Wein-Erbhof Stein Blauschiefer Blue Slate Trocken 2022

Wein-Erbhof Stein Blauschiefer Blue Slate Trocken 2022

Stein
$25.00

Grape: Riesling
Vintage: 2022
Type: White

This bone-dry white wine is a pure expression of Riesling produced by low-intervention winemaker Ulli Stein in the Mosel valley. Sourced from steep, terraced hillside vineyards, the old vines grow directly into fractured blue slate topsoils, locally known as Blauschiefer. The hand-picked grapes are pressed gently and undergo a spontaneous native fermentation driven by wild vineyard yeasts inside neutral stainless steel tanks. The wine matures on its fine lees to safeguard pure, un-oaked mineral transparency.

It displays a pale straw-yellow color, releasing clean aromatics of tart green apple, lime zest, and wet slate stone. A sleek, light-bodied frame balances fresh citrus fruits with an underlying chiseled mineral undercurrent. A zesty wave of natural acidity cuts right through the center, keeping the fluid mouthfeel thoroughly refreshed and energetic. Subtle notes of fresh herbs add a savory depth across the mid-palate volume. It concludes with a long, crisp, and persistent finish.

Dr. Uhlrich ‘Ulli’ Stein, and now his young protégé Philip Lardot, 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 barely financially viable. Finally, and most importantly: Ulli has to love them. Stein is more than a winemaker – he is a passionate advocate for the traditional, steep, slate vineyards of the Mosel. 

One last note of importance, due to his belief in the importance of old vines the family never grafted to phylloxera resistant rootstock in the 70s when this practice was the norm. So Ulli now has a profound collection of ungrafted vines, farming around 10% of the ungrafted vines in all of Germany.