Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese Trocken, Pfalz, Germany

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Muller-Catoir’s 2011 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese trocken signals notes of cress and lime peel in the nose that eventually translate into incisive finishing invigoration. The papaya noted in this collection’s generic Riesling and the parsnip featured in the corresponding Haardt “village” wine are here united without engendering any awkward sense of bifurcation. There are clarity and penetration of primary juiciness in the sustained finish just as in the lighter-weight aforementioned “village”- level bottling. Smoky black tea, alkalinity, pungent green herbs and crushed stone lend additional complexity, if at the price of levity. I suspect this will drink well through at least 2018. Incidentally, fermentation for this bottling was in part spontaneous and stainless steel tanks were supplemented by bit of cask exposure. With 2011, Martin Franzen celebrated his tenth harvest at Muller-Catoir. It’s worth pausing to recall that Franzen took over in an extremely difficult situation: as successor to the justly legendary (still active) Hans-Gunter Schwarz whose highly acrimonious rupture with owner Heinrich Catoir had recently ended an until then lifelong friendship; in the immediate wake of an interim team that did not survive long enough to see-through even a single vintage from vine-pruning to market; and compelled to divide his time and attention in vintage 2002 with the winery in Baden to which he was at the time still contractually committed. Improbably, Franzen quickly brought quality back to that level which had for three decades made Muller-Catoir a Pfalz beacon, and his wines have reflected both continuity and subtle innovation, displaying refinement and clarity of expression equaled by few of their region. (To be sure, you’ll read other very different accounts of Franzen’s tenure – which is one reason I am reiterating mine.) The complexity and balance of residually sweet wines rendered at this estate remain unsurpassed anywhere, though there are fewer than ever of these, to the point where a couple of otherwise extremely knowledgeable colleagues of mine have written about Muller-Catoir as though their entire production were trocken. And indeed, vintage 2010 set a new (for me depressing) record given that the (as usual very long) Muller-Catoir line-up contained only three wines that weren’t either trocken or nobly sweet. (Of the three, I tasted only one, as Franzen could not come up with even a single bottle of Scheurebe Spatlese, or Mussbacher Riesling Kabinett, the latter absent even from the estate’s price list and – sigh – probably not purchased by any German national, or least-wise no “self-respecting” one). And as my reviews suggest, there has seldom if ever been a vintage in which it was more strikingly evident than in 2010 that – notwithstanding a history of rendering exemplary dry wines – the greatest excitement at this estate remains that generated by wines with residual sweetness. (Pradikat, incidentally, continues to be indicated – albeit in miniscule print – on the labels of nearly all dry Muller-Catoir wines, so I continue to include it in my descriptions, although in keeping with new VDP policies, the estate will very shortly need to follow-through on their repeatedly voiced intention to do away with those indications for other than residually sweet wines.) This was among those estate’s worst-hit by May frost so that the 2011 crop here was tiny, which when combined with the circumstances of harvest led to a seriously abbreviated line-up of bottlings, including dry Rieslings of singular if slightly austere nature. “The moment chosen for picking was absolutely critical, and you didn’t have a lot of room to play on either side of optimum” says Franzen – voicing an opinion of 2011 that you are likely to hear among German Riesling vintners only in the Pfalz and then from my no means all of them. “And,” he adds, “there wasn’t much potential for nobly sweet wine, precisely because things went so quickl

There is more flesh of the ripe peach to accompany the piquancy of the pits in Muller-Catoir's 2010 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese trocken than one encounters in a majority of legally dry Pfalz Rieslings. Lemon and orange blossom raced the nose, while a chew of fruit skin adds tart invigoration to the sappy, substantial, yet in no way heavy (if also not especially charming) palate performance of an undeniably persistent Riesling that ought to prove talented over at least the next 4-5 years. This seems to be in an especially reductive phase, which I could not alter significantly with shaking, but I would not be surprised to witness a more impressive showing on another occasion. With 2011, Martin Franzen celebrated his tenth harvest at Muller-Catoir. It's worth pausing to recall that Franzen took over in an extremely difficult situation: as successor to the justly legendary (still active) Hans-Gunter Schwarz whose highly acrimonious rupture with owner Heinrich Catoir had recently ended an until then lifelong friendship; in the immediate wake of an interim team that did not survive long enough to see-through even a single vintage from vine-pruning to market; and compelled to divide his time and attention in vintage 2002 with the winery in Baden to which he was at the time still contractually committed. Improbably, Franzen quickly brought quality back to that level which had for three decades made Muller-Catoir a Pfalz beacon, and his wines have reflected both continuity and subtle innovation, displaying refinement and clarity of expression equaled by few of their region. (To be sure, you'll read other very different accounts of Franzen's tenure - which is one reason I am reiterating mine.) The complexity and balance of residually sweet wines rendered at this estate remain unsurpassed anywhere, though there are fewer than ever of these, to the point where a couple of otherwise extremely knowledgeable colleagues of mine have written about Muller-Catoir as though their entire production were trocken. And indeed, vintage 2010 set a new (for me depressing) record given that the (as usual very long) Muller-Catoir line-up contained only three wines that weren't either trocken or nobly sweet. (Of the three, I tasted only one, as Franzen could not come up with even a single bottle of Scheurebe Spatlese, or Mussbacher Riesling Kabinett, the latter absent even from the estate's price list and - sigh - probably not purchased by any German national, or least-wise no "self-respecting" one). And as my reviews suggest, there has seldom if ever been a vintage in which it was more strikingly evident than in 2010 that - notwithstanding a history of rendering exemplary dry wines - the greatest excitement at this estate remains that generated by wines with residual sweetness. (Pradikat, incidentally, continues to be indicated - albeit in miniscule print - on the labels of nearly all dry Muller-Catoir wines, so I continue to include it in my descriptions, although in keeping with new VDP policies, the estate will very shortly need to follow-through on their repeatedly voiced intention to do away with those indications for other than residually sweet wines.) This was among those estate's worst-hit by May frost so that the 2011 crop here was tiny, which when combined with the circumstances of harvest led to a seriously abbreviated line-up of bottlings, including dry Rieslings of singular if slightly austere nature. "The moment chosen for picking was absolutely critical, and you didn't have a lot of room to play on either side of optimum" says Franzen - voicing an opinion of 2011 that you are likely to hear among German Riesling vintners only in the Pfalz and then from my no means all of them. "And," he adds,"there wasn't much potential for nobly sweet wine, precisely because things went so quickly and we had to concern ourselves with capturing the best possible dry wines. In Riesling, there just wasn't more in this vintage (i.e. in residua

Originating in the Aspen and Gehren portions of its Einzellage, the Muller-Catoir 2009 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese trocken smells alkaline, saline, subtly fusil, and in general intriguingly marine. Tart plum, fresh lime and almond oil mingle in interactive complexity with the myriad mineral elements on a refreshing though firm palate, leading to a finish of impressive and predominantly mineral grip, in which hints of iodine and peat add to the aforementioned cast. Here is another instance at its address where 13% alcohol is belied by the wine’s sense of buoyancy, not to mention an absence of heat or roughness. This should go on fascinating for another 6-8 years, perhaps longer. “Despite sporadic rain at harvest time,” notes Martin Franzen about the 2009 harvest, “cool weather kept botrytis completely at bay. Frankly,” he adds, “it was hard to make disappointing wine with raw materials of this caliber.” But it was also impossible to achieve nobly sweet results save from Rieslaner, with its notorious penchant for spontaneous desiccation even in the absence of botrytis. This is the first vintage, incidentally, for which this estate has claimed organic bona fides, and Franzen – even if predictably – claims to find additional depth in his wines thanks to that conversion. (Not that this estate has ever been anything but entirely circumspect in any use of herbicides or pesticides.) Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Yellow plum, iris, fresh ginger, and lemon zest scent the 2008 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese trocken, which comes to the palate with more sap and freshness but less textural refinement and complex allure than the corresponding Herrenletten. That said, this is highly stimulating stuff that grips with spice and zesty pungency, engendering a sense of energy that should not run out for at least the next 6-8 years. You just had to be patient, said Martin Franzen about the 2008 harvest, but then once the grapes were ready, things went at a pretty good clip. We didn’t attempt to pick on into November. He volunteered a characterization of the wines as, incredibly playful and vibratory, which both amused and comforted me, seeing how often I had myself by then used those metaphors to describe some of the best of them. The recent evolution of this estate under Franzen’s direction – about which I have written extensively in issue 185 and elsewhere – continues on an exciting trajectory, and in retrospect I must say that with the possible exception of the two vintages of awkward transition immediately following the departure of long-time director Hans-Gunter Schwarz, at no point since I began tasting the wines of Muller-Catoir in the early ‘80s has this estate slipped from the apex of the Pfalz – indeed, of its nation’s – viticultural pecking order. Following current German fashion, Muller-Catoir now renders a Sauvignon Blanc, but I forgot to ask to taste its current installment, after having missed out on the inaugural rendition due to ignorance. With Pinot Blanc, though, Muller-Catoir is on solid ground, this grape’s virtues having even been enshrined in the Pfalz realization of Grosses Gewachs, and the estate’s history of success with it being long and illustrious. Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300