Ripe apricot and candied pineapple in the strong scent, also red fruit aromas such as wild raspberry and cherry; some Mosel timbre with slate spice and Fuderton. Very soft and silky in the mouth, again with ripe fruit notes, pineapple and vineyard peach. The acidity is balanced and stable, calm and with style, fine spice in the finish.\n \n Producer Information\n Weingut Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben is a small but well-regarded Mosel wine estate known for its fine Riesling wines and located in the dramatic Ürzig region just north of Bernkastel. The Christoffel family’s involvement in winemaking in the village dates back to the 17th Century. However, since 2001 the management of the vineyards and winemaking has been leased to Robert Eymael of Mönchhof. The four hectares (ten acres) of estate vines are located in two Erste Lage vineyards: Ürziger Würzgarten and Erdener Treppchen. The former has slopes of up to 70 degrees and many of the Christoffel vines are over 100 years old. Archaeological digs in the Treppchen vineyard uncovered one of the oldest and largest wine presses found north of the Alps, showing that wines were being made here in the Roman period. Rieslings at Spätlese and Kabinett level are made from each vineyard, as well as special parcel selections at Auslese level, such as Herzlay in Treppchen and Kranklay in Würzgarten. These feature star rankings on their labels. A range of Estate Rieslings are also bottled at QmP and Kabinett level, ranging in sweetness from Trocken (dry) and Feinherb (off-dry) to traditional, sweeter styles. Robert Eymaels' winemaking methods echo those of his predecessors. Grapes are pressed in whole clusters, fermentations in oak vats are slow and cool and wines are immediately racked off their gross lees before spending a short time on their fine lees. They are then bottled early to preserve fresh fruit and typical Mosel characters.
