C.H. Berres 2020 Ürziger Würzgarten Trocken Mosel 750ML

Ürziger Würzgarten needs little introduction as one of the Mosel's top sites — its very name translates to "spice garden," a genuine reflection of the exotic white pepper, cinnamon, and stone fruit character its wines are known for across the entire dry-to-sweet spectrum. The Berres family has resided and worked in the vineyards of Ürzig since the year 1510, and Markus Berres, now the 21st generation to steward these vines, took over the estate beginning with the 2004 vintage, following graduation from the Geisenheim Institute and hands-on experience in the New Zealand wine industry. The estate's history runs even deeper than the family name alone: following Napoleon's secularization of the Mosel, one of the region's first great private estates, founded by Peter Nicolay in Ürzig, eventually passed through marriage and inheritance to become C.H. (Carl Hubert) Berres — the same estate producing this bottle today.

The Berres family's parcel within Würzgarten contains genuinely rare ungrafted vines, planted directly in the site's distinctive weathered red slate and Rotliegendes soils — "underlying red" clay layered with weathered sandstone — that bring the spice garden's own mineral character directly into the glass. The 2020 vintage undergoes 12 hours of maceration in the cellar before pressing, a deliberate technique used to extract real depth and concentration from the fruit.

Wine & Spirits awarded a genuine 96 Points, writing: "Ürziger Würzgarten needs little introduction as one of the Mosel's top sites. As for Markus Berres, he's the 21st generation to work in the vineyards of Ürzig. The Berres' parcel contains ungrafted vines that bring the weathered red-slate soils of the spice garden into the glass. Twelve hours of maceration in the cellar extracts some fantastic flavors: powerful pluots, kumquats, and peaches cross the palate with dense finesse. This is a serious wine that's accessible enough to drink now and built to cellar for 20 years." The Sorting Table's own official tasting notes, describing this exact wine, found "aromas of air dried, ripe fruits blended with yellow kiwi and a hint of fresh cut herbs and spices," the palate "very rich, multifaceted and full," closing with "a long, powerful, complex finish with intense mineral, almost salty, notes." This is genuinely serious, terroir-driven dry Mosel Riesling — real depth and structure from ungrafted vines on one of the region's most storied sites.

Origins & Craftsmanship

C.H. Berres 2020 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Trocken is produced by Weingut C.H. Berres, whose family has resided and worked in the vineyards of Ürzig, in Germany's Mosel region, since 1510. The estate is currently led by Markus Berres, the 21st generation of the family, who took over beginning with the 2004 vintage after training at the Geisenheim Institute and gaining experience in New Zealand's wine industry.

Made entirely from Riesling, grown on genuinely rare ungrafted vines within the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyard, on soils of weathered red slate and Rotliegendes (clay, weathered sandstone, and slate). The grapes are harvested at the highest possible ripeness, and the wine undergoes 12 hours of maceration in the cellar prior to pressing, extracting additional depth and concentration.

Critics Reviews

Wine & Spirits — 96 Points:
"Ürziger Würzgarten needs little introduction as one of the Mosel's top sites. As for Markus Berres, he's the 21st generation to work in the vineyards of Ürzig. The Berres' parcel contains ungrafted vines that bring the weathered red-slate soils of the spice garden into the glass. Twelve hours of maceration in the cellar extracts some fantastic flavors: Powerful pluots, kumquats, and peaches cross the palate with dense finesse. This is a serious wine that's accessible enough to drink now and built to cellar for 20 years."

The Sorting Table (official tasting note):
"Aromas of air dried, ripe fruits blended with yellow kiwi and a hint of fresh cut herbs and spices. The palate is very rich, multifaceted and full. A long, powerful, complex finish with intense mineral, almost salty, notes."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Air-dried, ripe fruit leads, blended with yellow kiwi, fresh cut herbs, and exotic spice, alongside pluot and kumquat.

Palate
Rich, multifaceted, and full, with powerful pluot, kumquat, and peach crossing the palate with dense finesse.

Finish
Long and powerful, closing with intense, almost salty mineral character — genuinely serious, yet accessible enough to enjoy now.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Charcuterie
• Spicy Asian cuisine
• Fresh oysters and shellfish
• Roasted white fish