Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Spätlese dry 2020

The Alfred Merkelbach winery is located in the Mosel region, in the village of Ürzig, and is one of the most authentic examples of the "old Mosel school." The winery operates on a very small scale – only about 1–2 hectares of vineyards – but they are situated on some of the most dramatic Mosel slopes, such as Kinheimer Rosenberg and Ürziger Würzgarten. These slopes are extremely steep, composed of slate soils that accumulate solar heat during the day and release it at night, helping the Riesling grapes ripen slowly and evenly. It is this terroir that creates the identity of Merkelbach wines. For a long time, the winery was managed by two brothers, Alfred and Rolf Merkelbach. They were considered traditional, almost "timeless" Mosel winemakers, who consciously rejected modernization and maintained a very classic production style: late harvesting, manual labor, slow fermentation, and aging in old large oak fuder barrels, which do not impart oak flavor but allow the wine to breathe and develop naturally. Following the death of Rolf Merkelbach in 2023 and Alfred Merkelbach in 2024, the estate's operations were taken over by the Selbach family, but the philosophy they left behind remained – maximum terroir purity, minimal intervention, and complete fidelity to the classic Mosel Riesling style, which is now considered almost cult-like.