Rare German Mosel wine!

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Mosel

On the banks of the French, Luxembourgish, and German Mosel River, you'll find vineyards. In Germany, these are planted on steep hills, as are the vineyards in Bernkastel-Kues on the Kardinalsberg.

The river valley of the Middle Mosel represents one of the most historically rich and geologically distinctive wine regions in the world. At its cultural heart lies Bernkastel-Kues, a town divided by the river and defined by steep slate amphitheaters, centuries of humanistic legacy, and an unwavering devotion to Riesling. The vineyard name Kardinalsberg, the "Cardinal's Mountain," directly honors Kues's most famous native son, Nikolaus von Kues (1401–1464), known in Latin as Cusanus. Born to a Mosel boatman, Cusanus became a cardinal, prince-bishop, and Renaissance polymath. In 1458, he founded the St. Nikolaus-Hospital in Kues as an almshouse.

Rising above Kues, the Kardinalsberg vineyard features steep, sun-drenched slopes rooted in ancient blue-grey Devonian slate and fine clay-loam. Formed over 400 million years ago, this dark slate plays a vital role in the vineyard's climate: it absorbs the sun's warmth throughout hot summer days and gently radiates it back to the vines when temperatures drop at night. To thrive on these steep hills, Riesling vines must force their roots deep into rock crevices to find water and nutrients, endowing the grapes with intense flinty minerality, crisp acidity, and rich stone fruit flavors.

This rich history and distinct soil come together beautifully in the 2023 Bernkastel-Kueser Kardinalsberg (100%) Riesling Spätlese Feinherb from Weingut Erben Karl Dillinger, an estate with over 350 years of family winemaking tradition.

As a certified Deutscher Prädikatswein, the bottle represents pure grape ripeness with no artificial sugar added before fermentation. Harvested late in the autumn at optimal ripeness, it is bottled directly at the estate (Gutsabfüllung) with a moderate 11.0% alcohol level. The Feinherb style has a delightful sweet-spot balance where juicy late-harvest peach and mirabelle notes harmonize with vibrant, mineral-driven acidity of Mosel slate, making it a balanced and expressive wine.

To finish, this bottle stands as a remarkably pure terroir wine. By capturing the mineral essence of a prestigious slate vineyard and pairing it with centuries of winemaking heritage, it delivers an authentic and vibrant taste of the Mosel valley in every glass.

Kobe and I, Christophe, tasted this wine today.

Kobe said the wine has a fresh nose with basil, cilantro, citrus, and gooseberry. I said I smelled white currants, white pepper, and also gooseberries.

After tasting it, we concluded that we tasted white peach, kiwi, and Irish creamy butter, with an aftertaste of green fruit and lime.

We both rate this wine with ####/#####.