Rien sans peine. Nothing without pain, printed on every bottle (and cork) produced by Sven Enderle and Florian Moll, who together make up Enderle & Moll. Sven and Florian work in the foothills of the Black Forest in Baden, Germany- more specifically, the tiny village of Münchweier, just 20 minutes East of the Rhine. Although they showed little concern for mainstream trends and acceptance, E&M have produced what are widely regarded as some of the best pinot noir and white wines in Germany, earning them a serious cult following.

Friends from wine school in 2003, they went on to work for other producers before coming back together to make their first vintage in 2007. They were, and continue to be, a small operation. Starting out of a former potato cellar and using an old basket press, they remain very low-tech and produce their wines from just 7 ha (2.5 of which they own, the rest rented), farming everything organically and following biodynamic principles. Everything is done by hand and all wine is bottled unfined & unfiltered.

In a country that is one of the largest Pinot producers, E&M are regarded as having some of the best – light but deep, structured & beautiful. And their whites, all macerated on skins at least for some time, are also magical. Their Weissburgunder & Grauburgunder are awesome, but we find ourselves consistently drawn to their Müller-Thurgau- whether it’s their entry level “Müller”, “Pur”, or the  “Buntsandstein” (red sandstone). In Central Europe, Müller-Thurgau, a high-yielding and early ripening cross of Riesling and Madeleine Royale, was often overlooked because of its regional popularity in making simple commercial wine, but in the hands of E&M, it sings. This is exactly the type of bottle we love, striking the perfect mixture of elegance and eccentricity. Bracing acidity, a vigorous floral bouquet, with a density aided by 2-3 weeks on skins. Balanced and approachable, its gulpability hides how unusual their wine really is.

This is a small operation bucking regional trends for larger commercial production, making some extremely refined and unique wines- dudes are cool as hell:)

One of Enderle & Moll’s rarest and smallest production wines, from old Müller-Thurgau vines grown solely on colored sandstone. 2-3 week maceration and fermentation, then pressed and moved to used barrique where it stays on the gross lees for 10 months. Then a very light filtration and a tiny addition of sulfur. The most aromatic of the E & M white wines.

-vom Boden

Click here for an excellent profile of Enderle & Moll from 2013, thanks to Wine Terroirs.