Auction announcements
05th Feb 2015Lot 109: This wine is a Spätlese.

Nine bottles of Scharzhofberger Auslese Riesling
Produced by Egon Müller-Scharzhof
1997 vintage
Wiltingen, Mosel/Germany
Original filling quantity: 0.75 l
Fill level: < 3 cm

This lot comprises nine bottles of 1997 vintage Scharzhofberger Auslese Riesling from the Egon Müller-Scharzhof winery in the Mosel wine region.

The Moselle valley and its tributary valleys of the Ruwer and Saar consistently produce some of the world’s most elegant and lively white wines. Here, Riesling thrives on the slate rocks of the partly ludicrously-steep slopes. Winegrowing in the Moselle valley has been left untouched by industrialization, an anachronism that has preserved an old, intact cultural landscape. Winegrowing follows some 200 kilometers of river, as it meanders and loops through the Hunsrueck massif, where top wines of weightless intensity are produced. They depend on a finely nervous, tension-filled balance of racemic acid and natural grape sweetness. Significant, spellbinding styles of Riesling like Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Goldkapsel, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, whose concentration and sweetness levels are formed by different botrytis selections, are also cultivated in the region.

Scharzhofberg is regarded as one of the best locations in Germany. The steep slope lies between Wiltingen and Oberemmel in the wine growing region Mosel, in the Saar area. The place in which it is located unimportant; which is why the wine is labelled simply ‘Scharzhofberger’. The 28.1 hectares are solely used to harvest Riesling. The weathered slate soil has a very high percentage of rock as well as ferrous, clayey components.

1997 was a good vintage in all German wine regions, the best Riesling wines came from the best Mosel wineries, and J. J. Prüm is definitely one of them.

The fill levels are excellent (< 3 cm). One label is soiled; the other labels and all capsules are in perfect condition.

Egon Müller

The winery Egon Müller, a family enterprise in the fourth generation, produces some of the best wines in the world. It is one of eleven members of the Primum Familae Vini, an exclusive group of international, family-owned elite wineries. The terroir, finesse and complexity of the wines are hard to beat. Some of the wines are only sold after having been stored over a long time. The Qualitätswein and Kabinett are astoundingly long-lived and can be enjoyed without worry after 20 years, the Spätlesen only reach their peak after well over 10 to 15 years. The Auslesen are wonderful to drink after 25 years.

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.