Joh Jos Prüm
Mosel, Germany
2024 Vintage Offer – A Cool Vintage
“Vintages like this have become rare in this century—ones in which full fruit ripeness combines with lightness, fine slate spice and lively acidity...” Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
“With the rise of so many excellent winemakers in the region, one might have supposed that J.J. Prüm, with its profound conservatism, might have been overtaken and left behind. Not a bit of it. The Estate remains where it has been for decades: at the summit.” Stephen Brook, The Wines of Germany
The Cook family were together with Katharina Prum this time last year – June 16th 2025. A supurb visit! Earlier this week the importer of JJ Prum (Bibendum) hosted their annual ‘Prumtag’ event: brunch at Chin Chin restaurant to showcase how well these wines pair with Asian food. The meal was sensational.
And good news! This year’s release comes with special ‘pre-arrival’ pricing as offered to us by the importer. We pass on the savings to you below. On top of this, the exchange rate has improved, meaning that our pricing below is about 20% cheaper than last year. The pre-arrival price advertised below is available until July 10th and is applicable to orders of 6 bottles or more (can be mixed across the range). Many wines are very limited, including wines from Berncastel (frost damage in 2024) and all of the Auslese and Goldkapsel wines. Please reply to this email with your order – orders will be confirmed by return email. – Ian Cook, Five Way Cellars.
“No matter what kind of mood you are in, the world always seems a better place with a glass of Prüm in hand; these are gracious, charming, wines that go straight for the heart, leaving you only with the desire to finish the bottle quickly, resolving to finish a second bottle more slowly and reflectively.” Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
“The wines are a stunning collection of real thrill—wonderfully classic and so expressive.” Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
2024 Vintage
Katharina Prüm always unveils the new vintage late. Even at the Mainz Wine Fair in late April this year (2026), where most of her colleagues from the Mosel were presenting their first 2025 vintages, she showcased matured wines as well as a few 2024s. The 2024 vintage, mostly bottled as recently as June/July of last year (2025), has produced enchantingly delicate and light yet expressive and mineral-rich Rieslings at Prüm, particularly in the Kabinett and Spätlese categories. They are already quite approachable, but their true class and their thoroughly classic, cool and slate-spiced Mosel character will only be fully appreciated in a few years. Vintages like this have become rare in this century—ones in which full fruit ripeness combines with lightness, fine slate spice and lively acidity.
The year 2024 was quite balanced for a long time. Winter brought ample precipitation and very cold temperatures in January. These cold temperatures also occurred in late April, and this was tragic because April had previously reached summer-like temperatures, which, following the equally mild months of February and March, caused dangerously early budbreak. The frost, which caused losses of up to 90% along the Saar and Ruwer, primarily affected the upper vineyards in Graach and Bernkastel on the Mosel. May started warm and then cooled off sharply; in June, the opposite occurred, and the month ended with the first three hot days of the year. July saw average temperatures and precipitation, but August was midsummer-like. At the beginning of September, everything looked promising; but then it cooled off, and there was intermittent rain well into October, especially in the middle of the month. Prüm began the harvest on October 1. First, the Kabinett wines were harvested, followed by the Spätlesen, both in good quantities, especially in Wehlen. Most plots had to be harvested multiple times due to uneven ripening. In the second half of October, the weather turned late-summer-like again, and grapes of Auslese quality—even up to Goldkapsel (with botrytis)—could still be harvested. Even a noble sweet Beerenauslese was selected. The harvest was completed on October 31. Katharine Prüm particularly likes the “ethereal” character of the 2024 Rieslings and says, despite all the adversities, “I would choose this vintage again in a heartbeat.”
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
The Wines
Prädikat: Kabinett
Katharina Prüm describes her 2024 Kabinett wines as “textbook”, and it is truly a great vintage for this level, as the notes below make clear. Only Graacher and Wehlener were produced. Both show the quality of this vintage in their own way and are deeply expressive of the site. In a nutshell, the wines are wonderfully intense, fresh and balanced. Although they will mostly be drunk young, they will also improve for at least 10 to 15 years, and 20 years will not weary them. They effortlessly stand up to a broad range of flavours: sashimi, lighter Asian dishes and tuna tartare, for example. But any seafood or white meat, really, and of course, they make beautiful aperitifs. All these wines sing loudest when matched with savoury dishes, but that’s especially true of the Kabinett wines.
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett 2024
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $130 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $117
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $104
The Graacher Himmelreich my favourite by a whisker: lemon fresh, super racey with light floral notes, lovely lingering light spices, great length and a tensile mineral note. With deeper bedrock and therefore more moisture retention, the wine is more taut than its Wehlener Sonnenuhr sibling. This is a great aperitif wine or pair with fried squid. Delicious already – no need to wait. – Ian Cook, Five Way Cellars.
“Very fresh and animating, this light-bodied Mosel has delightful delicacy. I love the fresh apple, white peach and fresh herb aromas. Off-dry, with a well-integrated touch of natural grape sweetness. Long, crisp finish.” 93 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett is still a little flinty but tender green apple shows through. The palate stays on this beautifully bright side where fruitiness is juicy and tart, but its freshness is absolutely subsumed and intertwined with ripeness. Its beautiful lightness is grounded in slaty stone like a scented breeze. The 2024 is gorgeous. (Off-dry)” 93 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett displays very clear and delicate yet aromatic ripe fruit. Tender and delicate on the palate, this is a slender, filigreed Riesling with fine character and lovely elegance. The wine is a light-footed classic and refreshingly invigorating.” 92 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2024
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $132 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $118.80
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $105.60
MAGNUM SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $320 MAGNUM DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $288
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $256
The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinnett shows more complex stone fruit, a hint of honey and is a little more opulent. It shows more power than its Graacher equivalent with a fresh, slatey finish. A keeper. – Ian Cook, Five Way Cellars.
“Wonderfully expressive nose of honeysuckle and fresh garden herbs. Juicy, light-bodied palate with creaminess, slatey minerality and very elegant acidity. Long, zesty finish with plenty of mandarin orange character.” 94 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett displays lovely fruit intensity with subtle earthy notes, floral nuances and a hint of reduction. Full-bodied, juicy and piquantly racy on the palate, this is a fresh, elegant and ever-light-footed Kabinett yet with a sensual, juicy character.” 92 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Prädikat: Spätlese
At this level, the Prüm wines are still light in body, but the flavour intensity and depth of character increase markedly. The Prüms describe the 2024s as both charming and classic, in a union that feels just right. There is brightness and balance here, but considerably more depth of fruit than in the Kabinett-level wines, although not overt sweetness. Instead, it is a question of more flesh, more power and, therefore, wines that can stand up to richer food. Katharina Prüm rightly sees Spätlese as one of the estate’s great food-wine categories, and in 2024 that feels especially true; although the 2024 Auslese-level wines are also remarkable food wines!
JJ Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Spätlese 2024
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $108 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $97.20
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $86.40
“This beautiful Spatlese has an extremely wide spectrum of aromas that range from garden herbs to fully ripe mandarin oranges. Then comes the very elegant, racy, barely medium-bodied palate, which has great purity and length in the brilliant finish. Limited production due to spring frost damage.” 95 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Bernkasteler Badstube Spätlese is so openly fragrant and shimmering with chervil, moss and a beautiful overtone of lemon balm. More air brings a fine, gorgeous, charming note of green citrus peel. The palate has a tart sweetness, like a Seville orange peel or green-tinged tangerine. The 2024 is seductive, brilliant, toned, bright, elegant and absolutely charming.” 95 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Bernkasteler Badstube Spätlese offers a nose that is both intensely fruity and delicately spiced, with notes of almost tropical fruits and subtle vegetal undertones. Juicy and piquant on the palate, this lush yet finely textured and well-structured Riesling develops a refreshingly cool note with a firm structure and elegant tartness. This is a fantastic Badstube Spätlese to pair with food, especially since it doesn’t actually taste sweet.” 93 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
JJ Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2024
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $130 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $117
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $104
“The apricot aromas make this Spatlese stand out from the pack in the 2024 vintage. But there’s nothing opulent about this wine in spite of the generous juiciness on the medium-bodied palate. In fact, it is sleek, focused and very crisp in the long, complete finish.” 95 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese offers wet stone and dried herbs on the nose, almost like deadnettle crushed on slate, with the tenderest smokiness. The palate then adds a gorgeous streak of ripe Reine Claude plum with a juiciness that softens the stone. It becomes agile, sinuous and animated. What lovely character, subtlety, elegance and astonishing saltiness this has that seemingly swallows most of the sweetness. Its subtle, stony length is remarkable.” 96 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese 2024
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $136 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $124
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $108.80
MAGNUM SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $324 MAGNUM DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $291.60
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $259.20
The Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese shows outstanding freshness with lemon oil, lemon pith, underlying spice in the middle and is, all in all, a very charming wine. Again, this is my pick this release between Graacher and Wehlener. – Ian Cook, Five Way Cellars.
“Juicy and well structured with quite a firm core, this makes a bold statement. There’s a hint of bitterness interwoven with the pronounced acidity to give this a firm core. Serious minerality, but also plenty of grapefruit peel and pith flavors in the long, slightly austere finish.” 94 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese offers a salty wet slate aroma with a savor reminiscent of lichen and citrus peel. All about it is precise, stony, linear, crystalline and bright. You almost forget that this is a Spätlese, as its sweetness and acidity seem to be bound absolutely to the sunken salty slate that makes the mouth water endlessly. The 2024 has brilliance, poise, absolute structure and very fine bones. The finish is full of lemon zest.” 95 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese offers an intense, refined and elegant bouquet of tropical fruits, weathered wet slate and greenish herbs and grass. Very elegant and refined but also lush and savory on the palate, this is another sophisticated Spätlese that combines the juiciness and fruit intensity of the Badstube with the saline and crystalline finesse of the Graacher Himmelreich.” 94 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2024
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $140 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $126
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $112
MAGNUM SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $352 MAGNUM DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $316.80
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $281.60
The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese is much fuller, more powerful and more complex. It is rounder in the palate with flavours of stone fruit and the lightest hint of blackcurrant. It is more open and juicy compared to the Graacher wine. – Ian Cook, Five Way Cellars.
“Creamy and dreamy, with white peach, honeysuckle and pomelo aromas plus minty freshness. Really succulent, but every bit as animating on the medium-bodied palate. Then the vibrant acidity wipes up the natural grape sweetness in the finish with great alacrity and creates wonderful tension with the whole basket of fruit flavors.” 95 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese is a total tease. Aromatic citrus shimmers on the nose, uniting grapefruit, tangerine and bergamot scents. Citrus foliage adds an extra frisson of freshness. The palate homes in on that line between tartness and the ripe aroma that you find only in the most exquisite citrus fruits. The 2024 has an allure and fusion of impressions that is inextricable and therefore beguiling. It is simply wonderful, fresh, light and so elegant.” 96 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese offers a complex, immediately saline and stimulating bouquet of bright tropical fruits, delicate and coolish slate and herbal aromas. Full-bodied and intense, with a remarkably fine texture, this is a saline, savory and even mouthwatering Spätlese with substance, structure and length.” 95 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Prädikat: Auslese
At the Auslese level, the shift is again more about intensity than sweetness. These are later-picked wines from riper fruit, but with pretty much no botrytis involved, so the style remains pure, fresh and finely drawn. There is a clear step up from Spätlese in depth, flesh and persistence, yet the wines still feel poised and digestible.
Katharina Prüm is always keen to stress that these are not “sweet wines” in the conventional sense. Instead, the 2024 Auslesen offer more power, more fruit concentration and more vineyard expression, while retaining the freshness that defines the vintage.
As at every level in 2024, the site differences are vivid: Graach shows a racier, more citrussy, herbal profile, while Wehlen is rounder, deeper, more stone fruited and intense. Katharina also notes that, impressive as these wines already are, Auslese is a category that gains a completely different dimension with time. Young Auslesen can be wonderfully tempting, but patience is rewarded, and on the evidence of 2024, these are wines with a very long future ahead.
With such finesse and digestibility, these wines are typically too delicate for sweet desserts (although they can work with light, fruit-based, or custard-based dishes that are not overly sweet). Match them with whatever works for you, but don’t forget to at least consider savoury food like pork, game bird, schnitzel, savoury tarts, roast chicken, terrine, all kinds of sausage and charcuterie, and venison. But there are no rules, really; we’ve even drunk (and enjoyed them) with steak! They are also brilliant with almost all Japanese and Chinese dishes and terrific with a wide range of cheeses. And a little spice will not worry them!
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 2024
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $162 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $145.80
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $129.60
I know the sugar level is high here yet you just don’t see it with all that acid intensity. A super special wine and super limited. We were also lucky enough to taste the 2014 Graacher Auslese – the wine of the day with the lamb shank! – Ian Cook, Five Way Cellars.
“In spite of the generous ripeness, the dominant aromas and flavors are Amalfi lemons, yellow grapefruit and pomelo with some fresh herbal notes. Very bright and racy, the finish much drier than you might expect for this frankly sweet category. Long, energetic, herbal finish with fascinating grapefruit bitterness and salty minerality.” 95 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese contains almost no botrytized fruit. Only the slightest note of zesty lemon breaks through on the shy nose. More air reveals a hint of mint sorbet. The palate, however, adds an intriguing sweetness that is so akin to the wonderfully zesty notions of green tangerine peel. The next wave of flavor pushes into greengage and juicy white peach notes, always tempered by vivid citrus. The 2024 has gorgeous linearity and such a tingling, sherbet-like insistence. It is simply wonderful and so utterly balanced.” 97 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Graacher Himmelreich Auslese is pure and flinty on the intense and stony nose that reveals herbal and saline notes along with blackcurrant and dark plum skin aromas. Lush and precise on the palate, this is a concentrated yet refined and elegant, mouth-filling and textured Auslese based on ripe and partly overripe grapes.” 94 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2024
375ML SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $106 375ML DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $95.40
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $84.80
750ML SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $176 750ML DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $158.40
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $140.80
MAGNUM SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $402 MAGNUM DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $361.80
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $321.60
As has been the case within the other pradikats, the Wehlener Sonnenuhr wine has more power and more richness with a smokey, savoury depth. It displays river pebbles and a touch of blue fruit. . – Ian Cook, Five Way Cellars.
“The interplay of white peach and complex floral flavors with salty minerality makes this Auslese really stand out. Concentrated but also very vibrant on the medium-bodied palate. Extremely long, salty finish with great drive and raciness.” 96 points, jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, without any botrytis to speak of, flirts with peach bathed in orange zest with a gorgeous frisson of bergamot. It has a serene sweetness, delving deep into ripe, golden peach flesh. The 2024 is gorgeously framed with tangy citrus on a beautifully contoured body that is so racy, sleek and smooth. What a class act.” 97 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese offers a remarkably fine and sophisticated nose of crushed slate, salt, blackcurrant, peach and lemon rind. The wine is filigreed yet intense and persistently saline, dense, complex and very long. This is a fabulous, highly digestible Riesling Auslese from one of the Moselle's most famous crus.” 96 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Auslese Goldkapsel
Prüm has made a small amount of Goldkapsel this year. For this rare style, multiple passes and draconian selections were required to harvest fruit at precisely the right level of ripeness. There is obviously yet another, considerable step up in power and weight.
Katharina Prüm explains the Goldkapsel wines in this way: “Think of them as limited edition, small production lots of the best Auslese of a vintage. They are made from stronger, selected grapes containing more concentrated juice, usually affected by a certain amount of botrytis.” They can age considerably longer than ‘white kap’ Auslesen, lasting seemingly forever. Many decades at least. Over time, they lose some of their sweetness, gain greater elegance and harmony, and become increasingly complex.
Goldkapsel are still ultimately best served with savoury dishes: think robust, savoury food and a range of cheeses (not blue). You can throw anything at them, even very spicy dishes, red meat and the same things mentioned in the Auslese bracket above. However, you can also now begin to think about desserts, especially when the wines are young—ideally fruit-based dishes, crème caramel, that type of thing. Typically, nothing too sweet or chocolate-based. Overall, they are far more versatile than most dry whites, and certainly more so than all red wine styles.
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese GOLDKAP 2024
375ML SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $195 375ML DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $175.50
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $156
750ML SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $352 750ML DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $316.80
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $281.60
“This smells just like lilac blossoms in spring. Rich and compact with a firm structure, this botrytis Auslese makes a bold statement on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Quite some spices in the finish, but this is still tightly wound and you’ll need patience to get everything out of this beauty.” 96 points, Jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Goldkapsel was made with more than half botrytis-affected fruit in the wine. Once again the savor of slate precedes any other notion. Some lichen adds flavor, while mint and tansy add overtones. The palate plunges into the suppleness of ripe, smooth peach, almost like peach ice cream. It is so creamy and serene, with the ripest note of fruit enhanced and heightened by sweetness. A gorgeous frame of orange zest gives it beautiful tanginess while adding temperance and freshness.” 97 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Graacher Himmelreich Auslese (Gold Capsule) is very delicate on the nose that reveals seed and herbal notes intermingled with delicate slate and Riesling aromas. Textured and vibrantly fresh on the palate, this is a light and filigreed, highly refined and elegant Auslese with a saline finish and remarkable crystallinity even though the wine is also based on botrytized grapes.” 96 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese GOLDKAP 2024
375ML SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $210 375ML DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $189
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $168
750ML SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $380 750ML DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $342
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $304
“This smells like an entire florist’s store, but there’s nothing overpowering about it at all. Very concentrated and complete, with fantastic floral honey richness and great underlying freshness, this is a very great Mosel Auslese. Still only medium-bodied in spite of the generous unfermented grape sweetness, and so incredibly clean and pure in the super-long finish.” 97 points, Jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel is alive with citrus foliage, zest and the sweetest fruit aromas. Its tanginess tingles on the nose and continues right on the palate. Vivid freshness and poise define pale white peach flesh on the palate, tempered by a gorgeous, tangy orange peel note that attains a subtle edge of candy. The 2024 is superbly fine, stony, linear and, of course, delicious. It is so poised and clean.” 97 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese (Gold Capsule) offers a clear, deep and concentrated, remarkably complex and saline nose with intense fruit and even floral aromas. Light yet intense and with a certain phenolic grip, this is a tightly meshed, age-worthy and sustainably structured Riesling that will surely benefit from further bottle aging.” 98 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
JJ Prum Bernkasteler Lay Auslese GOLDKAP 2024
750ML SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $315 750ML DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $283.50
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $252
“The deep nose of candied citrus and dried flowers pulls you into this very succulent and firmly structured Auslese. The floral honey character and creaminess from botrytis is beautifully interwoven with the salty and wet-stone minerality. Incredibly long and refined finish with great honeyed complexity. Limited production due to spring frost damage.” 97 points, Jamessuckling.com
“The 2024 Riesling Bernkasteler Lay Auslese Goldkapsel was made with botrytized fruit from bunches in various stages of shriveling. A slight touch of honey precedes notes of crushed peach flesh and peach compote, while a tropical frisson suggests some passion fruit. The concentrated palate homes in on those gorgeously ripe and aromatic stone fruit scents with a tart, alluring edge. The 2024 is exquisitely delineated, absolutely pure and precise, with heightened expressions of clear fruit enhanced and clarified rather than obliterated by botrytis. The 2024 is gorgeous. Finesse is everything here.” 97 points, Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
“The 2024 Bernkasteler Lay Auslese (Gold Capsule) is generous but refined and elegant on the nose that indicates a certain phenol spiciness and displays exotic fruit aromas such as lychee. Lush but refined and with highly delicate and persistently saline acidity, this is a weightless yet also intense and complex Auslese with a long, structured and stimulating finish. This is a generous Auslese that will benefit from further bottle aging.” 95 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Museum Release
2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
SINGLE BOTTLE PRICE: $170 DOZEN BOTTLE PRICE: $153
PRE-ARRIVAL PRICE – 20% OFF RETAIL: $136
“Smells much more of the soil than the Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 2005; firmer, chalky, cool wet stones. Leafy. On the palate it has more density and the acidity seems more pronounced – the sweetness too. Oranges, spices, deep and quite unctuous. Altogether a more demanding, powerful wine – the baritone to the Himmelreich soprano? Seems more evolved as well. A wine that commands attention.” 17.5 points, Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
Bernkasteler Badstube
The vineyards of Bernkasteler Badstube border those of the Graacher Himmelreich and here the slopes are on a marginally shallower gradient, with deeper soils than either Graacher or Wehlener. The south-western orientation allows the vines a longer exposure to the afternoon sun. The Badstube typically produces wonderfully floral, delicate and mineral wines. Overall, the wines are usually slightly more delicate in taste than their siblings from the Graacher Himmelreich and Wehlener Sonnenuhr, but just as delicious.
Graacher Himmelreich
Sitting between Bernkasteler Badstube and Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Graacher Himmelreich is rightly considered as one of the two great vineyards of this historic estate (alongside Wehlener Sonnenuhr). The wines here are typically more floral, racy and mineral than those of Wehlener Sonnenuhr, at least when young. Often, the wines become accessible slightly earlier than the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, especially in dry years. Looking at the vineyard conditions, the hill faces slightly more westwards (i.e. south-west exposed) and possesses deeper soils than the Wehlener Sonnenuhr. The gradient varies from 45-65% and the soils—if you can call them soils—are made up of pure, weathered slate.
Wehlener Sonnenuhr
The Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard has become intrinsically attached to the name of Joh. Jos. Prüm. The Estate owns seven hectares of this majestic site—largely planted to ungrafted wines. Here the thin, rocky Devonian slate (in some areas of the vineyard the plants grow out of pure rock) fashion some of the Mosel’s greatest wines. Riesling guru Stuart Pigott has written: “Joh Jos Prüm’s Sonnenuhrs are classic examples of the way in which the best Mosel wine’s natural sweetness magnifies, rather than obscures, their character. These are a perfect marriage of Riesling’s peach-like, floral and mineral aspects. White wine cannot be fresher, more vivid and delightful.” Wehlener Sonnenuhr has the highest pure stone content of all the Prüm vineyards, and along with the neighbouring Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, is the steepest of Prüm’s vineyards—a dizzying 65-70% gradient.
Zeltinger Sonnenuhr
The Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard borders the northern boundary of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr. It is a warm, dry site and has a large percentage of ungrafted vines. Prüm’s parcel comes from a patch of Alte Reben vines (60-70 years old) around the sundial. The vines here are said to be the hardest working in the Prüm vineyards, due to fact that there is so little top soil and the vines’ roots plough straight into the bedrock. This makes the wines from Zeltinger some of the most dense and structured in the Prüm range.
What is behind the consistency greatness of J.J. Prüm? Here are the five main pillars:
1. Great sites: All are within the revered Middle Mosel area and the four vineyards have centuries of recorded history. They are some of the world’s very finest Riesling vineyards.
2. Old, ungrafted vines: 90% of the estate’s vines are ungrafted with an average age that exceeds 60 years. There are also several key parcels aged between 70 and 100+ years. This has all kinds of implications for yield, quality and consistency.
3. Precise picking dates: Every parcel is picked only when perfectly ripe (subject to Prädikat) and often with multiple passes. In the past, J.J. Prüm was known for late picking (to achieve ripeness); now, it’s all about picking each parcel at precisely the right moment(s) for the wine in question and the right balance of ripe fruit and freshness.
4 4. Natural yeast: Unhurried and uninoculated fermentations, and then patient aging on lees: The wines are never rushed and are only bottled when ready. This extra time on natural lees means the wines absorb everything the lees have to give. This sometimes means some gentle reduction and wines that need a little time and air to unwind.
5. The Prüm family are perfectionists: They are interested only in producing greatness and honouring the remarkable vineyards and ancient vines they are blessed to farm. They feel a deep drive to honour the proud traditions of the Estate and this is reflected in both the farming and the cellar work.