Joh Jos Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2022

The 2022 Spätlese delivers a mesmerising balance between elegance, freshness, racy fruit and slate-like minerality. There is considerably more depth of fruit here than in the Kabinett-level wines, although not necessarily more overt sweetness. This 2022 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese is auction worthy. Subtle lees nuttiness underneath, before red-cheeked apple breaks through. Ultra fine palate weightless palate. Soothing balance of sweetness and freshness, subtle savouriness in the background. For now, there is a gentle yet precise notion of white peach, tender fruit sweetness and supremely balanced.

Situated in the Mosel wine region, along the Mosel River in Germany. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard is now synonymous to the name of Joh. Jos. Prüm. The Estate owns healthy five hectares of this majestic site. It offers perfect growing conditions for the Riesling grape with its deep, weather-beaten grey slate soil, good water support, extreme steepness of up to 70% gradient, and its optimal south-south-west exposure. A fun fact - The two sites Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Wehlener Sonnenuhr are named after the sundial erected in the vineyard in 1842 by Jodocus Prüm, an ancestor of J.J. Prüm, to give the workers a better time orientation. The wines of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr generally possess excellent structure, show beautiful, ripe aromas and flavours (typically stone fruits, like peach, nectarine, apricot), a fine minerality and great depth and length. Especially after having been aged for some years, the harmony, finesse and expression of these wines are next to none.

It is impossible to describe JJ Prüm wines without mentioning the German Pradikatswein Wine Classifications that indicates the ripeness level of the Riesling grapes. Kabinett - is the entry-level of Pradikatswein. Grapes are picked at full ripeness yet still at the lighter end of the German Riesling spectrum. The wines and are usually dry or off-dry in terms of sweetness level.

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.