Alfred Merkelbach 'Fischerei' Riesling Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese 2020

Many people remark that a visit with Alfred and Rolf Merkelbach at their home in Ürzig was like traveling into the past; not much had changed in 50 years, including the brother’s approach to winemaking. Alfred and Rolf were still tending the vines well into their seventies and made the wines with little help: heading into the steep Würzgarten and Treppchen to tie the posts, harvest, and then even racking off the large fuders they use for fermentation and blending. The vineyard holdings of this tiny, 1 hectare estate are divided between the Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Treppchen, and Kinheimer Rosenberg. Wine cultivation is ancient on these sites, lying just off the Mosel between Ürzig and Erden is the excavation of a Roman press house. 

When most of the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyards were replanted during the re-alignment of the vineyards (called “flurbereinigung”), Merkelbach’s vines remained on original rootstock, with an average vine age of 45 years. The Merkelbach’s were always firm believers in tradition, and while changes in climate and style preferences have pushed up must weights and produced profoundly riper wines, the brothers craft wines of a style more typical to an era long forgotten. Kabinett are still refreshing, Spätlesen taste like Spätlesen, and oechelse levels rarely exceed the Pradikät range. 

Since the passing of Rolf in October 2023 and Alfred in May 2024, the Selbach family has become the stewards of the estate and continue to make the wines in the traditional style the brothers were so known for. Each parcel is vinified separately, with each fuder representing a different parcel. Because of the tiny cellar, the Pradikät wines will never be a blend of any more than 2 parcels together, indicated by the fuder numbers on the label’s AP code.

• Vineyard Area: 1 hectare
• Top Sites:
  • Ürziger Würzgarten: Stony, weathered red slate
  • Erdener Treppchen: Stony, weathered red slate, named for an ancient staircase in the vineyard
    
• Grape Varieties: 100% Riesling