URGENT NEWS: Please click here to read about a major threat to the Mosel
Weingut Hans Schweisthal
D 54539 Ürzig Mosel
Moseluferstrasse u. Würzgartenstrasse 42
Tel: +49 (0)6532 2419
The wines of Ürzig are - depending on your point of view - either delightfully or maddeningly slow to mature, and very long-lived.
This weingut can export wine to Britain, though they don't speak English, but they are very friendly. You'll need to write in German (there are many free translation websites such as Babelfish). You'll also need to obtain their SWIFT/BIC and IBAN numbers in order to make payment. I was helped in this respect by a friend in Germany who spoke to them on the phone and paid the bill for me. Well worth a visit if you're in the area. The cellar, which is just opposite the river, has a series of high water marks showing the extent of various floods! They do not have a website, as far as I can tell.
2001 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Eiswein 375 ml €15
Tasted late 2008 onwards
Pale Gold. Not at all a typical Eiswein, this wine is not as 'big' as most eiswein, and drinks more like an extremely fine Auslese. The high natural acidity of the vintage shines through clear and bright, and is totally, unquestionably, natural. Mainly apples and pears on the palate, with a very high acidity that is very refreshing, but not at all sharp. Very racy.
Drinking now, this wine will last for at least 5 years, possibly much more. I like this wine a lot, and have had a case sent to me in Britain. In fact I suspect that this wine may well improve for a good many years yet, but I'm not wholly sure. The wines of Ürzig are often very slow to mature.
18-19/20. The reason for the split rating is because it is indeed very different from most Eiswein.
Update: Since writing this, I've drank several bottles of the case that I ordered, and I have to say that all of them are very different to the bottles that I bought from the winery. Those ones had far more pronounced acidity with a much clearer profile, these are 'rounded' in the extreme. I've no idea why the difference should be so great, and I'm very disappointed. I'm presently preparing a page with my views on variations between bottles and cases of wine.
1998 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Eiswein 375 ml €15 - no longer available.
Tasted 2003 to 2007
Very closed on both the nose and palate at first. A few days after initially opening the bottle, the wine has improved considerably, and become very rich, quite full-bodied, good fruit and bouquet with balancing acidity. Elegant, fine, and a somewhat ridiculously low price! This wine could easily fetch £35 in London, and very possibly far more.
Will improve for 20+ years.
17/20, or maybe more if you have the patience and life expectancy!
I have also tasted several auslese from this weingut, average score about 16-18/20