2023 Max Kilburg Piesporter Treppchen Vorm Berg Riesling Kabinett | Mosel

🔥 One of the Most Exciting Young Producers in Germany

Julian Haart Protégé

One of the Most Exciting Young Producers in the Mosel

This little parcel gives Max access to fruit with tremendous concentration and character

Mosel, Germany

Old Ungrafted Vines | Tiny Production | Julian Haart Protégé | RRP $72

One of the Most Exciting Young Producers in the Mosel

Here's a name serious Riesling drinkers need to know:

MAX KILBURG.

Max is one of the exciting young talents emerging from Germany's Mosel, producing tiny quantities of beautifully pure, energetic Rieslings from some exceptional old-vine parcels.

And his winemaking education included time working with one of the modern masters of Mosel Riesling:

JULIAN HAART.

That alone should make Riesling obsessives sit up and pay attention.

But this particular wine has an even better story.

The 2023 Treppchen “Vorm Berg” Kabinett was a new addition to Max Kilburg's tiny single-vineyard range.

And it is absolutely fascinating.

Treppchen “Vorm Berg”

This is tiny.

The entire site is around two hectares, situated close to the famous Ohligsberg.

Max farms only:

0.3 HECTARES

or roughly 3,000 square metres.

And the vines?

AROUND 80 YEARS OLD AND UNGRAFTED.

That's serious vineyard material.

Old ungrafted Riesling vines growing on the steep slopes of the Mosel are becoming increasingly precious, and this little parcel gives Max access to fruit with tremendous concentration and character.

Yet because this is Kabinett, the resulting wine isn't about weight or power.

It's about intensity without heaviness.

The 2023 Wine

Mosel Fine Wines reports that the fruit was harvested at 78° Oechsle from those 80-year-old vines.

Fermentation occurred spontaneously in stainless steel, finishing with 53g/L residual sugar.

But numbers don't tell the story.

Because the magic of great Mosel Kabinett is the interaction between:

Sweetness + Acidity + Slate + Fruit + Almost Weightless Alcohol.

The wine sits at only around:

7.5–9% ALCOHOL

depending on the market listing.

Yet it has extraordinary flavour.

That's the paradox that makes great Kabinett so addictive.

What Does It Taste Like?

Mosel Fine Wines found a fascinating aromatic spectrum including:

Pear

Orange peel

Star fruit

Fine herbs

Smoke & spice

Citrus

Then the palate becomes wonderfully playful and focused.

There's beautiful mineral intensity beneath the fruit, leading into flavours reminiscent of:

Pear purée and lime sorbet.

It's juicy.

It's mineral.

It's incredibly fresh.

And most importantly:

It feels almost weightless.

This is exactly why people become obsessed with Mosel Kabinett.

The Julian Haart Connection

Before establishing his own increasingly sought-after range, Max spent time working with:

Julian Haart.

And what a place to learn.

Julian Haart has become one of the cult figures of modern German Riesling, producing tiny quantities of extraordinarily precise wines from great Mosel vineyard sites.

Max took that experience back to his family's historic estate, Weingut Geierslay, where he represents the 20th generation of his family to make wine.

He then began developing his own tiny range from selected parcels.

The quantities are minute.

The vineyard work is serious.

And the philosophy is focused on purity, vineyard expression, energy and drinkability.

The Riesling world has noticed.

Mosel Fine Wines has described Max as a:

“new star”

for lovers of refined and playful Mosel Riesling.

And that's exactly what these wines feel like.

2023 – The First Treppchen “Vorm Berg” Kabinett

This is another reason I love this bottle.

It's the inaugural release from this parcel in Max's Kabinett lineup.

Treppchen “Vorm Berg” was the new addition to his 2023 collection alongside his better-known wines from Geierslay, Goldtröpfchen and Ohligsberg.

The early reaction was immediate.

Those who tasted the wine described it as extraordinarily tense, agile and exciting.

And it's easy to understand why.

You've got:

80-year-old vines

Ungrafted Riesling

Tiny 0.3ha parcel

Spontaneous fermentation

Vibrant acidity

Beautiful ripe fruit

Mosel minerality

Tiny alcohol

That's a pretty serious combination.

What Makes Great Kabinett So Special?

There really isn't another wine style quite like it.

A great Mosel Kabinett can deliver enormous flavour while barely registering in terms of alcohol.

The sweetness isn't there simply to make the wine sweet.

It balances the acidity.

You get ripe fruit.

Then acidity cuts through it.

Then fruit comes back.

Then minerality.

Then citrus.

Then slate.

And suddenly you've finished another glass.

It's one of the most dangerously drinkable wine styles on earth.

And Max Kilburg absolutely understands how to make it.

Why We Love It

Max Kilburg is exactly the sort of producer we love discovering.

Young.

Tiny production.

Old vines.

Great vineyards.

Mentored by one of the masters.

And now developing his own unmistakable identity.

The 2023 Treppchen “Vorm Berg” takes things another step further.

This is a tiny parcel of old, ungrafted Riesling vines that has produced one of the most intriguing wines in Max's emerging portfolio.

And because this is the first release from the parcel:

It's a fascinating bottle to put in the cellar.

If Max Kilburg continues on his current trajectory, these early releases are going to become very interesting wines to own.

2023 MAX KILBURG PIESPORTER TREPPCHEN “VORM BERG” RIESLING KABINETT

Mosel, Germany

RRP $72

Extraordinary emerging Mosel producer

Worked with Julian Haart

Approximately 80-year-old vines

Ungrafted Riesling

Tiny 0.3-hectare parcel

Spontaneously fermented

Electric acidity

Pear, citrus & star fruit

Beautiful mineral drive

Featherweight alcohol

This is exactly the sort of wine Riesling fanatics hunt down.

Max Kilburg isn't simply a producer to watch anymore.

He's a producer to buy.

And if you love Julian Haart, Willi Schaefer, A.J. Adam, Hofgut Falkenstein, Weiser-Künstler or the great Kabinetts of the Mosel, this belongs firmly on your radar.

Old vines. Tiny parcel. Julian Haart pedigree. $72.

👉 Light as a feather but packed with flavour, the 2023 Max Kilburg Treppchen “Vorm Berg” Kabinett is one of those wines that shows exactly why great Mosel Riesling becomes an obsession.