2018 Urziger Wurzgarten Auslese (3 Star) WK
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2018 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Auslese *** (White Capsule) is a Meursault from the Mosel and opens with an enormously deep and intense yet clear, refined and elegant bouquet of ripe stone fruits and flint stones that are intermingled with a delicate note of very fine oak. On the palate, this is a rich and juicy, very intense and voluptuous yet elegant and refined Würzgarten with great complexity, intensity and salinity. The Auslese is full-bodied, intense and powerful but also highly finessed, elegant and crystalline in its salty purity that is perfectly matched with the fine tannins from the new oak vat. This is a great Riesling in an unrivaled style, but it should be forbidden to open the 2018 before 12-15 years—you'd waste the dry best of it. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Fresh strawberry and kiwi, grapefruit and lime dominate the nose and polished, lusciously juicy palate, accompanied by a greenhouse-like evocation of flowers and foliage. Incisive and lightly bitter cress and apple seed lend invigorating counterpoint to a juicily sustained finish.
Gold capsule (indicating a sweet wine). A fresh spearmint-like fragrance represents the acceptable face of spontaneous fermentation. The wild yeasts have obviously been restrained by an opulence of fruit, taking in the whole range from local to exotic, with nectarine and orange among the main contenders. The palate, however, is not just about lusciously sweet juice, but offers additional stimulation with the piquancy of finely grated citrus peel, fresh green mint and a slightly dusty mineral finish. The longer you linger, the more the initial appeal of generous residual sugar is replaced by a far more intriguing composition of multi-faceted flavour nuances. (MS)
About the producer
Markus Molitor is now among the largest privately owned wine estates in the Mosel and also one of the best. With a focus on single-vineyard expressions, the estate produces between 80 and 90 different wines each vintage.