Markus Molitor: the Riesling Belief of “Mr. 300 Points”

Few people would disagree if Mosel is hailed as one of the best Riesling regions in Germany and even the world. The Riesling wine produced here is fresh, light and fine, with a crystal clear color and texture, which is a treasure for white wine lovers. Along the winding river of Mosel River, there are many famous wineries on both banks of the river. Markus Molitor is one of the family wineries famous for its excellent Riesling wine.

In 2015, Robert Parker Team, the most influential wine review team in the world, gave full points to three 2013 Riesling wines of Markus Molitor. This makes Markus Molitor the only German winery to achieve three Parker full points in the same year, which has attracted the attention of the world's wine industry for a while. The winery owner Markus Molitor was therefore gained the reputation of “Mr. 300 Points”.

Markus Molitor

Markus’s goal is very clear, that is, to uphold the family’s wine-making tradition and rely on the unique land where Mosel is famous to produce top-grade wine with strong aging potential. It is Markus’s courage and decades of unremitting pursuit of quality that propels Markus Molitor to stand out from hundreds of unknown family wineries and become one of the most famous wineries in the world.avor and mineral flavor.

Markus’s goal is very clear, that is, to uphold the family’s wine-making tradition and rely on the unique land where Mosel is famous to produce top-grade wine with strong aging potential. It is Markus’s courage and decades of unremitting pursuit of quality that propels Markus Molitor stand out from hundreds of unknown family wineries and become one of the most famous wineries in the world.

Steep slope vineyards, exquisite Riesling

The Mosel wine region covers the valleys of Mosel River and its tributaries Saar River and Ruwer River. As one of the only 13 legal wine-producing areas in Germany, the grape cultivation and winemaking history of Mosel can be traced back to the ancient Roman period more than 2000 years ago. As early as in the 17th century, Mosel wine has become famous in the international market. More than a hundred years ago, among the most expensive top wines in the world, there was no lack of Mosel wine, which even surpassed Bordeaux for a time.

The following video will show you the beautiful scenery of Markus Molitor winery.

(Video: Markus Molitor Winery Mosel Germany. Sources: Nectar and Ambrosia blog.)

The great reputation of Mosel is largely due to the charming Riesling produced here. As of 2017, Riesling has cultivated 61.5% of the area, occupying an unshakable leading position. The cool climate and distinctive slate soil together create a highly recognizable Mosel Riesling: the wine is light, low alcohol, the acidity is fresh, and often accompanied by distinct floral and mineral flavor. What’s more, it can be developed with attractive aromas of charming honey and toast after aging.

The most precious things always grow in the most special areas. Across the valley between Hunsruck Mountain and Eifel Mountain, Mosel river moves at times rapidly and gently, and the green landscape on both sides of the valley is one of Mosel’s landmark landscapes — Steep slope vineyard. Due to the high latitude, Mosel has a cool continental climate. Thanks to the sunlight reflected by the river, these steep slope vineyards can get more heat for grapes to ripe. Among them, the vineyards facing south and southwest can also be exposed to direct sunlight to the greatest extent, so the conditions are the most favorable.

The vineyards of Markus Molitor winery is composed of 15 plots, most of which are located on the slopes along the Mosel River and Saar River, facing the river directly. As early as 1868, in the official grading of the vineyards in this area by Prussian authorities, these plots have been among the best, and their advantages have been tested for a long time.

At present, 94% of these vineyards are planted with Riesling, and the rest are Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. Most of these grapevines are not grafted, and some of them are even 100 years old. The soils of the vineyards are dominated by various types of slate soil, which have excellent heat storage, and is conducive to the perfect ripeness of grapes, as well as giving wine special mineral flavor.

Pure manual work, race against time

Similar to Burgundy, many of the best vineyards in Mosel are owned by several wine producers, including the famous Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Zeltinger Himmelreich and Urziger Wurzgarten. And parts of the three vineyards are owned by Markus Molitor winery.

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr is one of the best vineyards in the middle of Mosel, covering an area of less than 20 hectares, which mainly grows the old grapevines that have not been grafted. The main soil of this vineyard is blue slate, and the oldest and most outstanding plots are distributed on the thin slopes. This vineyard produces only 1,000-2,000 liters of wine per hectare, low in yield but high in quality. The grapes grown here are mature and high-quality, which are used to produce high-quality Dry White Wine and top-grade Trockenbeerenauslese.

Urzier Wurzgarten is a special garden in the middle of Mosel, where the red soil is rich in iron elements, mixed with fine slate. This kind of soil gives grape fruit a rich fruity flavor and aromas of spices. And the wine produced is full of flavor with fresh acidity.

Markus Molitor winery’s plot in Zeltinger Himmelreich is situated on a very steep hillside. This vineyard is distributed with light-colored fine slate, which can produce a full-bodied Riesling with a pleasant and rich taste, with fruity fragrance and unique mineral flavor.

The steepest slope in Markus Molitor winery’s plot reached an astonishing 80%. Standing on this steep slope, as if on the cliff. In such a precipitous vineyard, it's not easy to walk normally, so that the work of pruning, cutting leaves, harvesting and fruit transportation cannot be done by machines, all of which need to be done manually, and the cost is high.

Markus Molitor winery implements a gentle organic management of the vineyard to strictly control the grape yield. During the harvest season, experienced staff will shuttle in the vineyard to conduct multiple rounds of grape harvesting and careful selection. Stephan Reinhardt, a wine critic who was in charge of German wine tasting in Robert Parker Team, used the word “pedantic” to describe Markus’s exacting requirements for grape quality, he said that “the picking workers even have to test each grape three to five times before they can decide whether the fruit is used to make Trockenbeerenauslese, Beerenauslese or Auslese wine. Such behavior is almost pedantic, but the results are amazing”.

Due to Riesling’s high natural acidity, and its ability to accumulate sugar while maintaining acidity, in the cold Mosel, when the grapes are normally ripe, the growers often do not immediately pick them, but continue to let them stay on the grapevine for a period of time. Delayed picking results in higher ripeness, and wines made from such grapes have more concentrated sugar and flavor.

Although this approach has many benefits, it is a real race against time. Because the later the harvest, the greater the risk of weather uncertainty. Sometimes a heavy rain, will make the harvest of the grape flavor intensity greatly reduced. In the face of all the challenges brought by the uncertainty of climate, Markus Molitor winery still chooses to pick as late as possible so that the fruit can reach perfect ripeness in all aspects. Because only such grapes can produce a truly balanced wine that can stand up to maturing. All of these tedious work and expensive investment, reflect Markus Molitor’s strict adherence to quality.

Eighty percent of the steep slope, ninety-four percent of Riesling, and one hundred percent of the enthusiasm for the wine, all contribute to the Riesling belief of Markus. This once again confirms an irrefutable truth — greatness often comes from the stacking of details and persistence.

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References

Fisch, J., & Rayer, D. (n.d.). Wine of the Month Jun 2016: 2006er Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese (Golden Capsule). Retrieved from http://www.moselfinewines.com/2006-markus-molitor-zeltinger-sonnenuhr-spatlese-golden-capsule-2.php.

Kavanagh, D., Kavanagh, D., Gray, W. B., Kavanagh, D., Kavanagh, D., Rand, M., … Kavanagh, D. (2015, April 16). Herr 300 Points: Markus Molitor: Wine-Searcher News & Features. Retrieved from https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2015/04/herr-300-points-markus-molitor.

Nectar and Ambrosia Blog. (2018) Markus Molitor Winery Mosel Germany. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk_45CWdjOg