x
  • Time

    03:13 AM
  • Wine average?

    91 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    68
  • Region Ranking?

    4
  • Popularity ranking?

    178

News

EGON MÜLLER WINS WINEMAKERS’ WINEMAKER AWARD 2015

The honour, which has been awarded every year since 2011, recognises outstanding achievement in the field of winemaking. The winner is chosen by a panel of winemaking peers that comprise all Masters of Wine who are winemakers, plus the award’s past winners: Peter Sisseck of Dominio de Pingus (2011), Peter Gago of Penfolds (2012), Paul Draper of Ridge (2013), and Anne-Claude Leflaive of Domaine Leflaive (2014).

Egon Müller said: “I was both surprised and very pleased to hear that I had been awarded this prize – and it gives me particular pleasure not only to be singled out in this way by my fellow winemakers but also to be given this award by the Masters of Wine who have always stood for an ethical wine trade. The Scharzhof estate has a winemaking history that predates the six generations of my family by many hundreds of years – possibly back to the Romans – and I am very glad that my families care and concern with honouring this long and illustrious history is recognised in this award.”

Egon Müller, son of Egon and Eleonore-Charlotte Müller, was born in the great summer of 1959. The story goes that his father gave him a drop of 1949 Scharzhofberger feinste Auslese before his first drink of mother’s milk.

He was raised on the estate of Egon Müller Scharzhof and went to school at Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium in Trier, the only school that had its own wine estate. After school he went to work as an intern in France, first at Château Pichon Lalande and then at Château Yquem. He then studied Oenologie at Fachhochschule Geisenheim.

After Geisenheim he spent a year in the USA at the Robert Mondavi Winery and with Château and Estate Wines in New York. After working for 6 month in the Yamanashi winegrowing region in Japan, he went to work permanently with his father at the family estate, which he took over in 1991.

In presenting the award, Sarah Jane Evans MW, chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine said: “I am delighted to be presenting this award to Egon Müller. He is recognised globally for the exceptional quality of his wine and his uncompromising standards. He also represents the commitment to excellence which is at the heart of the Institute’s work. We are especially pleased that he becomes the first German winemaker to be honoured with this prize here in his homeland.”

Close

History

The Egon Müller estate has been in the hands of the Müller family since 1797.

In the Mosel’s steep, slate vineyards, the winemaking master Egon Müller makes breathtaking Rieslings. The estate owns 8.3 of the 28 hectares of the famous Scharzhofberg vineyard in Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. The family exploits their single-vineyard holding to the fullest, and consequently is ranked among the region’s top wine producers. These wines are taut and racy, with dazzling fruit; they’re severely mineral and have an endless finish.

 

Egon Müller’s wines are all made using estate-grown fruit from two parcels: 8.3 hectares of Scharzhof and 4 hectares of Le Gallais. The Scharzhofberg, or Scharzhof Mountain, is among the finest Riesling sites in Germany and is considered Grand Cru. As such, it is allowed to be labeled with its vineyard name, or “Einzellage”, rather than its village name. The Müller holdings here include a parcel of un-grafted vines that were planted in the 19th century. These wines deliver at the highest level of quality and are without question among the world’s great wines. They are fine, balanced, authentic, and enjoyable young as well as after many years of cellaring. The Müller family added to its estate holdings by purchasing Weingut "Le Gallais" in Wiltingen in 1954. 
 

Close

Vineyards

The Scharzhofberg vineyard has been greatly renowned for centuries as one of the greatest vineyards in all of Germany.

According to Egon Muller, the monks' vineyard was first cited in existing records that date back as far as 1340, and one of the most interesting historical aspects of the estate is that it has always been recognized for its vineyard land. Many of the other large historical estates in the region would have been built on a mixed agricultural base, as winemaking for centuries in Germany was not a full-time occupation that paid the bills. Naturally the ecclesiastical origins of the estate would have factored in heavily to no other agricultural production being undertaken at the property (the bills being taken care of in a number of other ways), but it also seems quite clear that when a hill such as the Scharzhofberg produces such outstanding grapes, it would have been historical folly to pursue other crops on the property. As Herr Muller so aptly phrases the proposition in his understated and gentlemanly style, the fact that “the estate never had any property of consequence apart from the vineyards leads us to believe that the vineyards were considered valuable at this time. More than likely, the recognition of the Scharzhofberg's value, like that of the great Abtsberg-Herrenberg slope of Maximin Grunhauser, dates all the way back to the Romans.

Close

Inside information

- Scharzhofberg: 8.5 ha (21 acres) (largely heavily weathered grey slate)

- Wiltinger braune Kupp: 4 ha (9.88 acres) (mixture of mainly red and grey slate)

- Saarburger Antoniusbrunnen: 1.4 ha (3.46 acres)(grey slate)

- Wawerner Jesuitengarten: 0.3 ha (0.74 acres)(grey shale)

- Oberemmeler Rosenberg: 1 ha (2.47 acres)(grey slate with greywacke)

- Wiltinger Braunfels: 0.4 ha (0.99 acres)(grey slate)

- Wiltinger Kupp: 0.4 ha (0.99 acres)(mixture of red and grey slate)

 

At the Scharzhof we favour a traditionally minimalist approach to winemaking. Our work continues to be based on the quality-driven philosophy of the late Egon Müller III.: "One hundred per cent of the quality of a wine is generated in the vineyard. It is impossible to reach even 101 per cent in the cellars but it is a great achievement to pack the full potential of the vines into a bottle".

We believe that it is the quality of our vineyards that allows us to produce the best grapes and we go to great lengths to fully exhaust this potential.Our Northern climate is characterised by great annual fluctuations, which means that every year is full of new challenges. However, the foundations for our work remain the same:

- Old vines of which some have ancient roots that originate from the 19th century.

- Low yields that never exceed 60 hl/ha and frequently are as small as 30 hl/ha.

- Intensive ploughing up to six times a year.

- Very restrained use of chemicals: no chemical fertilisers, no herbicides, no insecticides and as few fungicides as possible.

We still ardently believe in the philosophy of natural wine which, unfortunately, has been abandoned by the German Wine Act of 1971.

Close

10 different wines with 69 vintages

Winemaking since 1797

  • Egon Müller III

    "One hundred per cent of the quality of a wine is generated in the vineyard. It is impossible to reach even 101 per cent in the cellars but it is a great achievement to pack the full potential of the vines into a bottle".
Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register