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. The 2022 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese has a remarkable bouquet of garden herbs after the rain, behind delicate white tree fruit aromas. Stunning concentration here too, very direct with a medium-bodied palate. Long, slatey and surprisingly balanced for this category even this early in its development.
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. At the Spätlese level, the
Prüm wines are still light in body, but the flavour intensity and depth of character go up markedly, and the 2022s deliver 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. Instead, it is a question of more flesh, more power and, therefore, wines that can stand up to richer food. Katharina
Prüm believes this category is the most versatile at the table - we tend to agree.
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. Generally speaking, the later the harvest, the longer the wine can live, so Spatlese is more age-worthy than Kabinett, Auslese more so than Spatlese, and so on.
Maker:
The Prüm family story in the Mosel dates back to 1156, beginning with was Johann Josef Prüm (1873 - 1944) who founded the estate in 1911. By the mid-1930s Johann Josef’s son, Sebastian, forged the distinctive style of the Prüm wines. From 1969, the imitable Dr Manfred Prüm would elevate Joh. Jos. Prüm to even greater heights, today the estate is run by Manfred’s daughter Katharina Prüm who watches over 13.5 hectares of vines on the harrowing slate-rich slopes of the Middle Mosel. In The Wines of Germany, Stephen Brook writes “With the rise of so many excellent winemakers in the Mosel, one might have supposed that Joh. Jos. 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.” Which begs the question, what is the secret to J.J. Prüm's continued success? How do they stand out among top Mosel producers? It’s all about their exceptional vineyards: old vines at great sites, keeping the lowest yields, daring but calculated late harvesting, and a careful selection of the finest berries.
Joh. Jos. Prüm's vineyards are at forefront of the estate's success. Their holdings include vineyards - Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Graacher Himmelreich, Bernkasteler Lay, Bernkasteler Badstube and Zeltinger Sonnenuhr. All of these sites are exclusively dedicated to growing and harvesting Riesling grapes for Joh. Jos. Depending on the specific vintage, the average annual production of wine is typically between 10,000 to 13,000 cases.
Vineyard:
Again, as the reviews below attest, 2022 is a stunning vintage for Prüm’s Spätlese. These wines are already thrilling to taste but will continue gaining depth and complexity for decades. “Overall, I think 2022 is a Spätlese vintage for us,” says Katharina Prüm. “I was really taken aback by how all wines remained so fresh and with good acidity despite the heat of the vintage. In this way 2022 is reminiscent of 2020. Both vintages are drinking very well young, even if they can also keep for decades, of course.”
Prum’s four key vineyards are all located on the same continuous slope, all on a mixture of grey and blue Devonian slate soils with varying south-to-south westerly aspects. Positioned in the heart of Mosel the vineyards are named from south to north: Bernkasteler Badstube, Graacher Himmelreich, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Zeltinger Sonnenuhr. These vineyards have been in continuous production for some 2000 years.
The major differences between the sites have to do with the variation in the aspect (from south to southwest) and the steepness and the depth of the soil. These are subtle differences, but make for wonderfully distinctive wines. Of course all the vineyards of J.J. Prüm are renowned, but the majestic Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard that is the most famous. The revered site lies opposite the village of Wehlen and the Estate owns seven hectares - largely planted to ungrafted wines - which has very thin topsoil over Devonian slate (in some areas of the vineyard the plants grow out of pure rock!). Wehlener Sonnenuhr has the highest pure stone content of all the Prüm vineyards, and along with neighbouring Zeltinger, the steepest of Prüm’s vineyards - with a dizzying 65-70% gradient in places. Wine writer Stuart Pigott summarises perfectly, “In top vintages the Wehlener Sonnenuhr yields the richest, silkiest, most seductive wines on the Mosel. The fame of these Rieslings is inextricably linked with that of the Joh Jos Prüm estate.”
Nose - Wet Earth, Orchard Blossoms, Tangerine Peel
Garden herbs with just a hint wet earth underlining the delicate white tree fruit aromas.
Palate - Tangerine, Stonefruits, Zest Citrus Tang
The palate is a juicy, rounded but tingling picture of tangerine. Aromatic, deliciously tart but wonderfully ripe, with that scented, balancing, zesty tang of tangerine peel.
Finish - Slate, Lemon Zest, Lengthy
The 2022 shows poised balance, sweetness, extended, aromatic length and real elegance.
Striking nose of garden herbs with just a hint wet earth underlining the delicate white tree fruit aromas. Stunning concentration and energy on the super-straight medium-bodied palate. Very long, almost perfectly balanced finish that is surprising for this category at this early stage in the wine’s development. Great slate expression. Drink or hold. - Stuart Pigott, Jamessuckling.com, 96 Points.
The 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese is rather closed. Distant fruit appears as though behind glass where you can see but not touch. The palate is a juicy, rounded but tingling picture of tangerine. Aromatic, deliciously tart but wonderfully ripe, with that scented, balancing, zesty tang of tangerine peel. The 2022 shows poised balance, sweetness, extended, aromatic length and real elegance. (Medium) - Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous, 93 Points.
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