Product Information:
Lot's of charm from the 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett. It kicks off with the slightest crackle of flint on the nose. Followed by delicate fennel and nutmeg, orange peel joins in. The palate is feather light, with sweet mandarin notes. Overall, it's tart yet sweet, ripe and aromatic. Very complete.
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 famous Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard. These wines also give its more famous neighbour a run for its money, especially in hot, dry years. Graacher wines are alluring with racy acidity, a pronounced 'crushed rock' minerality and a more citrus spectrum of fruit aromas and flavours. Graacher Himmelreich wines become accessible slightly earlier than the Wehlener Sonnenuhr and are deliciously mouth-watering when young.
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.
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:
Where the 2019s and 2021s need a few more years to hit their straps, Prüm’s 2022 Kabinetts are already shining. As usual, the power builds from Bernkastel to Graach to Wehlen. Each shows the majesty of this vintage in their own way. The positive press speaks volumes of the 2022 season. Overall, the wines are wonderfully fresh and balanced. Although they will mostly be drunk young, they will also improve for five to 10 years, and 20 years will not weary them. They could effortlessly stand up to a broad range of flavours: sashimi, lighter Asian dishes and tuna tartare, for example. But any seafood or white meat, and of course, they make beautiful aperitifs.
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 - Flint, Wild Berry, Herb Aromas
White tree fruit, wild berry and herb aromas. Fennel and nutmeg appear before orange peel joins in.
Palate - Clementine, Fennel, Orange Peel
The palate is light, with a lovely, smooth, lithe backdrop of sweet mandarin and clementine.
Finish - Clean Finish, Zesty, River Stone Minerals
Pronounced slatey minerality that is wrapped around the very long and clean finish.
This wonderful Mosel Kabinett has a wide spectrum of white tree fruit, wild berry and herb aromas. Impressive concentration on the very focused light-bodied palate. I love the racy acidity and pronounced slatey minerality that is wrapped around the very long and clean finish. Drink or hold. - Stuart Pigott, Jamessuckling.com, 95 Points.
The 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett has the slightest crackle of flint on the shy nose. Fennel and nutmeg appear before orange peel joins in. The palate is light, with a lovely, smooth, lithe backdrop of sweet mandarin and clementine. The 2022 is tart, sweet, ripe, aromatic and rather serene with just a touch of zestiness. Lovely length and much charm. (Off-dry) - Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous, 93 Points.
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Riesling
Country - Germany
Region - Mosel
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 1.5L
ABV - 9%
