Martin Müllen
MOSEL-SAAR-RUWER
Of the various wine regions of Germany, the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is undoubtedly the most renowned. The vines extend along the magnificent meanders of the Moselle, from the Luxembourg border to Koblenz, where the river joins the Rhine. At the heart of the region, the Middle Moselle (Mittelmosel) offers exceptional hillsides and great schist terroirs almost entirely dedicated to Riesling: dry or sweet, some of the most remarkable white wines in Germany are produced there, such as those of Martin Müllen.
By settling as a winegrower in Traben-Trarbach in 1986 (first releases in 1991), Martin Müllen had the objective of defending the extraordinary steep hillsides which overlook the meanders of the Moselle, too often abandoned because of the difficulty to work the slopes and terraced vines. The estate's vines are spread between Traben and Kröv (in an upstream meander) on the left bank of the river, and Trarbach on the right bank, with in particular the communal cru (Einzellage) Hühnerberg, an exceptional, very steep hillside in an arc (with S-E/S-W aspect) located in a side valley of the Moselle, on the ground of blue and gray schists, and planted with hundred-year-old ungrafted Rieslings. A true craftsman, with a few other winegrowers, of the redevelopment of the Trarbach Hühnerberg, Martin Müllen, now assisted by his son Jonas, offers an exemplary interpretation of purity – without chemical treatments – and expressiveness.
