Wein-Erbhof Stein ‘Blauschiefer’ Riesling Trocken 2020

Winemaker: Ulli Stein

Grapes: Riesling

From the importer, Vom Boden:
Ulli specializes in the absurd and the sublime. He farms meaningful parcels of land that have a few important things in common: They are not easy to work. They are commercially unknown and therefore (most likely) barely financially viable. Finally, and most importantly: Ulli has to love them.

In fact, as alluded to by Schildknecht’s quote above, Stein is more than a winemaker – he is a passionate advocate for the traditional, steep, slate vineyards of the Mosel. In 2010 Ulli published a manifesto warning of the threats to the region’s 2000-year-old viticultural tradition. Dan Melia wrote a beautiful summary of Stein’s manifesto for Edward Behr’s The Art of Eating. The article is reproduced in full, with the kind permission of Edward Behr and Dan Melia: please click the link to the right.

It’s perhaps difficult to speak of an overarching “style” at Stein; or maybe it’s that the word, the concept, just doesn’t feel right. Winemaking with Ulli is refreshingly light on “style,” on some idea projected into the vineyards, and more about what the vineyards say to him. Certainly there is a focus on wines that are dry; lightness and zip are more important than gobs of fruit. Complexity is good, but not at the expense of the whole – better to be simple and well done than overdone and, well, a mess. Cut is more important than size.

‘Blauschiefer’ Riesling Trocken is sourced from old vines (up to and over 75+ yo ungrafted vines) in and around the St. Aldegunder Himmelreich.