Joh Jos Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 2022

Usually the Auslese bracket wines can perplexing when young - not so for the 2022s; as they're already showing sublime balance. Aromatically there's a broad spectrum of juicy yellow fruit and wild flower aromas. Great structure behind the rich, but still medium-bodied palate. The palate echoes, with a slatey finish. Outstanding freshness.

In terms of food matches, this Auslese still too delicate for sweet desserts (although they can work with light, fruit-based dishes that are not overly sweet). Match them with whatever works for you, but don't overlook its potential with savoury food, it's heavenly match with pork, game birds, savoury tarts, roast chicken, ceviche, sausage, and venison. They are also brilliant with almost all Japanese and Chinese dishes and terrific with a wide range of cheeses.

Situated in the Mosel wine region, along the Mosel River in Germany. This region is renowned for producing some of the best Riesling wines in the world. Graacher Himmelreich directly borders the southern edge of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard. The wines from this site often challenge those from its more famous neighbour, especially in hot, dry years. Looking at the vineyard conditions, the hill faces slightly more westwards than the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, i.e. it has a more south-west exposure, it is a little less steep and has deeper soils which act as excellent water reservoirs.It is impossible to describe JJ Prüm wines without mentioning the German Pradikatswein Wine Classifications that indicates the ripeness level of the Riesling grapes. Auslese wines are made from grapes that have been handpicked according to their ripeness and level of noble rot. The wines are usually sweet and unctuous with great development potential given time in the cellar. Yet the style remains pure and ultra-fine, and while the Spätlese wines shine with juicy intensity, this bracket offers more power, flesh, complexity and length. 

To put that into context, the lightest in the German Riesling spectrum is Kabinett (picked at full ripeness), moving on to Spatlese (Late Harvest), Auslese (Select Harvest), Auslese (Select Harvest) Goldkapsel, Auslese (Select Harvest) Lange Goldkapsel, Beerenauslese (Select Berry Harvest), and then the ripest being Trockenbeerenauslese picked as single berries that are almost raisinated by noble rot and selected by hand, further these berries are dried on straw mats further concentrating the sugars and flavour/aroma compounds.