Meulenhof 2014 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese #75

A "Sonnenuhr" is a German sundial (literally "sun hour"). In the days before ubiquitous time-keeping devices, giant sundials were placed on hillsides where they were in view from the towns and roadways across the river Moselle. An interesting tidbit in and of itself, but here's the thing - the sonnenuhr were always placed on the suniest part of the hillsides, and the surrounding vineyards benefitted from this long sun exposure in a pre-warming era where ripe fruit was difficult to obtain and much valued. 

This particular vineyard benefits from more than just its sunny position, it also has iron-rich, red slate soils (the Rotliegand rock strata).

Most of today's wine lovers demand German Rieslings on the dry side. They would have been right at home with the wines of a century ago. Today, the sonnenuhr wines from Germany's sunniest hillsides cater to a devoted niche who have come to appreciate/ love/ crave/ nae, require the rich and sweet wines from these select vineyards.   

The first known document mentioning the Meulenhof dates back to March 2, 1337. It was part of the Cistercian monastery of Machern. Like many church properties during the Napoleonic secularization, it passed into private hands for the first time. 

In 1804 Johann Joseph and Bernard Joseph Schmitges acquired Meulenhof and, three generations later, the heiress Gertrud Schmitges married Johann Ehlen (1883). Their daughter Maria Ehlen brought the estate into her marriage with Stephan Justen in 1919 and Meulenhof was taken over by their son Heinz Justen in 1950. Since 1990, his son Stefan has been managing the Meulenhof winery.