Reiler Mullay-Hofberg
We love all of our vines – but this is our declared favourite vineyard. Not only because our finest wines grow on his steep and rocky sites. But we also feel ›culturally and historically‹ responsible for the preservation of this great and in its wildness impressive monument of wine making where many other wine farmers have already given up the hard work and thrown their hoes away.
The site lies immediately by the river for more than 1 km. Following the flow direction of the river Moselle it starts at the end of a small side valley with a compact but already very steep field. To the north-east it gets very cleft: mighty rocks break through the areas under cultivation thus forming many small areas with individual microclimates. Here the grapevines have been planted on very small terraces in breath-takingly steep areas that need a lot of elaborate hand work to be preserved.
The Mullay-Hofberg is an impressive example of how many various wines are able to grow on relatively small hill sites. That is the reason why we vinificate the grapes from different sites separately. These different wines all share the basic quality of refined fruitiness and vital acidity. But still it is absolutely fascinating to understand and extract the different origins of the crop – year in, year out.
The fact that winemaking here almost needs alpinist efforts is something we definitely accept. To be standing and working underneath the mighty slate rocks amidst beaming vine leaves and the ripe grapes in late autumn under a bright blue sky is always deeply impressing and satisfying.
And we then also feel that we are part of a long tradition that is clearly reflected in the name of this site: as early as 1143 AD an estate named ›Molun‹ of the nearby Eifel Abbey Springiersbach, which was later called ›Molay‹ or ›Mulay‹, is mentioned in a deed of donation. The acreage of this estate had continuously been enlarged over the centuries and was 2.43 hectare (about 6 acres) in 1807 when it was auctioneered one year after the French Revolutions`s secularisation of the abbey.
A click onto the picture of the historical map on the right opens up an enlarged view of the map.
One on the thumbnail photo below will open up an enlarged panoramic view of the Mullay-Hofberg, with the option to superimpose our lots there.
