JOH. JOS. PRUM Graacher Himmelreich Riesling-Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

At the foot of the majestic Schlossberg hill, in a setting of vines and roses, the Domaine Weinbach "wine stream", named after the small stream that crosses it, was built in 1612 by the Capuchin monks. Sold as national property during the French Revolution, the Estate was acquired in 1898 by the Faller brothers who passed it on to their son and nephew Théo. A great figure in the Alsatian vineyard and ardent promoter of its recognition as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, Théo Faller works for the quality of Alsace wines and the development of their incomparable terroirs and grape varieties. In love with his property, he develops it, enlarges it and embellishes it. From 1979, his wife Colette and his daughters Catherine and Laurence demonstrated the same passion for the great wines of Alsace and the same unfailing attachment to quality. Since 2016, Catherine Faller has been running the Domaine with her sons Eddy and Théo. Primarily responsible for the Weinbach we know today, Catherine Faller’s mother, Colette Faller, was one of the legends of Alsatian wine. Sadly, Madame Faller passed away in early 2015 and, like her daughter Laurence and husband Théo before her, is now immortalised by a wine bearing her name. This comes from 50-60-year-old vines in the Bonnes Terres terroir, lower down on the Schlossberg slope, where the soils are deeper and sandier. The fruit here also tends to be picked a touch later. Accordingly, the register of flavours here (running from white flowers through to tropical fruits and citrus fruit zest) is more intense, yet the wine balances its power with great freshness and verve. Even though it comes entirely from Schlossberg, some of the vines fall outside the Grand Cru boundary, which is why it cannot be labelled as a Grand Cru. The domaine has now applied for Premier Cru status. But no matter, it certainly offers Grand Cru quality in the glass. Raised for 14 months in old oak casks, it’s statuesque and full of life, packed with the joie de vivre of citrus and stone fruits, salty minerals and a flicker of white flowers. The texture is generous yet stony and compact, and the palate glows with energy and tension with tingling rocky minerality and a nip of bite on the lingering, mouth-watering finish. Biodynamic.

Within Kiedrich’s Gräfenberg Grand Cru lies a small 0.5-hectare parcel once known as the Gräfenberg-Lay. Sitting in one of the steepest portions of the vineyard, the Lay is located at the transition between Gräfenberg and Turmberg and is known for having the highest concentration of phyllite slate on the hill. The vines here are now between 40 and 60 years old. This site was originally purchased by Dr Robert Weil in the 19th century, using the dowry from his marriage to Emilie von Vacano (a descendant of the Vacano family in Lombardy). The wine from this parcel, called Monte Vacano (the Hill of Vacano) was always produced and bottled alone. It was used only for celebratory occasions and never released for sale. Following Weil's death in 1921, the tradition of Monte Vacano fell dormant, and the fruit was incorporated into a regular Gräfenberg bottling. Compared to the Gräfenberg GG, Monte Vacano trades power and richness for exceptional purity, elegance and detail. Resurrecting the old custom, 2021 marks the fourth Riesling in a century made solely from this special lieu-dit. It was harvested in October, and the grapes were whole bunch-pressed into two ancient refurbished Stückfässer (1,200-litre casks) where the wine fermented wild and spent almost two years on lees before bottling.

Named of the sundial erected in the vineyard in 1842, Wehlener Sonnenuhr is the most famous vineyard in the Mosel. Extremely steep with optimal south-south west exposure, it yields fragrantly floral wines with ripe stone fruit aromas, underlying slately minerality and wonderful depth of flavour and structure. The Spatlese wines are very reticent in youth, blossoming between two and four years of age to display vibrant green apple, and white stone-fruit notes supported by a backbone of racy acidity.

WEINGUT ROBERT WEIL Kiedrich Grafenberg Grosses Gewachs Riesling Trocken

J.J Prüms Goldkapsel bottlings are special selections that represent the very pinnacle of the estates wines. The Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Goldkapsel lives up to its name; incredibly intense and multi-layered it shows superlative balance, vibrancy and power with a unique energy and tension in the best years that is utterly awe inspiring. It has the concentration and structure to age gracefully for decades.