In This Newsletter:
Our Favorite 2018s: Max Ferd. Richter Three-Day Sale
&
Gaultallary in Profile:
Explore the Extremes of Argentine Terroir with Altos Las Hormigas
Our Favorite 2018s: Max Ferd. Richter Three-Day Sale
&
Gaultallary in Profile:
Explore the Extremes of Argentine Terroir with Altos Las Hormigas
Max Out Your Savings on
Max Ferd. Richter Wines
Your Three-Day Discount Starts Now
Max Ferd. Richter Wines
Your Three-Day Discount Starts Now
We’re slashing our already rock-bottom prices on all in-stock wines from this uber-classical estate!
The first thing that jumps out about Max Ferd. Richter wines is the incredible real estate the winery holds. It is ancient, dating back over 300 years and now under the helm of 10th-generation winemaker Constantin Richter. Vineyard management is focused on maximizing quality. Harvest is completely by hand with multiple, meticulous passes through the vineyard to ensure only the finest grapes are harvested. As an example, botrytized grapes are hand-selected at the single berry level.
The Middle Mosel is where all the historic glory of German Riesling rests. Based on their holdings and the quality of their wines, Richter deserves to be a name on par with JJ Prum, Fritz Haag, Willi Schaefer, etc. but poor distribution has prevented them from reaching the level of fame that they deserve (which, frankly, is great for your budget).
The stars of show are the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr wines. Here, the soil is heavy in iron, imparting a darker sense to its minerality. In 2018, the wines seemed to show the most balance and knocked the socks off quite a few reviewers. Stephan Reinhardt from the Wine Advocate wrote of the Spatlese that its “piquant finesse and mineral tension [evoked] that of the Scharzhofberger and the Euchariusberg,” noting too that he “can hardly imagine any better Spätlese from 2018.” If that’s not enough for you, don’t sleep on the more decadent Wehlener Sonnenhur wines, including the dry Uralte Reben GG, aged in traditional fuder and crafted from vines over 125 years old, and the Kabinett, which we suggest as pairings with fresh fruit or cream pies.
In 2018, the Richters leaned in to what Mother Nature provided in the moderately warm and dry vintage. The results are utterly delicious now, but with sugar and acid levels that will do well in the cellar. To quote Mosel Fine Wines’ take on these 2018s, the wines are simply amped up versions of their classic style. These wines show “a touch more ripeness and roundness than usual, but also with the playful side that has made the success of their Estate over the years… All in all, Max Ferd. Richter took the vintage and produced utterly enjoyable and playful wines. One could nearly say: As usual.”
These are gloriously complex wines, built for the cellar and affordable enough to buy in quantity, especially on our three-day sale.
“I like the 2018 wines as they are quite charming. They combine the ripe zest of 2012 with the roundness of 2011.” – Constantin Richter, as quoted by Mosel Fine Wines
The first thing that jumps out about Max Ferd. Richter wines is the incredible real estate the winery holds. It is ancient, dating back over 300 years and now under the helm of 10th-generation winemaker Constantin Richter. Vineyard management is focused on maximizing quality. Harvest is completely by hand with multiple, meticulous passes through the vineyard to ensure only the finest grapes are harvested. As an example, botrytized grapes are hand-selected at the single berry level.
The Middle Mosel is where all the historic glory of German Riesling rests. Based on their holdings and the quality of their wines, Richter deserves to be a name on par with JJ Prum, Fritz Haag, Willi Schaefer, etc. but poor distribution has prevented them from reaching the level of fame that they deserve (which, frankly, is great for your budget).
The stars of show are the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr wines. Here, the soil is heavy in iron, imparting a darker sense to its minerality. In 2018, the wines seemed to show the most balance and knocked the socks off quite a few reviewers. Stephan Reinhardt from the Wine Advocate wrote of the Spatlese that its “piquant finesse and mineral tension [evoked] that of the Scharzhofberger and the Euchariusberg,” noting too that he “can hardly imagine any better Spätlese from 2018.” If that’s not enough for you, don’t sleep on the more decadent Wehlener Sonnenhur wines, including the dry Uralte Reben GG, aged in traditional fuder and crafted from vines over 125 years old, and the Kabinett, which we suggest as pairings with fresh fruit or cream pies.
In 2018, the Richters leaned in to what Mother Nature provided in the moderately warm and dry vintage. The results are utterly delicious now, but with sugar and acid levels that will do well in the cellar. To quote Mosel Fine Wines’ take on these 2018s, the wines are simply amped up versions of their classic style. These wines show “a touch more ripeness and roundness than usual, but also with the playful side that has made the success of their Estate over the years… All in all, Max Ferd. Richter took the vintage and produced utterly enjoyable and playful wines. One could nearly say: As usual.”
These are gloriously complex wines, built for the cellar and affordable enough to buy in quantity, especially on our three-day sale.
“I like the 2018 wines as they are quite charming. They combine the ripe zest of 2012 with the roundness of 2011.” – Constantin Richter, as quoted by Mosel Fine Wines
5% off any 6-11 bottles of in-stock Max Ferd. Richter wines
10% off any 12 or more bottles of in-stock Max Ferd. Richter wines
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Sunday, May 5th at 9 am Pacific.
10% off any 12 or more bottles of in-stock Max Ferd. Richter wines
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Sale ends Sunday, May 5th at 9 am Pacific.
We offer 10 wines from Max Ferd. Richter, including:
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 10 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 93+ points “The 2018 Kabinett Trocken from the Himmelreich was produced from a parcel of vines that are eighty to ninety years of age, situated right up at the top of the slope. This is outstanding in 2018 and very delicately-styled and filigreed, with the wine topping out at eleven percent octane this year. This had not yet been bottled and was really lovely on both on the nose and palate, with the bouquet wafting from the glass in a mix of apple, lemon, superb minerality, a dollop of wild yeasts and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, medium-bodied and beautifully mineral, with fine intensity of flavor, bright acids, excellent focus and superb cu Constantin Richter has been full-time back at the family estate since the 2012 vintage, and previous to this he did a few stages and cut and grip on the long and complex finish. This is first class juice! 2022-2060.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 35 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The 2018 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett is deep but bright and refined on the flinty nose that offers perfectly ripe Riesling and crunchy slate aromas with a warm iron touch. On the palate, this is a lush, refined, salty-piquant, even racy Riesling with generous fruit and a very long, salty-piquant and crystalline finish. This is a highly complex Riesling in the most delicate expression. It’s one of the wines you just have to buy—there won’t be any regrets, not today or in 30 years. Since this Brauneberger has slightly more sulfur compared to the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, which still hasn’t been filtered and was tasted from the lees, I will retaste the wines early next year, as I am convinced a Mosel Riesling needs two winters to unmask itself. Tasted in March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $36, that’s $34.20 at 5% off and $32.40 at 10% off, 23 bottles in stock now
Stuart Pigott (Suckling) 94 points “I love the discreet mirabelle, spice and angelica notes of this finely chiseled dry Mosel riesling that has plenty of depth and structure, but doesn’t yet announce it loudly. Needs some time to open up, but the classic elegance is already very clear. Drinkable now, but better from 2022.”
This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $44.99
The next best price is $44.99
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $33, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 10 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95-96 points “From 30- to 40-year-old vines, the 2018 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese is flinty, precise and reductive on the coolish nose, with discreet and fine (but lush!) pineapple aromas and very fine notes of crushed, smooth slate. On the palate, this is a clear, fresh, lush, highly finessed, piquant and salty Riesling with very tannins and lingering salinity and piquancy. This is a fabulous Spätlese with piquant finesse and mineral tension that seems to be familiar with that of the Scharzhofberger and the Euchariusberg. I can hardly imagine any better Spätlese from 2018. Tasted from the cask in March 2019.”
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2018er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese was made from clean grapes harvested at a full 95° Oechsle, and was fermented down to sweet levels of residual sugar (90 g/l). It offers a gorgeous and delicately exotic nose made of pineapple, coconut, herbs and smoke on the nose. The wine develops great focus on the gorgeously creamy and zesty palate. It leaves one with the creaminess of an Auslese and the raciness of a Spätlese in the remarkably multi-layered yet playful finish. 2028-2048.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Already reduced on our close-out sale, now even lower!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 23 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96-97 points “The 2018 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is very fine, concentrated and beautifully clear, with blossom honey and very fine berry aromas on the nose. (The 20% to 25% of botrytis is very clear and precise, almost imperceptible.) Lush and piquant on the palate, this is a generous but highly digestible Auslese with orange, raisin and (pink) grapefruit flavors. The finish is incredibly racy-piquant, salty and highly digestible. This is still a baby, but it is highly promising. Tasted from cask in March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $21.90, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 15 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 92-94 points “The 2018 Elisenberger Riesling Kabinett is dense, cool, very precise and flinty-mineral on the nose, which is still reductive but exciting. Coming from a coolish side valley that was picked at roughly 84° to 85° Oechsle at the end of September, this is a gorgeously lush and mouth-filling Riesling with the mineral piquancy of quartzite soils. There is no aggressive acidity here, there is nice tartaric acidity that makes this a seductive Kabinett you can’t resist. This is a fabulous, very long and enchanting Riesling. The wine has slightly more than 50 grams of residual sugar and comes in at 8.5% alcohol. It was scheduled to be bottled a couple of days after I tasted it from the cask at the end of March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Uralte Reben Grosses Gewachs, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $39, that’s $37.05 at 5% off and $35.10 at 10% off, 36+ bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 91+ points “The 2018er Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trocken Uralte Reben GG was made in traditional Fuder cask from over 100 year-old un-grafted vines in the Brück part of the vineyard. It offers an intense nose made of grapefruit bitter, anise, herbs and some white flowers. The wine develops a rather intense but quite structured feel of lemon zest, camphor, herbs and fine spices on the palate. The finish is quite powerful and hugely tart. 2021-2028.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $24, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 17 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93-95 points “Mostly from very old vines (80 to 90 years old) and vinified partly (one-third) in stainless steel, the 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett offers a fine, flinty, super sensual, mind-blowing bouquet of perfectly ripe but coolish, precise and even quartzite-like aromas. On the palate, the wine is wide, pure, elegant and energetic—a powerhouse but in the most delicious and delicate way. The palate is complex, opening wide but always precise and very, very long, with great mineral grip and tension but also lush and sensual features. This is a great Mosel Riesling indeed. Tasted from the cask in March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $33, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 33 bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “From the two oldest plots (80-90 years old and 120 years old), the fuder-fermented 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese offers great precision and aromas of tropical fruit intertwined with very fine slate on the nose. On the palate, the wine is mouth-filling and salty-piquant, with mango and slate flavors on the racy finish. This is dangerous stuff, very dangerous, yet it’s also tight and tensioned. This is, for the moment, the finest and most stimulating Wehlener Sonnenuhr. Dangerous. Really dangerous. Tasted in March 2019.”
This is the only listing in the USA today!
Already reduced on our close-out sale, now even lower!
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ***, Mosel 2018 375ml Displayed Price: $49, that’s $46.55 at 5% off and $44.10 at 10% off, 36+ half-bottles in stock now
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 97+ points “The first three-starred Auslese since 2005 (prior to that, it was 1993, 1983 and 1975), the 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese *** was picked at about 145° Oechsle. This is incredibly clear, pure, fine and fresh on the lush, concentrated, herbal and grapefruit-scented nose. On the palate, this is a generously lush, refined and salty-piquant Auslese with a tight mineral structure and lingering salinity. This is highly refined and extremely stimulating. It already drinks all too well today, but Constantin recommends cellaring it for at least 10 years. Tasted in March 2019.”
Mosel Fine Wines 95 points “The 2018er Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese *** Fass 138 is a botrytis selection harvested at 138° Oechsle on old vines in the prime Sandpichter sector, and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar. It offers a gorgeous nose of date, pineapple, almond cream, raisin and smoky spices. The wine is beautifully creamy and yet zesty on the palate and leaves a gorgeous feel of ripe fruits and creamy almond in the long and suave finish. While intense, this noble-sweet Auslese retains an immensely satisfying playful side. 2033-2068.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast!
Shop our 10 selections on sale now on our webstore!
Altos Las Hormigas’ Appellation:
Malbec In The Extremes
Two Tuscans, enthralled by the potential of Malbec on the high slopes of Gualtallary, crafted this wine from the limestone- and gravel-rich soils. The founded their winery in 1995, built on the then-revolutionary idea that Malbec could be as expressive as Pinot Noir in conveying its terroir. Today the winery crafts a broad range of wines, from every day to premium (yet affordable).
This “Appellation” bottling highlights the tiny region of Gualtallary. Here, vines are planted at the very limit of altitudes possible while still allowing for perfect ripeness. Vineyards reach up to nearly 5,250 feet above sea level. At these heights, grapes grow tough, thick skins to withstand the extreme UV rays, intensifying the tannic profile, color, and ageability in the resulting wines.
This wine combines a dense, calcium-rich minerality with the gentle spice and fruit of Malbec, tied together with a subtle kiss of oak. We consider this be the best buy out of Argentina given its quality to price, and we know you will, too.
In Stock Now:
Altos Las Hormigas ‘Appellation Gualtallary’ Malbec, Tupungato, Argentina 750ml $41.90 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Patricio Tapia-Guida Descorchados 96 points “Appellation comes from a small parcel of just under a hectare planted on soils rich in limestone. 65% was aged in concrete, and the rest, in oak barrels, an important change, because in the past, it was 100% oak aged. According to Las Hormigas, the decision was based on the fact that the season was cool, and that red fruit had to be maintained without allowing it to oxidize through the pores of the wood. And what they’ve obtained is a vibrant floral red wine marked by acidity and sharp tannins that’s clearly a much more austere, more controlled approach in comparison with the exuberance of other wines from area”
James Suckling 95 points “Blackberries, blueberries, terra cotta, brick and white pepper on the nose. Medium-bodied with very tight and polished tannins that spread beautifully across the palate. Savory. Lightly chewy at the end. Drink now or hold.”
This “Appellation” bottling highlights the tiny region of Gualtallary. Here, vines are planted at the very limit of altitudes possible while still allowing for perfect ripeness. Vineyards reach up to nearly 5,250 feet above sea level. At these heights, grapes grow tough, thick skins to withstand the extreme UV rays, intensifying the tannic profile, color, and ageability in the resulting wines.
This wine combines a dense, calcium-rich minerality with the gentle spice and fruit of Malbec, tied together with a subtle kiss of oak. We consider this be the best buy out of Argentina given its quality to price, and we know you will, too.
In Stock Now:
Altos Las Hormigas ‘Appellation Gualtallary’ Malbec, Tupungato, Argentina 750ml $41.90 special, 18 bottles in stock now
Patricio Tapia-Guida Descorchados 96 points “Appellation comes from a small parcel of just under a hectare planted on soils rich in limestone. 65% was aged in concrete, and the rest, in oak barrels, an important change, because in the past, it was 100% oak aged. According to Las Hormigas, the decision was based on the fact that the season was cool, and that red fruit had to be maintained without allowing it to oxidize through the pores of the wood. And what they’ve obtained is a vibrant floral red wine marked by acidity and sharp tannins that’s clearly a much more austere, more controlled approach in comparison with the exuberance of other wines from area”
James Suckling 95 points “Blackberries, blueberries, terra cotta, brick and white pepper on the nose. Medium-bodied with very tight and polished tannins that spread beautifully across the palate. Savory. Lightly chewy at the end. Drink now or hold.”
Don’t miss our additional sales going on now:
Jonathan Didier Pabiot
5% off any 3-5 in-stock bottles of wine from Pabiot
10% off any 6 or more in-stock bottles of wine from Pabiot
Vinopolis Close-Out Wines
(That’s 214 wines to choose from!)
5% off any 6-11 in-stock Close-Out Sale wines
10% off any 12 or more in-stock Close-Out Sale wines
Discount will not display online or in your cart,
We will adjust your invoice before processing your charge.
Pabiot sale ends Friday, May 3rd at 9 am Pacific. Close-Out Wines sale ends Saturday, May 4th at 9 am Pacific.