The mythical origin story of Stein's explorations in zero-sulfur winemaking comes from a wild evening with a group of Danish sommeliers and a bottle of Overnoy.
At some point, well after midnight, Stein was served a bottle blind by the Danish sommeliers. After smelling the bottle, Stein said he was immediately taken back to a tasting he had had years earlier with a very peculiar winemaker from the Jura.
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Without hesitation, Stein put down the glass and said: "This wine is from Overnoy." The bottle was revealed; it was Overnoy. The sommeliers gasped in amazement.
Thus began Stein's own experiments with zero-sulfur winemaking.
Today we present what is absolutely one of the pinnacles of these now-famous "Ohne" bottlings - "Ohne" means "without" in German. The top sparkling wines Stein makes in this style he names after his mother, Erna.
The "Erna" bottlings are made only in top vintages. This is the first time this wine has ever come to the U.S. Obviously, there is not much to go around.
Make no mistake: This offer is one for the history books.
This is a wildly complex sparkling Riesling, profoundly deep and layered. It has notes of candied ginger, apple skins, brioche, almond skins, and savory herbal, soil, and mineral notes.Â
This is a wine that develops and changes in the glass over hours. It is rarely the same wine. The constant is the energy and life of the wine.Â
The 2015 Stein "Ohne" Erna Sekt Reserve was made from two barrels of the top selections from the vintage. The wine was aged for two years in barrel before spending nearly six years in bottle. It was disgorged in April of 2023 - exactly one year ago.
The importer, Stephen Bitterolf of vom Boden (and a Crush alum!), tasted the bottle last summer and bought everything that was left. It was served at Stein's home, Haus Waldfrieden, for the importer's 10th anniversary party in the Mosel. Thus every bottle has a small "vB-X" note in the lower left-hand corner of the label.
Stein has made a career of testing the possibilities of Mosel Riesling. This is one of his rarest and greatest achievements.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
Special 4-pack pricing for a limited time. Use Code: Ohne15