Ulli Stein's maverick Bullay estate farms steep slate ecologically, making dry, zippy Riesling and rare old-vine Elbling, a natural-leaning Mosel cult.
Tip: Seek out Stein's Elbling and the steep St. Aldegunder Himmelreich Rieslings; the wines are made for the table, not the score sheet.
Address: Brautrockstrasse 40, 56859 Bullay, Germany, Mosel
Ancient Enkirch estate revived since 2009 by Gernot Kollmann, making dry old-vine slate Riesling that has become a cult reference for serious Mosel drinkers.
Tip: The ungrafted old-vine cuvees like Escheburg and the single-site GGs are the draw; visits are best arranged by appointment directly with the estate.
Tiny Traben-Trarbach estate founded in 2000, working the steep Wolfer Goldgrube slate to make precise, elegant Riesling that punches far above its few hectares.
Tip: The Wolfer Goldgrube Spaetlese and the dry Schiefergestein are the wines to find; allocations are small, so order direct or from a specialist early.
Demeter-certified Reil estate farming steep Mullay-Hofberg slate by hand, making pure biodynamic Riesling that spans classic and natural styles.
Tip: Try the Vade Retro long-skin-contact bottlings alongside the classic Mullay-Hofberg Rieslings to see the estate's two faces.
Small Traben-Trarbach estate making hand-farmed, organic-certified slate Riesling of great clarity from the Schlossberg and Ellergrub, an insider cult name.
Tip: The Trarbacher Schlossberg Kabinett is the cult bottle here; quantities are tiny, so buy from the importer the moment it lands.
Biodynamic VDP estate in Puenderich bottling the steep Marienburg slope by slate colour, a benchmark for dry, age-worthy organic Mosel Riesling of real depth.
Tip: Compare the grey-, blue- and red-slate GGs from the Marienburg side by side; the same grape and farming reads three different soils.
Historic monopole estate in the Ruwer, in von Schubert hands since 1882, making cool, ageless Riesling from the Abtsberg, Herrenberg and Bruderberg.
Tip: The Abtsberg Kabinett and GG are the stars; the Ruwer's cool site makes wines that age for decades yet drink beautifully young.
