"Invigoratingly bright
and vibrantly animated" -David Schildknecht
2011 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Kabinett
Without a doubt, Egon Müller is one of the stars of the 2011 vintage.
There are a number of factors for this. First, the selection here was ruthless.
More broadly speaking, Müller just kills it in riper, rounder vintages. If you've tasted 1990s from Müller, then you have a clear sense of this.
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Scharzhofberg is one of the great sites of Germany and undoubtedly, Müller and Scharzhofberg is one of the great marriages of producer and site in all of wine. The site produces wines with relatively low oechsle (ripeness) levels. Most often, the top sites are those that produce the ripest grapes. But Scharzhofberg works on an entirely different logic.
Scharzhofbergers from Müller in any vintage thrive on steely finesse that's full of cut and a cool, mineral-drenched length that boasts the wine's nobility. They are simply some of the most riveting wines on the planet.
The 2011 Scharzhofberger Kabinett shows an amazing amount of agility with layers of minerality, stone fruits and herbs. There's an energetic, slate-y refinement that places it with the absolute best that the vintage has to offer.
It's clear not only how suited Scharzhofberg is to vintages like 2011, but also how hard they worked and how thoughtful they were about the selection. The always insightful David Schildknecht writes about Müller's 2011: the vintage "resulted in one of the numerically smallest number of individual bottlings in the history of this venerable estate...but also some that will go down as landmarks in that history."
The 2011 Müller Scharzhofberger Kabinett is shockingly impressive in its depth and punch and cut. Every time we open a bottle of aged Müller, we're blown away and go on a buying spree. Every year, it seems like finding Müller gets harder. The 2011 Kabinett shows all the signs of aging into something beautiful, but I should warn you that we're looking at a small quantity.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2011 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Kabinett