A few years ago Christoph Raffelt wrote an article in Trink Magazine entitled: Mosel Pinot Noir: Riesling Dressed in Red. It was an informative and thought provoking article. It helped me frame what I like most about Mosel Pinot Noir. The article compared Mosel Pinot Noir to Riesling rather than to the motherland of the grape, Burgundy. This clicked with me. Yes! Now I get it! The most exhilarating Mosel Pinot Noir I had ever had up to that point was a wine made by Jonas Dostert, in the Obermosel. It was 11.5% abv, lithe, elegant, mineral, vibrant, energized, and so easy to drink - sounds a lot like Mosel Riesling! I was hooked…
I have been following the trajectory of Mosel Pinot Noir very closely over the past four or five years. Up to that point I had a few that were good but more in a rustic, characterful, interesting way. I have now organized or been part of several German Pinot Tastings including a December 2024 tasting in the Mosel where we focused exclusively on Burgundy grapes grown in the Mosel (Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir).
Daniel Kiowski Germany’s youngest ever top sommelier and current Global Marketing Manager of Markus Molitor organized a Mosel only tasting focused on vintage 2022 this week (December 2025) and I was extremely fortunate to attend.
First off the average quality was quite high. Next and I hate, I mean really hate bringing in the value argument when it comes to German wine, specifically riesling as I think the wines stand on their own and this is simply a bad crutch. Yet I feel slightly different about Pinot since the competition is so expensive and Mosel Pinot is a new category - so yes there were some ridiculous values here! I am talking sub $25 wines that were very good! So for the time being I am ok with bringing value into the equation as I think it is relevant when discussing Pinot Noir and this certainly came into my mind while enjoying a delicious $20 bottle of 2019 Selbach Oster Pinot at lunch today.
On to the tasting! We tasted 27 different wines from 18 different producers. This had to have been the most comprehensive tasting of Mosel Pinot ever conducted. I can only think of a few top producers that were missing. That in and of itself says a lot about the current state of Pinot Noir as just 3-5 years ago this would not have been possible.
So lets cut to the chase! Not an underripe (although a couple were on the edge) or over manipulated wine amongst the group! Yes there was a wide range in quality but the average was very, VERY high and there were no outright duds.
The 27 wines were put on a table and each taster which included several prominent winemakers were able to taste at their own pace.
These are my reflections and are based on spending ~5 minutes with each wine. I knew some of the wines very well and others it was my first time tasting. The prices were obtained from looking on wine-searcher/
Thank you to Daniel Kiowski for organizing and to Markus Molitor for hosting and to all of the winemakers who both donated wines and attended.
2022 Max Ferd. Richter Pinot Noir RĂ©serve ($53) | 13.0% abv
This was the first time that Max Ferd. Richter has produced a Reserve Pinot Noir. This was an impressive wine and one of the highlights of the tasting for many. Black cherry. Impressively ripe but not overripe. Integrated oak that will settle in with a bit more time. The structure and quality of the fruit in this wine suggests it will get much better with time. Curiously there is no information on this wine or the Pinot program on the winery website. Constantin was present at the tasting and I regret not asking him about the wine.
B+
2022 Ludger Veit GG ($28) | 14.0% abv
This is a new producer to me. I was very suprised to see the 14% abv on the label. Interestingly the winery says it has 13% abv. If it is closer to 14% guessing chaptilization? Very perfumed aromatics that were intriguing. A streak of minerality. It did not show its lofty alcohol. Has a bit of smoke from the oak treatment that will most likely integrate over time. The vines were planted in 1986 as soon as the law allowed it. A great value for under $30.
B/B+
2022 Schloss Lieser Spätburgunder ($65) |12.5% abv
I think this is my first time trying this wine. It was very good. Light color which is always a positive for me for Pinot Noir. A bit polished but not fake. Professional. Nothing at all out of place. Prim and Proper. Might lack a little tenstion or excitement for me. This is the music equivalent of Jazz guitar. The price also seems a little high in the context of the others.
B+
2022 Thanisch Spätburgunder Unfiltered ($28) | 13.5% abv
Mediul ruby red color. Ripe aromatics. Solid wine but lacking excitement and/or intrigue for me. Fairly priced.
B
2022 Dr. Hermann Pinot Noir Kinheimer Rosenberg -R- ($60) | 13.0% abv
My fourth time having this wine and I really love it. I was fortunate to taste it earlier in the day at the winery and to enjoy a bottle that was hand carried back to NYC over dinner just last week. I asked Christian if he had any plans to increase the Pinot program and he said no. I think this is one of the interesting aspects of Mosel Pinot Noir. Riesling will always be the most important grape in the Mosel and even when a producer makes a world class wine like this they do not want it to take away from the focus on riesling! I understand!
This wine has everything. It has the ripe fruit, structure and elegance of many wines at the tasting but is also has energy and live and it is something I want to not just drink because Mosel Pinot has come along way - I want to cellar it and see where it goes over the next 20-30 yeatds.
A-/A
2022 Knodt Trossen Kirchlay Pinot Noir RĂ©serve ($30) | 14.0% abv
Another new winery to me. Another 14% abv which is suprising. There is lots of oak influence here but not on top of or on the side of perfectly ripe fruit. It was a bit earthy with a crunchy fruit character. Will it all come together? A decent wine for the price.
B
2022 Steinmetz Kestener Herrenberg ($35) |12.5% abv
Talk about character and value! This is an incredible wine for this price. It was so good I made sure to order some before putting up this post! Beautiful ripe fruit. Ethereal nose. Cherry and cranberry fruit. Earthiness, funk, structure, mineral, acid. Complex. It all comes together and I can only see this getting much better. Especially after have two separate bottles of the 2012 over the last few days. Gernot Kollmann mentioned to me that this was his favorite and thinks it is going to get much better over time.
Solid A
2022 Weingut Lothar Kettern Pinot Noir Reserve ($22) | 12.0% abv
Another new producer to me. Very light translucent color. The first wine that is teetering on the edge of underipeness. It does have a savory character and I don’t mind the green aspects. Decent wine for the price but not for you if you like ripe Pinot.
B-/B
2022 Maximum GrĂĽnhaus Abtsberg GG Pinot Noir ($64) | 13.0% abv
I will admit to literally being scared to taste this wine. Some of the GrĂĽnhaus Burgundian wines have been ridiculously over-oaked. The more I learn I think it was an accident and not intential. Nothing to worry about here this is a lovely middleweight wine with medium to dark color, great depth and structure and another wine to cellar.
B+ / A-
2022 Martin Mullen Trarbacher Ungsberg Spätburgunder ($44)) | 13.5% abv
The 2021 version of this wine blew my mind and is amongst the top Mosel Pinots that I have ever tasted. The 2022 is a very good wine but oddly does not hit the heights of the 2021. I say oddly because 2022 was a much better vintage for Mosel Pinot. Very intriguing greeen / herbal aromatics. Decent fruit and structure. I think this wine might just need some time to come together. I feel confident in saying that have had 20 or so prior Pinots from Martin Mullen. I should also add it was wonderful to see both Martin and Jonas at the tasting interacting with their colleagues. I have known them for well over 10 years and I have never seen them outside of the winery.
B+
2022 Werner Annaberg Pinot Noir Unfiltered (NA) | 13.0% abv
Another completely new producer to me. I am also told this is the only Pinot in the line up that was grown on red slate. This was a really nice wine that had a fresh streak of ripe savory fruit. Great overall balance.
B/B+
2022 Madame Flock MF TIA ($50) | 11.0% abv
This was the biggest outlier in the group; however, it was easily in my top 3. Madame Flock is a partnership in the lower Mosel from two expats. They are definitely in the natural camp but make clean, lively yet serious wines that I particularly like in the right setting. This was the lightest wine of the group but it had oh so much energy. A perfect example of the the Red Mosel Riesling comparison. I absolutely loved this wine. This would play well on a NYC list under the chilled red section but that is not a dig…this is a great wine.
A
2022 Daniel Fries Terrassen Pinot Noir ($27) | 12.5% abv
I have had this wine a few times. I might have even discovered Daniel at a wine fair in Winnigen. I thought it was an excellent, complete wine with beautiful ripe fruit with just the right amount of oak the will integrate with time in the bottle. At least one winemaker thought the oak was heavy handed. I did not. I would also add that this is a screaming value. Daniel trained in both Burgundy and Oregon and it shows. He is very passionate about Pinot Noir.
A-
disclaimer I think source | material sells Daniel Fries
2022 Axel Pauly Spätburgunder Reserve ($30) |13.0% abv
Medium color. Nice aromatics. Decent fruit without too much oak influence. I wanted to like this wine much more. It just lacked a little pizzazz. I could have caught it at a bad time.
B
2022 Axel Pauly Spätburgunder Niederberg-Helden
This was much better for me. The fruit was riper, more intense, pure and had wonderful balance. This was an exciting wine.
B+/A-
2022 Julian Haart Pinot Noir (NA) | 13.0% abv
As always the Julian Haart wine was the first bottle emptied. This is a fascinating wine that is going to take years to unfold. It was one a few wines at the tasting that I think were hard to taste young. Extremely light in color. Ripe but elegant fruit. Impeccable balance and oak integration. Paul Wasserman sometimes refers to a wine as being vertical and needing to figure out not what you are getting from the wine but what you are missing. I feel this is the case with this wine as there is a lot inside that is just not ready to reveal itself.
A-
2022 Max Kilburg Pinot Noir ($40) | 12.5% abv
We did a German Pinot Noir tasting with Pinots from around the world last December at Markus Molitor with many of the same participants. The 2021 in that tasting finished #2 out of ~30 wines. Max showed up again this year, while we did not vote this year the majority if not all tasters had this in their top 3. What I love about this wine is how light and bright the ripe fruit is. It is both accessible and serious. Vivid. Energetic. Wonderful fruit profile. No oak influence at all. I asked Max who was at the tasting about his oak regime and he said he uses 3-4 year old barrels. I spent a lot of time with Max on this trip and he is a great person and a superstar winemaker in the making! I am very proud to be able to help in a small way get the word out on what he is doing.
disclaimer: We introduced Max to the U.S and sell these at source | material.
2022 Walter Weissberg Spätburgunder ($25) | 13.0% abv
Yep another winery I do not know. Overall a very nice, ripe non-offensive wine. It has a little oak influence that probably needs to settle down.
B
2022 Stein Spätburgunder Kabinett Trocken ($45) | 12.5%
This was in my top 5, maybe top 3. I love the unique character of this wine. It is a bit rustic but still has great structure and depth of fruit. I love Ulli so much I will always be biased when evaluating his wines. It should also be noted that he was one of the very first to plant Pinot Noir in the mid 80s. The wine was different than all of the other wines except for maybe Steinmetz. I just love the combination of rustic, earthy flavors and deep ripe fruit. I probably value personality / uniqueness in wine more than others which I why I love this wine and the aforemention respect for Uli. This can definitely benefit from 10-15 years in the cellar.
A-
2022 Markus Molitor Haus Klosterberg Pinot Noir ($20) | 13.0% abv
Markus Molitor was also one of the first to plant Pinot in the mid 1980s. He brough a riveting 1990 Graacher Himmelreich to my 2024 Moselburgunder tasting that definitely proved that Mosel Pinot Noir can age. Stefan Steinmetz also brought a few older wines that proved this point. But on to this wine. A sub $20 Pinot Noir that is this good is near impossible to find. It was perfect ripe, balanced, elegant and simple a joy to drink that just needs a roast chicken. The best value of the entire tasting and one of the best values I have had all year. Bravo!
B+
2022 Markus Molitor Brauneberger Klostergarten Pinot Noir ($100) *** | 13.5% abv
The higher level Markus Molitor wines are definitely made in a manner that demands aging. The fruit is ripe and intense and extremely high quality. Markus is not afraid to make a structured wine that has a bit of oak influence when young that will age gracefully. What I don’t know it how long it will take for the higher end wines to hit their stride. I think at least 10-15 years and maybe more. If the 1990 Graacher Himmelreich wine I tasted last year is an indication these wines have a long life ahead and will get better and better. Daniel mentioned this wine was made from Gevrey-Chambertin clones.
A-
2022 Markus Molitor Graacher Himmelreich Pinot Noir *** ($125) | 13.5% abv
This was one of my top 5 in the tasting. I love the unique smokey, game, meat character which is not often found in Pinot. Again this is a serious wine that demands cellar time. Daniel mention this wine is made from Chambolle-Musigny clones.
2022 Immich Batterieberg Monteneubel Spätburgunder ($35) | 11.5%
Gernot believes strongly that Mosel Pinot should be light and riesling like and that is his philosophy with this wine. He has achieved his goal as this is a beautiful light, albeit with ripe fruit, red riesling! It also has an intriguing spice element that is lovely.
B+/A-
2022 Tobias Feiden Spätburgunder ($20) | 12.0% abv
Ok I was extremely excited to taste the Tobias Fieden wines. I have bought them and have many in the cellar but I don’t really drink them. Tobias was present and is one of the few winemakers in the Mosel that really focuses on Pinot. The first wine did not work for me. This was a tad underipe and a little to unkept. I really, really wanted to like this more.
B-
2022 Tobias Feiden Winninger ($30) | 13.0% abv
This wine was also very light and had a green, herbal element but it worked much better in this wine. This had a distinct chemical taste that suggested it was not a sound bottle. Judgement deferred.
2022 Tobias Feiden MoselsĂĽrscher Fahrnerg ($59) | 12.0% abv
This one is a really nice wine. Also on the lighter end of the spectrum but much more complex with nice fruit, mineral and spice with decent depth.
B+
2022 Tobias Feiden Winninger Reserve |13.0% abv
This was by far the best of the four wines from Tobia Feiden. Extremely sexy aromatics. Beautiful expression of fruit on the palate. This has much more energy and intrigue.
B+
In the end this was an impressive showing for Mosel Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder. We had both great values and outstanding wines. Let us not forget Mosel Pinot was outlawed up until 1986 and the first wines did not hit the market until the early 90s. In reality winemakers did not really start focusing on Pinot up until 7-10 or so years ago. They are learning fast about site selection, clonal selection, winemaking techniques and of course global warming is helping. But most importantly the winemakers are passionate about Pinot and it showed!
