Muller-Catoir Haardt Riesling Trocken 2019
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The mineral-rich Haardt Riesling has a distinctive body, and its bouquet possesses typical yellow fruit notes, such as apricots and ripe peaches.
Organically grown
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Still very youthful and a little closed, this is so deep and cool, almost dark, in spite of the fresh-pineapple and fresh-herb notes. Stunning concentration and finesse for a village wine. Very long finish that is simultaneously silky and mineral. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Haardt Riesling is very clear, pure and precise on the bright, intense and dusty/stony nose. Round and racy-piquant on the palate, with intense and aromatic yet delicate fruit and a remarkable weightlessness and finesse, this is a fine, elegant, well-balanced dry Riesling with quite a lot of charm.
Other Vintages
2021-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Family owned since 1774 with 9 generations tending the vines, the winery is now run by Philipp David Catoir. Martin Franzen, hailing from the Mosel, with experience as head of operations at Schlossgut Diel in the Nahe and Gut Nagelsforst in Baden, took over winemaking responsibility from Hans-Günther Schwarz in 2001. In an effort to showcase terroir and varietal character, Müller-Catoir has adopted the following philosophy of winegrowing: “Vines were grown by natural methods with organic fertilization, permanent green cutting that gets more and more radical every summer, and ever-greater selective harvesting with hand-picking of grapes for even the most “basic” kabinett wine – all these measures cannot help but produce only a small yield of wines with a mineral note, a filigree acidity structure and exotic fruit aromas.” The estate began an organic conversion in 2007 and completed their first organic vintage in 2009. The vineyards in Haardt are composed of primary rock (urgestein) and sandstone, with an increasing proportion of gravel lower on the slopes. Vineyards of Gimmeldingen contain more loess and sand, while the vineyards of Mussbach are the most gravelly. Müller-Catoir also bottles several “micro parcels”; one of which, the Breumel in den Mauern, is a monopole inside the Burgergarten which was first planted 700 years ago, and is also one of the oldest vineyards in the Pfalz.
Müller-Catoir was a pioneer of reductive winemaking in Germany. The estate implements a gentle crush, a long skin contact, slow gentle pressing, and then ferments at warmer than customary fermentation temperatures in stainless steel. The wine is racked only once and very late. Müller-Catoir produces wines of outstanding transparency and density, and remains emblematic of Riesling at its most sophisticated.
Recognized as a top quality grape here since the Middle Ages, Germany retains its high reputation as a premier source of the finest Riesling. Heavily planted throughout the Rheingau and Mosel, Riesling responds splendidly to these regions’ extreme climatic and topographic challenges. Cold-hardy enough to survive freezing winters, and sturdy enough to withstand the warm sun, Riesling has enough natural acidity to maintain balance, even in wines with the highest levels of residual sugar. While high quality is possible in all points of the sweet to dry spectrum, Riesling typically produces wine with relatively low alcohol, high acidity, steely minerality, stone fruit, citrus, spice and floral notes. With age, Riesling can become truly revelatory, developing unique, complex aromatics, often with a hint of petrol.