusciously lingering finish serves as an additional check on sheer sweetness.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2017 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2046

Tasting notes: Quince preserves and candied grapefruit peel inform a penetrating nose and a glossy, creamy, yet invigoratingly zesty and brightly juicy palate. The finish soars in its combination of animation with alcoholic levity, while leaving one’s tongue and gums tingling as well as remarkably slate-saturated, and one’s salivary glands pumping.

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2005 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Bright aromas of candied peach, lemon oil and acacia honey. The sweet tropical fruit flavors maintain a pleasing delicacy in spite of the wine's richness and depth. The long, glossy finish is underscored by restrained slate and a delicate spiciness.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).
2016 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2038

Tasting notes: “Whatever healthy fruit was still hanging after we pulled out the auction Spätlese from this parcel became the Auslese, harvested on October 16,” explained Busch. Cassis and pink grapefruit, mint and horehound candies dominate on an effusive nose and oily palate. An upwelling of nougat reinforces the wine’s confectionary aura, but at the same time freshness of grapefruit and cassis allies with soothingly cooling herbal concentration for a lusciously lingering finish.

Producer Commentary:
Tobias Busch, who showed me the 2016 St. Urbans-Hof collection, is now Nik Weis’s joint cellarmaster, along with veteran Rudi Hoffmann. (Busch also continues to be responsible for the wines of Ockfen’s Weingut Dr. Fischer–Bocksteinhof, which are for the time being vinified at the Leiwen facilities of St. Urbans-Hof, and whose 2016 instantiations I’ll review in my impending coverage of the Saar and Ruwer.) Busch expresses Nik Weis’s preference for taking advantage of fall 2016 in order to postpone harvest, which, although it began here in early October, ran until almost mid-November. Late harvest might go some way toward explaining the most striking feature of the collection I tasted – namely, the unusually low acidity of most wines, which was sometimes accompanied by a lack of animation, primary juiciness or focus surprising for this estate, which has accustomed me to one superb collection after another. But the earlier-picked sites, Saarfeilser, Goldtröpfchen and Laurentiuslay, were in several instances especially low in acidity, so late-summer warmth on already relatively dry, heat-retentive sites is probably the most significant factor – a hypothesis with which Busch concurs. This low acidity was so noticeable on paper as well as on the palate that I was tempted to hypothesize some measure of malolactic transformation, but Busch indicated that, as in the past, there was none. Happily, the most successful of the estate's 2016s (which are by no means always the highest-acid) are impressive.

There is no shortage of wine here from 2016, since peronospora took very little toll on Weis’s vineyard holdings, which, incidentally, were recently expanded in both the Leiwener Laurentiuslay and the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. He now fields a trio of Grosse Gewächse, but his other Rieslings continue to follow the laissez-faire attitude toward residual sugar that has informed a decade during which on numerous occasions only one or two wines in any given collection were legally trocken. (From vintage 2008, not one wine on the estate’s regular price list was trocken.) Speaking of legally dry wines, there are three current St. Urbans-Hof offerings that I have not reviewed in detail. Near the winery in the Leiwener Klostergarten are parcels of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir planted and tended in connection with the local vine nursery, which is responsible for, among other things, propagating the Weis family’s world-renowned old vines Riesling material. A Pinot Blanc has been vinified since 2013 – unbeknownst to me – and inaugural bottlings of the other varieties have just appeared. As Busch emphasizes, it’s just a little experiment on the part of Weis’s team, but I found the 2016 Pinot Blanc awkwardly milky, and things did not improve from there. Incidentally, reference to wood or to scents and flavors that might be traceable to oak will be found here and there in my tasting notes, a reflection of the estate’s renewal of and additions to their fleet of casks, which is taking on an expanded (if still minority) role vis-à-vis stainless steel. (For instance, all of this year’s Spätlesen were raised exclusively in casks, though mostly older ones.) “There was simply no longer enough total capacity in the cellar,” noted Busch. One other wine missing from my tasting notes is a Laurentiuslay Auslese that was auctioned but not available yet for tasting on the occasion of my late July visit. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s and 2015s.)
2009 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Fine bouquet of ripe apple, vanilla and sweet herbs. Rich on the palate, with a salty, resinous character adding complexity to the undeniably sweet apricot flavor. Unctuous and yet with a lively spice character, and long on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
With 80 acres of choice vineyards in Piesport, Leiwen and Ockfen, this estate straddles the Saar and Mosel. Typically, their off-dry rieslings are my favorites, but in 2009 almost everything was on equal footing. Particularly impressive is the "simple" riesling, which is Nik Weiss's calling card. You might say, "but you rated it only 86 points." That, though, is a good mark on my scale, especially at its modest price, and he makes 120,000 bottles of the wine. Also recommended: 2009 Riesling Trocken (85), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Trocken (88), 2009 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (89), 2009 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2009 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (87), 2009 Riesling (86), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (88), 2009 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese (90).
2017 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2042

Tasting notes: Although prominent reference to “Zickelgarten” has been omitted from any vintage 2017 labels, that near-monopoly of St. Urbans-Hof (at one time an official Einzellage) is the source of this Auslese. Scents and concentrated flavors of candied orange and lime peels dominate, accompanied by overtones of wet stone and smoky black tea. An oily feel helps assuage the wine’s prominent piquancy and pithy sense of concentration. The mouth-saturating, veritably mouth-shaking finish grips with near-severity, but incorporates enough juiciness to refresh, while featuring a wet stone undertone that is unusually vivid for an Auslese. Give this time!

Producer Commentary:
Even by his standards of self-promotion, Nik Weis seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited about the 2017 collection, which was an encouraging sign after a set of 2016s that I found surprisingly disappointing. Weis’s enthusiasm and excitement infected me once I had tasted the first few wines. April frost, eventually compounded by the necessary selectivity at harvest, reduced yields to less than half of what this estate achieves in some vintages. Weis opined that the quality of his collection is directly related to those low yields. “No grower,” he said, “would ever have cut yields so savagely, even with the most rigorous de-budding or crop-dropping. But nature did it.” The 2017 harvest here commenced on September 25 – hardly early by 2017 standards. “It’s really black and white this year,” insisted Weis: “The greedy or anxious growers who picked early made absolutely awful wines this year, whereas patient growers experienced a magnificent vintage.” That having been said, picking at St. Urbans-Hof was completed in just under four weeks, a not inconsiderable feat given a vine surface that approaches a hundred acres – distributed across three Saar and three Middle Mosel communes – and given that fruit from secondary (post-frost) buds ripened on a delayed basis. “It wasn’t just from one bunch to another that there was heterogeneity in this vintage,” reported Weis – who says he made up to four passes per parcel. “You had heterogeneity within the clusters, as well,” often obliging them to be broken open at harvest. The compressed harvest was only accomplished thanks to an enhanced crew, which meant that, just as at many other German Riesling estates, 2017 set new records for labor costs, not to mention for ratio of costs to volume of wine produced. Must weights were generally too elevated for Kabinett, and I wondered whether the Grosse Gewächse might prove handicapped by high alcohol, as has occasionally been the case here in recent vintages. But two of three wines that Weis chose to label as “Kabinett” – albeit from high-must-weight fruit – are certainly gorgeous. And his vintage 2017 Grosse Gewächse – only one of which cracks 13% in alcohol – include two of the finest I have ever tasted from this estate. For some wines at the drier end of the spectrum, there was too little suitable raw material to support the usual stay in fuder. By contrast, the enormous and superb range of nobly sweet vintage 2017 wines here includes remarkably many in fuder-sized volumes.

A special explanation is in order of three superb wines labeled “Mehringer Layet.” Since 2007, when the acreage in question was brought to the estate by his wife, Weis has bottled a feinherb Riesling from the Einzellage Mehringer Blattenberg, labeling it with just the village name. But for a Grosses Gewächs, a Spätlese and a Beerenauslese from 2017, he highlighted the specific, quartzite-rich, shore-hugging site Layet (effectively “little slate”), having secured VDP recognition for this small vineyard within the Blattenberg as a “Grosse Lage.” The Blattenberg (from the Latin for “Abbott’s hillside”) became an ecclesiastical possession in the 4th century and in 1802 passed into the secular hands of the once-renowned Friedrich Wilhelms Gymnasium, which brought considerable prestige to the name “Blattenberg,” and soon after the First World War planted what are now the Layet’s oldest vines. If there are any lovers of Mosel Riesling left who still doubt that sites of extraordinary potential remain in need of 21st-century rediscovery and revival, they should taste any of these three gems from the Layet!

For the 2017 vintage, longtime cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann continued to work alongside co-cellarmaster Tobias Busch (who left after the 2018 crush and was replaced by Kai Hausen), while veteran Hermann Jostock (also renowned as a nurseryman) continued to work his magic in the vineyards. Note that this is one among a significant number of German estates that has dispensed with labeling their wines “trocken” or “halbtrocken,” a decision in which Weis was indubitably influenced not just by the commercial “kiss of death” that “halbtrocken” is notorious for administering in the domestic market, but more significantly by the numerous 21st-century vintages in which almost all of Weis’s wines have resisted fermenting to legal Trockenheit. Somewhat analogously to Markus Molitor, Weis now utilizes a white and orange label and capsule for those wines that are essentially dry-tasting (though often halbtrocken), whereas the black and gold label that this estate has been utilizing for decades is now confined to sweet wines. The generic “Riesling Schiefer” bottling was inexplicably omitted when Weis presented his 2017s to me, and, as my point-spread ratings indicate, many of the nobly sweet St. Urbans-Hof 2017s were tasted prior to bottling, which took place on the eve of the 2018 harvest, almost immediately after my vintage 2017 tasting session. I did not taste a couple of lots of potential Goldkapsel or Lange Goldkapsel Auslese, nor have I yet tasted a trio of enormously high-must-weight TBAs that issued from the Goldtröpfchen, Bockstein and Laurentiuslay and were still fermenting in late 2018. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and current practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to my reports on the estate’s 2014s, 2015s and 2016s.)
2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Apple jelly, candied lemon and brown spices on the nose. The glossy apricot fruit is accentuated by lively acidity that gives the wine noteworthy vibrancy. The subtle, long finish is still somewhat closed. A very young wine: there's more here than meets the eye.

Producer Commentary:
Since Nik Weiss has been running his family's business he has more than polished the rough gem he inherited.In fact, his past few vintages have been outstanding.Since the end of the '90s few estates on the Mosel have achieved such consistently high quality across such a wide spectrum of wines.Vintage 2004 is no exception, with a number of rieslings at the apex of what the vintage could bring.(H.B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (85), 2004 Riesling Spatlese Trocken (86), 2004 Saarfeilser Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (86), 2004 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett (87), 2004 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese (87).
2018 Riesling Ockfener Bockstein Auslese
Color: Sweet White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2042

Tasting notes: Scents of orange blossom and honeysuckle mingle with intimations of lychee and overripe Persian melon. The feel is seductively creamy as well as glossy. Luscious melon juiciness and nougat-like confectionary nuttiness, backed by prominent sweetness, also benefit from complementary bright citricity. The finish, while unapologetically sweet, is mouthwateringly salt-tinged, managing a measure of refreshment and proving remarkably transparent to stony mineral nuances.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weis and his team began picking late in the third week of September 2018 – “you know that I’m no fan of early picking,” he reminded me – and finished in a bit over a month. This year’s collection – on which Kai Hausen collaborated as cellarmaster with veteran Rudi Hoffmann – involved exclusively direct-pressing of the grapes, and features two new Grosse Gewächse, for a total of six. “Generally speaking, fermentations were slow in 2018,” noted Weis, “but the Grosse Gewächse eventually finished up via our normal spontaneous, unassisted approach, and in fact, remarkably, reached as high as 13.5% alcohol.” Among the consequences of a relatively late and prolonged harvest seems to have been the surprising abundance of botrytis and consequently of nobly sweet wines – all the way up to two, potentially even three TBAs that were still fermenting when I tasted through the rest of the collection in late November 2019. (Weis was also not ready to show me several “long gold capsule” Auslesen or BAs that will eventually have been released from 2018.) While this collection is not remotely as consistent, let alone exciting, as was its immediate predecessor, it harbors some memorable high points, even setting aside consideration of whatever materializes by way of BA and TBA.

Incidentally, the relatively short-lived partnership between Nik Weis, his friend Martin Foradori and young Johannes Fischer that tapped into the former Dr. Fischer vineyards on the Saar – and which had inherited Weingut Dr. Fischer’s VDP membership – was dissolved in June 2019. The relevant 2018s, which I was not offered an opportunity to taste, were marketed primarily in Foradori’s home market, Italy. Fischer has since reestablished himself in Ockfen as Weingut Johannes Fischer Bocksteinhof, and I’ll try to catch up with him in 2021. (For more about the evolution, vineyard holdings and contemporary practices at St. Urbans-Hof, consult the introductions to all of my Vinous reports on past vintages from this estate.)
2012 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Candied apricot, butterscotch, clove and a faint hint of smoky botrytis on the nose. Creamy nectarine flavor is accented by salty minerality. The wine's subtly complex, rich finish is still somewhat closed. Surely one of the finest ausleses of the vintage, this riesling will nonetheless need years to find its balance.

Producer Commentary:
I have always been impressed that an estate of this size can churn out so many stunning wines each year, often in volumes that would make other producers blush. Nik Weis's "simple" estate-bottled riesling is already captivating--and a steal for the price. And in each of the quality levels kabinett, spÃ¤tlese and auslese he placed a wine in what I call the top ten in all of Germany. Interestingly, it was his Bockstein site on the Saar in Ockfen that took all the honors. (www.urbans-hof.com) Also recommended: 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Grosses Gewachs (87), 2012 Mehringer Riesling Feinherb Alte Reben (86), 2012 Saarfeilser Riesling Feinherb (87), 2012 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Alte Reben (87), 2012 Riesling (87), 2012 Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese (89), 2012 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spatlese (89). Other wines tasted: 2012 Riesling Trocken.
2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Pale golden yellow. Quince jelly, candied lemon and brown spices on the nose, with just a hint of botrytis. The high-toned apricot flavor is animated by a restrained acidity that accentuates the wine's freshness. Finishes subtle and long, with notes of mineral salt, sweet herbs and nut oil.

Producer Commentary:
Nik Weiss's finest wines are often his excellent off-dry rieslings and stunning kabinetts, which can be almost dangerously alluring to drink. Vintage 2005 is no exception, except that he also made a spatlese that was one of the finest of the vintage. Add to that the fact that his wines at the entry-level price point are always extremely well-made, and you have an estate that merits an avid following. (H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY) Also recommended: 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Feinherb (86), 2005 Wiltinger Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (86), 2005 Riesling (87), 2005 Saarfeiler Riesling Spatlese (88), 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Feinherb (89).

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