2020 Domaine Serrig Grosse Lage Vogelsang Germany 750 ml

Markus Molitor’s career has been defined by challenging assumptions about winemaking in the greater Mosel. He produces a mind-boggling number of bottlings, which are generally aged for longer before release than is the norm in Germany. Each is distinct in personality, and they’re all outstanding.

As such, Molitor has been rewarded with rapturous critical praise: He notched 21 different 100-point scores in the last decade from Wine Advocate alone. There is fervent demand for his wines in Europe, with allocations carefully parsed out to the finest shops and restaurants on the continent.

That said, his undertaking with Domäne Serrig might be his most ambitious project yet. The Domäne was originally created by Emperor Wilhelm II and owned by the Prussian state to be a crown-jewel model winery—and some of Germany’s greatest wines of the early 20th century were crafted from its vines. But it fell into neglect after World War II, and when it was privatized in the 1980s, the new owners didn’t do much to improve it.

So when Molitor bought the legendary site in late 2016, everything from the vineyards to the old cellars were in disrepair. Only five of the 25 planted hectares were up to Molitor’s standard. The rest he ripped out and replanted immediately.

He’s crafted wine every year since, but the 2020 was the first vintage that has been released to the public. He made the bold decision of selling the entirety of his tiny production on the Place de Bordeaux, becoming the only German winery to do so. He made two wines in 2020: a Kabinett, and this Grosse Lage, a powerful, dry-tasting wine that’s the pinnacle of white wine, full stop.