Going For Baroque: Muller Catoir 2010

Is there another Estate that has done so much to advance the reputation of the Pfalz in recent decades? Certainly none other has achieved the cult status that Müller-Catoir enjoys in Germany. These are hardcore dry Rieslings - wines of drama, tension, exuberance and rare refinement.

“Considering the extraordinary diversity of superior wines it produces, Muller-Catoir is the Pfalz’s greatest estate.” Robert M. Parker Jr. The World’s Greatest Wine Estates 2005

“Showered with praise during the last decade, this estate is now widely recognised as one of the country’s best… Each wine is like an essence of its grapes yet, however dense and powerful, Müller-Catoir wines possess an excellent harmony.” Stuart Piggott, Wine Atlas of Germany

“All the wines from Müller-Catoir are outstanding, effortlessly combining an intensity of flavour with an undeniable exoticism. The Rieslings can be brilliant, their richness balanced by a vibrant acidity...” Stephen Brook, The Wines of Germany, Mitchell Beazley 2003

At a time when minimal intervention and the concept of terroir was still alien to the German wine lands, Hans-Günther Schwarz knew the score: you have to have an innate understanding of soil and site before you can make great wine. His legacy of low intervention viticulture and winemaking has gone on to inspire and educate a whole generation of young German winemakers, in the now-accepted theory that great wine is made in the vineyard not the cellar. That may sound hackneyed to today’s well-versed wine lover, however it was not that long ago that the Pfalz region was awash with lifeless vineyards producing masses of overcropped dull fruit. During these dark decades, Günther Schwarz maintained standards at Müller-Catoir that were almost unique across Germany, let along the Pfalz. Today, these same high standards are maintained under the Philipp David Catoir and talented young cellarmaster Martin Franzen. The wine growing has remained much the same as has the winemaking, although things continue to evolve, as with... learn more