Joh. Jos. Prüm 2018 "Wehlener Sonnenuhr" Auslese Riesling

£25.40
Tasting notes
Aromatic and minerally. Excellent with desserts and creamy cheeses.

Why we recommend this wine
An off-dry to sweet Auslese of this quality bears no resemblance to the sweet German wines of yore. Rieslings are a bit of an acquired taste, but then you’re hooked. This is a very good example of why.

The wine
Wehlen is one of the best-known villages for Riesling in Germany's Mosel wine region. It is particularly associated with the Sonnenuhr (sundial) vineyard, classified as a Grosse Lage by the VDP. This looms over the village as part of a long, steep wall of prestigious vineyards on the opposite bank of the Mosel running from Bernkastel to Zeltingen-Rachtig. The very pure Devonian blue slate of Sonnenuhr is said to contribute a lively, focused minerality to the wine. James Suckling wrote “There's a truly staggering interplay of mineral freshness and super fine, white peach, mangosteen and fresh pineapple in this dangerously vibrant Auslese, which lifts you out of your chair. Enormous aging potential, but so seductive now. Drink or hold.”

The wine estate
Prüm is without question one of the finest estates in the Mosel. Founded by Johann Josef Prüm in 1911, the winery has been the benchmark for the Middle Mosel for over a century for its racy, pure expressions of Riesling grown on these extraordinarily steep, slate slopes in the heart of the Mosel. Today the estate is run by Katharina, who watches over their 20 hectares of vines (including some rare, ungrafted vines). Yields are low, with the harvest often stretching to late November. The winemaking is meticulous and the wines are known for their purity of fruit as well as their distinctive mineral character.
jjpruem.com

Food and wine
Whilst not a sweet as some Rieslings are, this wine pairs well with fruit tarts and cheeses, blue ones and runny ones. Refer also to our food and wine pairing guide, click here.

Did you know?
In Germany, Riesling constitutes around 20% of total plantings, yet it is responsible for all its greatest wines. It is planted widely on well-drained, south-facing slate-rich slopes, with the greatest wines coming from the best slopes in the best villages. It produces delicate, racy, nervy and stylish wines that cover a wide spectrum of flavours from steely and bone dry with beautifully scented fruits of apples, apricots, and sometimes peaches, through to the exotically sweet flavours of the great sweet wines.