2020 Monchhof Estate Riesling Mosel 750 ml

When it comes to some of Europe’s finest wines, trust the monks.

From France to the Iberian peninsula to the New World, wherever monks went, viticulture and winemaking followed. This includes Germany’s Mosel Valley, home to the world’s most renowned Rieslings—and to the Mönchhof estate, one of the oldest in the region.

“Mönchhof” translates roughly as “Monks House” or “Monks Court,” a reference to the Cistercian monks who planted the vineyards there, in and around the village of Ürzig in the 12th century. Around this time, the monks also built a vaulted cellar that Mönchhof still uses today.  

Mönchhof draws fruit for their 2020 Estate Riesling from two prime vineyards: Erdener Treppchen and Ürzig Würzgarten, the latter of which has many own-rooted vines that reach nearly a century of age. 

The 2020 growing season kicked off with an early spring, delivering warm, sunny days that spurred an April budbreak and flowering at the end of May. Summer brought hot, dry weather that quickened ripening, meaning many growers had to harvest as soon as the end of August, with many picking at night to retain maximum freshness in the grapes.

Mönchhof, however, was lucky enough to dodge a good portion of the heat, hand-harvesting the grapes for this Riesling from late September to the third week of October. The wine was made in the sweeter feinherb style, so 32 g/L of residual sugar remained after fermentation in order to tame the grapes’ natural acidity. 

Spicy dishes or Asian fare are natural fits for this style of Riesling, but Mönchhof also recommends whitefish as a pairing—or to just drink it on the porch with your friends on a warm summer evening.