
The Maringer-Reif Estate
Maringer-Reif, of the village of Piesport, produces some of Germany’s finest Rieslings. Celler Master Jorg Matheus, Geisenhim graduate, part of a 400 year family history of producing wines, assures the exceptional quality of every bottle, every glass.
Wines are produced using slow fermentation methods, stainless steel tanks, from grapes hand picked from low yield vineyards. All grapes are grown in Devonian slate.
This region of the Middle Mosel has been a center of wine production since early Roman times. The famous Piesporter vineyards, Goldtropfchen, Treppchen, Michelsberg along with Dhroner Hofberger and Wintricher Ohligsberg produce wines of breathtaking complexity.
Maringer-Reif was established in 1990, bought by the Matheus family in 2009.
Total acreage 11 hectares
Annual production 7000 cases
Varieties: Riesling 50%, Pinot Noir 15 %, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Maringer-Reif Piesporter Michelsberg (liter) is 100 percent Riesling.
This Mosel-Riesling is fruity and semi-sweet. It is easy to drink on the evening of a hot summer day. It's got a hint of lemon flavor and a very good minerality.
The Tempest was one of the first wines, and the first Proprietary Blend, we produced. At the time, it seemed almost uncanny that we were able to access three grape varietals at the same time from the same vineyard; it was blind luck or perhaps the proverbial “perfect storm.” The resulting wine reflected a fierce determination to brave the storm as well as a new desire to realize the possibilities of Merlot. The Tempest is still made with outstanding grapes, from vineyards such as Blair in Calistoga and cooler sites like Farella and Orchard. Predominantly Merlot with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon depending on vintage, The Tempest is a roiling cauldron of fresh red and blue fruit and silky tannins – a wine that shows what Merlot can be in the right hands, from the right vineyards.
Red fruit; silky tannins; more approachable in its youth
Review:
The 2022 The Tempest is a blend of 67% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheery notes of black raspberries, mulberries, and kirsch, leading to hints of lavender, wild sage, and aniseed. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers bright, crunchy fruit with firm, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing on a lingering peppery note. This was bottled in March 2024.
Johann Michel Cornas is 100% Syrah
This Cornas is a blend from 2 different vineyard sites:
- 60% of the final blend is from vineyards located on a hillside (16 year old vines on the "coteau"), planted on sandy soils, decomposed granite and some rocks, giving the structure, spiciness and licorice flavors to the blend.
- the other 40% of the final blend comes from the bottom of the slope (40 years old vines on the "pied de coteau"), planted on sandy soils, bringing acidity and balance to the wine.
Expressive, deep, rich, silky and juicy. Well structured and round, it displays red fruit, leather, black cherry, liquorice and black berry aromas.