2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese #5

Joh. Jos. Prum in Bernkastel-Wehlen is one of the world’s legendary producers of Riesling. In fact the estate makes only Riesling from vines that on average are at least 50 years old. The estate was founded in 1911 by Johann Josef Prum, though its reputation for making outstanding wine came about after 1930, when Prum’s son Sebastian took over. Today the 43-acre estate is owned and run by Sebastian’s sons Manfred and Wolfgang. About 10,000 cases of wine are produced annually. In outstanding vintages the estate produces a “gold cap” bottling that is recognizable by the gold foil capsules. There are occasionally also “long gold cap” vintages, considered even more superior. Robert M. Parker Jr. calls the long gold cap wines “liquid gold sought by collectors the world over.”

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is Germany’s most prestigious wine region and it is comprised of the vineyards surrounding the Mosel River and its tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer. This region is the northernmost of Germany’s primary viticultural areas, located on the western edge of Germany just above the northeast corner of France. Internationally Mosel Rieslings are considered among the finest white wines in the world. In Germany and elsewhere, the region’s name is often shortened simply to Mosel, and in fact since 2007 Mosel has been the formal name of the region for viticultural purposes. The references to Saar and Ruwer were dropped for ease of marketing. The distinctively crisp, mineral tasting, acidic Rieslings produced in Mosel are attributed partly to the region’s slate soils and extremely vertiginous vineyards. Many vineyards are on 60 to 80 percent cent inclines along the three rivers. Riesling grapes represent more than half of all the grapes grown in Mosel, followed by Muller-Thurgau, a white wine grape related to Riesling, and Elbling, an indigenous white wine grape often used for sparkling wines.