The Mosel is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about landscapes for Pinot Noir, and Ulli Stein is, obviously, at the very center of it all.
In a way, Mosel’s Pinot Noir development is both surprising and not surprising.
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It’s surprising because the Mosel’s 20th century reputation was built completely on Riesling; it’s unsurprising because these Rieslings are among the most ethereal and transparent wines on earth—apt descriptions of Pinot Noir if ever there were.
Today we feature both “ethereal” and “transparent” with two profound examples of Mosel Pinot Noir from one of the growers most responsible for the revival of Pinot Noir in the Mosel: Dr. Ulli Stein.
Stein’s Pinot Noir “Red Light” has become an iconic bottling; it is a bright, red-fruited arrow, as sharp as the slate on which it is grown. Stein’s top Pinot Noir, the “Waechter,” has all of this energy yet has more breadth and depth. This is a monument of the Mosel. (More on both of these bottlings below.)
Stein himself has said he believes his 2022ers are perhaps the greatest Pinots he has made in his rarified career. Growers like Klaus Peter Keller have called 2022 perhaps the greatest vintage yet for German Pinot Noir.
Stein was at the very center of the struggle to allow red wine production in the Mosel. It had been banned before the Second World War, and for nearly 40 years, growers lamented this fact. Yet Stein fought back against the government and won.
This is not only a profound bragging right; it also means that Stein has some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines grown in the Mosel, planted in the late 1980s. It also means he has decades more experience than most. You can taste it.
This is likely a “last chance” opportunity. These are rare wines that are sold out at the estate, from a grower at the pinnacle of his talent and influence.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
Special 6-pack pricing, automatically applies at checkout.