If Schloss Lieser has avoided the lime light so far, it is for one reason only: It's very, very small. I don't think people realize how small this estate is. In a good year, Schloss Lieser might make about 6,000 cases; in 2006 the estate produced less than 3,500. Yes, rot was something of an issue in the Middle Mosel in 2006. The harvest had to take place quickly as it was only a matter of days between superbly healthy grapes and rotting messes of fleshy fruit. Selections had to be severe. Those winemakers who had the courage (and the financial ability) to pick only the choicest fruit were rewarded with just superb wines of immense concentration. Yes, 2006 was trickier than 2005 - the lows are lower, but in some cases the highs might be higher.
At Schloss Lieser, while quality is through the roof, the quantities are through the floor. If you see a 2006 Schloss Lieser, believe me it is "fine and rare."
"Schloss" in German means "castle," and indeed the Schloss Lieser estate is grand, though I don't know that I'd exactly call it a castle. I didn't spy any turrets, there was no moat. Lieser, as are most of the Mosel's villages, is rather tiny and very quaint. You could walk from one edge of Lieser to the other in 5 minutes (and not break a sweat). The actual "Schloss" is massive and made out of piles and piles of blue and gray slate. No need to go into the vineyards to study geology here - it's literally stacked up around you when you're at Schloss Lieser.
Though Lieser's vineyards were very well regarded at the beginning of the 20th century, enthusiasm waned in the 1980s and early 90s as the estate passed through several hands and quality dipped. In any event, the village is perhaps geographically doomed to obscurity. To the north is Bernkastel and the near 180-degree bend of the Mosel, which sets up the perfection that is Bernkasteler's Doctor vineyard. To the south is the Haag family home, Brauneberg, and its formidable wall of vines, the Juffer and Juffer Sonnenuhr.
The winemaker at Schloss Lieser, and since about 1994 the owner as well, is none other than Wilhelm Haag's eldest son Thomas. (Wilhelm Haag is the elder statesman of the Fritz Haag estate, one of Germany's most elite estates.) At one point during the trip, Rudi said to me, "Wherever there's a Haag making wine in Germany, you better bet I'll pay attention." Rudi is a wise man, and since the mid-1990s the estate has been rising through the ranks. I believe the estate has achieved nothing short of greatness in 2006.
What I found just thrilling about Schloss Lieser's best 2006s is their absolute sleekness. In a vintage that has produced some clunkers, these Schloss Liesers are superbly concentrated and complex, but all this fruit and minerality is packed into an aerodynamic frame, as if the wines were made in a wind-tunnel and not a cellar.
The entire collection is exceedingly elegant, Middle Mosel filigree at its finest. They are taut - there is no waste, and certainly no want. The quality shouldn't be too surprising because Schloss Lieser farms a chunk of the Mosel that is world famous: the Brauneberger Juffer and the Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr. Schloss Lieser is also basically responsible for putting another Middle Mosel vineyard - the Niederberg Helden - back on the map. The wines from Niederberg Helden tend to be slightly denser and heavier than their Brauneberger brothers, though they lack nothing in grace.
It was a thrill to taste with the wickedly intelligent Thomas Haag. Thomas is rather quiet and watched over the tasting as if he was evaluating us. He obviously has a relentless mind that works over every detail again and again. There is a rigor within Thomas Haag that is evident; I think at some level his wines show this attention to detail as well.
