Castor Membership October 2023: Mad Max and All Things Nice
A pictorial endorsement of the benefits of the steeply planted vineyard sites in Volkach, Franconia, Germany.
“Mad Max”
Max Müller VDP Silvaner Trocken, Franken, Germany 2021
“The ‘transcendental experience’ of humans is created in personal engagement through communal achievement in the world as work.” This sentence was written by Max Müller-granted, not the Max Müller named on the bottles you’ll be receiving in your October Membership box, but rather the 19th-century German intellectual Friedrich Max Müller. There is no denying, however, the quote’s resonance when fined and filtered through the world of wine; considering that the (other) Müller family is now in its 4th generation of owning a winery that was itself constructed over 100 years before philosopher Max Müller was even BORN, the sense of perspective offered by these words is powerful, indeed. This isn’t just some Hallmark card for the ideals of wine-wine truly is all of these things: engagement, achievement, community, work. To be a steward of a piece of land, and to pass on that sense of commitment, to both your heirs in the literal sense and to your customers through what arrives in their glass, is transcendence personified.
The Müller “family” at harvest time.
To run a winery like Max Müller, belief is paramount. To adhere to the philosophy that 4th-generation owner/winemaker Christian Müller outlines, “living for and with wine”, and doing so by championing ecological practices and the local varieties of the Franconian region, requires an absolute credence, and if you’re looking for commitment, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better role model than a guy who has the chief grape varietal of his homeland tattooed on the inside of his left arm.
Christian Müller, he of the aforementioned ink (the tattoo reads “Main.Silvaner.Rockt.”, acknowledging the river flowing alongside his family’s vineyards, the Silvaner grape, and the limestone rocks his vines nudge through), acknowledges the traditions developed by his forebears (to include his father, Rainer, still involved in operations and a valuable resource) while adopting his own mindset-for Christian, this was a necessary separation, as he freely acknowledged that growing up in a winery and the expectation of following those proverbial footsteps was something a young Christian found stifling, and sent him on a quest to see a wider world. While traveling in New Zealand, he took a job working on a vineyard, one which he was adamant would be merely one stop in a life of endless journey. As often happens, wine’s ability to be that transcendence outlined in Max Müller’s quote (the philsopher Max Müller, not the…oh never mind you get it by now) caught up to Christian on the other side of the world from his family’s estate, and he returned as the Prodigal Son: passionate, inspired, and determined to make his own mark. One example: where his father Rainer had always advocated for the use of stainless-steel tanks during the fermentation/vinification process, the younger Müller sought to “pass the process on to nature” by using wooden barrels; the resulting effect on grapes like Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, and Silvaner, all elegant but higher in acidity, is significant, mellowing the bracing nature of these wines and providing a balance between fruit and stony earth.
Imports von Frankreich: the winery’s “guest farmers” are a flock of sheep brought in from France to naturally prune groundcover and contribute to a biodiversity within the vineyard.
Germany’s most widely planted variety until succumbing to Müller-Thurgau in the early 1970s, Silvaner’s chief historical use was in the semi-sweet commercial blend called Liebfraumilch (“Our Lady’s Milk”), which in the mid-20th century was produced and sent overseas with such gusto that its qualitative standing took a (well-deserved) hit. In the south-central German region of Franconia, however, the Liebfraumilch was never allowed to be produced, and the communities there, recognizing the potential of Silvaner and its ability to thrive as a dry white wine on the shell limestone soils, have prospered with the grape as their piece de resistance.
At once southern German and yet fiercely independent, Franconia has technically been a part of the Bavarian province for over 200 years, and yet maintains its own distinct culture, cuisine, dialect, and viticulture, right down to the bottles themselves: the village of Volkach is famous for its cru-level wines being placed in a low, squat hunk of glass called a Bocksbeutel. Silvaner, whose acidity reaches for the crackle of Riesling without ever quite arriving, and whose fruit profile can mirror Riesling’s green apple/bosque pear and then veer to the tropical realm of pineapple or passion fruit during the course of one bottle’s enjoyment, and even served in a traditional Riesling bottle Silvaner still serves as what Christian Müller calls the family’s “liquid business card”.
In trying to tell unique stories each month, I endeavor to feature compelling wines made by devoted people, and yet I must confess that in talking about Weingut Max Müller I am struck by the commonality of it all. A child growing up on a farm that develops a natural aversion to that life, who lights out for something more only to discover the key to their happiness has been right there all along. The proudly independent geographic region for whom wine is a crucial extension of their sense of liberty. And yes, wine’s uncanny ability to be that transcendent vehicle, brought forth by humanity’s shared sense of engagement, achievement, and hard work. In these trying times, a thought worth savoring-D.
Max Müller VDP Silvaner Trocken, Franken 2021
Country of Origin: Germany.
Places and People: Weingut Max Müller has been owned by the Müller family for four generations, but the winery the family works on has been in existence since 1692. Current winemaker Christian Müller and his father Rainer farm vineyards in their home village of Volkach, Franconia, as well as sites in Sommerach and Escherndorf. Christian’s dedication to his family’s vineyards and preserving them for future generations has led him to embrace ecological farming and organic grapegrowing. The Silvaner grapes in the 2021 Trocken are grown on estate sites in Franken and governed by the German VDP standards (the VDP is a national association of over 200 producers comitted to top-level quality and whose regulations reinforce that aim).
Soil: Shell limestone.
Grape Varieties: 100% Silvaner.
Winemaking: The Silvaner grapes are partially vinified in large wooden barrels in accordance with Christian Müller’s evolution of his family’s traditions (his father Rainer used all stainless-steel tanks). The “Trocken” designation generally means a wine of 4 grams per liter of residual sugar or less.
Aging: Approximately 8 months in tank.
Flavors and Foods: The golden straw color of Max Müller’s 2021 Silvaner is echoed on the nose by yellow apple, but also a welcome tropical element: scents of pineapple and passionfruit abound as well. The palate keeps the pineapple and adds a bevy of secondary notes: honey, warm cereal grains, yellow apple, baking spices such as cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg, and lemon pepper. Towards the finish, a more mature marmalade/orange note comes through, lengthening the final sip in a manner not usually associated with a wine of 11.5% alcohol. Overall, the main character of Silvaner gets an excellent showing here in the 2021, differentiating itself from Riesling with a rounder mouthfeel and more citrus-related fruits.
Service and Cellar: The 2021 Silvaner from Max Müller shows those tropical/citrus notes best when served on the high end of the white wine celler temperature specturm (48-52 degrees F). Although the spritzy texture does suggest a longer lifespan is possible, I’d recommend enjoying this wine in the next 2-3 years.
The inspiration for Puerto del Monte’s label, the UNESCO heritage site of Las Medulas’ distinctive peaks are the product of Roman-era gold mining, a sort of Imperial strip mining that took place nearly two thousand years ago and described by Pliny the Elder as “ruina montium” (wrecking of the mountains).
“‘All Things Nice”
Puerto del Monte Mencia, Bierzo, Spain 2019
“Sugar and spice and all things nice/kisses sweeter than wine”…
The 1960s Brit-Pop band The Searchers, with their John Ford/John Wayne-inspired name, certainly made the most of that classic children’s nursery rhyme, and having a dad who routinely blared 50s and 60s rock and pop tunes through (now) vintage wooden speakers in our basement growing up, I know far too much about bubblegum love songs written in the early stages of rock and roll. Possessing this uniquely useless knowledge has made writing the feature for this month’s Castor Red a unique challenge in focus, as every time I’ve sought to tackle the subject of fresh dark fruit and varietally-driven spice notes in Northern Spain’s Mencia grape, my mind has instantly provided me this lovely earworm (which I’ve now passed onto you-you’re welcome).
However, as this style-over-substance Merseybeat tune announces in its first moments all three of this story’s themes-sugar, spice, and (duh) wine, I feel like I can deftly manage this most ridiculous of segways by delving into the Mencia grape varietal as an avenue for explaining some of the sommelier’s most confusing terms: what do we mean by “refreshing” or “fruit-forward” red wines? What the heck is “varietal spice”? And, most perplexingly, how on Earth did The Searchers only retire as a band for good in 2019???
Hillside vines in Bierzo, Castilla y Leon, Spain. As winemakers like Alvaro Palacios have proved, this region’s best vineyards are found at higher elevations, where the soil turns from water-retentive clay to the well-drained, grape-stressing slate.
In the shadow of the UNESCO-recognized Roman gold mining site of Las Medulas, the Castilla y Leon region of Bierzo has a vinous tradition that goes back centuries, but by the 1990s the area was in a free-fall when it came to wine. It took the intervention of outsiders like Catalunya’s Alvaro Palacios of Finca Dofi fame to rediscover the DO’s potential-shielded from the central plateau’s harder climate, Bierzo’s remote towns offered more fertile, irrigated land on water-retaining clay soils in the lower-lying areas, but a look to the hills revealed terraces of porous slate soil (reminding Palacios of his native Priorat). In the heart of the region, the small town of Vilafranca del Bierzo’s vines are some of the most highly prized, and a showcase for the early-ripening Mencia, whose rush to complete its harvest cycle each year protects it from the fact that Bierzo is Spain’s most northerly site for red wine production. A black-fruited grape that can either be made for early quaffing (usually not aged in oak) or produce age-worthy wine in the top bottlings, Mencia has what Master of Wine Jancis Robinson calls an “aromatic, flirtatious” quality, characterized by both a high volume of juicy dark fruit and spice notes that eminate not from barrel aging per se, but rather the grape itself, as the notes of clove, black pepper, and allspice are inherent even in youthful examples. Indeed, this combination of lush dark fruit and “varietal spice” aromatics can give Mencia a New World air about it; if told that their glass of big-fruited red wine came from southern California or Argentina, most drinkers would not object. Instead, what grounds Mencia as an Old-World wine is the presence of acidity and mineral notes underneath the big fruit, which allow even this 14% alcohol wine to be described as “refreshing”. Because the tannins aren’t on the level of, say, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mencia can still feel very drinkable, and the ripeness of the fruit, when made well, does not lead to a correspondingly warm finish, leaving the drinker poised to pour another splash.
Bierzo native and Puerto del Monte winemaker Adelino Perez Gil.
Striking a great balance between the most ambitious Bierzo Mencia and a value-driven, “refreshing” wine is no small feat, and credit Puerto del Monte’s now 80-year history and vineyard holdings for contributing to that success. Founded in 1940 by Valencian Camino de Santiago, the estate’s 16 hectares (they source fruit from 25 ha of other growers’ vines, but the bulk of the 2019 is produced onsite) are in Vilafranca del Bierzo and sport old-vine status of 45-50 years. Their elevation of 450-700 meters above sea level (the famous Camino de Santiago hiking trail passes alongside the vineyards, providing dramatic hilly landscapes amid the horizon’s snowcapped mountains to the north) brings the slate terroir that drive’s the regions premier bottlings. Winemaker/Estate Manager Adelino Perez Gil is a native of the region, born in nearby Ponferrada, and he now works with a young team at an updated winery constructed in 2002. The 2019 Mencia is hand-harvested and undergoes fermentation at controlled-temperatures, harnessing the baking spice characteristics of Mencia and also providing a floral element on the nose. Aging for 8 months in French and American oak barrels, the Puerto del Monte is given a pleasant roundness from this oak aging without a ton of influence, apart from a touch of cedar from the more robust American oak. Gil’s decision to use barrels toasted at a medium level is also a good one, keeping direct oak flavor influence at bay.
With a glass of Puerto del Monte in hand, accompanied by a variety of potential food partners, even saccharine songs such as “Sugar and Spice” can sound…well, if not amazing, how about tolerable? Which, thankfully, the Puerto del Monte is so much more than, with its seamless interplay of gutsy, juicy dark fruit and those “varietal”-driven spice notes. And hey, if The Searchers can last for 60 years as a band, I think Puerto del Monte’s 45-50 year old vines should be able to outdo them on that front as well-D.
Puerto del Monte Mencia, Bierzo 2019
Country of Origin: Spain.
Places and People: Puerto del Monte was founded in 1940 by Camino de Santiago, a Valencian native who saw the potential of this area in Spain’s Northwesterly Castilla y Leon region, and particularly in the hillier areas, where the fertile, water-retentive clay soil gives way to strains of porous slate. The vines for the Puerto del Monte Mencia are planted around 450-700 meters elevation and run older (between 45-50 years), providing a great sense of fruit concentration, especially relative to other “entry-level” wines.
Soil: Slate with some small deposits of quartzite.
Grape Varieties: 100% Mencia.
Winemaking: Hand harvested at optimal ripeness (the early-ripening Mencia thrives in this region for that reason), the grapes for the 2019 Puerto del Monte are brought to the cellar and undergo a temperature-controlled maceration for two days at 8 degrees C. Primary fermentation takes about 10 days followed by another week of malolactic.
Aging: Winemaker Adelino Perez Gil keeps the Puerto del Monte in stainless steel tanks on the lees leftover from fermentation for about 2 months, after which the wine is aged for approximately 8 months in French and American oak barrels, for which the toast level is a well-chosen medium, keeping the overt oak notes at bay. The wine is cold stabilized and filtered prior to bottling.
Flavors and Foods: A delightfully inviting nose of mixed red and black berries (they are hard to find but if you’ve ever smelled boysenberry before, this is it), Santa Rosa plum, and secondary notes of violet, inkwell, and dark chocolate-one can almost smell the viscosity of the Mencia grape prior to actually tasting it, which thankfully you don’t have to wait for. The palate is brighter than the nose would perhaps lead you to expect, with more raspberry and red plum notes than black. The varietal spice notes of Mencia (fresh ground black pepper, clove, Jamaican Allspice) are present but in check-just a nice reminder of the uniqueness the wine in your glass possesses. The textural viscous/unctuousness is balanced by some mouthwatering acidity, and the finish is surprisingly gentle given the wine’s ripeness and tinge of mineral stone from the slate (note that service temperature is key to these observations, if you let this wine warm to room temp, you’re doing it a disservice). If you’ve ever enjoyed Priorat, this is a fun correlation to make between slate-dominant soil regions, even though the grape varieties and climate/locations are so divergent. Pair the Puerto del Monte with stewed or braised duck dishes, chicken thighs or pork tenderloins with rich plum sauces, and sturdy Spanish sheep cheeses; the Mencia also has enough acidity to play with grilled seafood such as tuna or monkfish.
Service and Cellar: In keeping with any riper wine with elevated alcohol (the Mencia clocks in at 14%), a lower serving temperature is best, and particularly when enjoying the unique varietal spice elements that the Mencia grape brings, any approach to room temperature just accentuates both spice and heat in all the wrong ways. Serve the Puerto del Monte on the lower end of the red wine cellar spectrum (55-56 degrees). Despite its old-vine pedigree, this Mencia is best enjoyed in its youth (the next 2-4 years).