Product Description:
The quintessential Mosel Auslese, writ large. The 2023 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese in magnum format captures everything this vineyard and producer are celebrated for—seduction, structure, and staying power. From its dizzyingly steep, slate-sculpted slopes above the Mosel River, this wine is all mineral-laced poise and vibrant sweetness.
The Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard is not just Prüm’s spiritual home—it’s the crown jewel of the Mosel. The site’s legacy runs deep, literally and figuratively, with vines embedded in ancient Devonian slate and a sundial marking the hours since 1842. This Auslese bottling delivers waves of citrus, stone fruit and alpine florals on a frame of cooling herbs and slate, with acid and sugar locked in tension.
Its 1.5L format guarantees slower evolution—ideal for collectors. Pair with savoury dishes like pork belly, roast duck or spicy Sichuan tofu, or let it unfold across decades in your cellar.
The 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.
The Vineyard
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.”
Tasting Notes
NOSE
– Floral and pure
White flowers and orchard fruit hover over delicate botrytis spice.
PALATE
– Silky and complex
Juicy white peach, unfermented grape sweetness, and slate-driven definition.
FINISH
– Graceful and endless
Soft, satin-like texture with precise freshness and astonishing length.
Reviews & Accolades
“This great Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese shows exactly the combination of white flower and white peach aromas with silky succulence and extraordinary freshness that made these wines legendary... Super-graceful finish that feels like stroking satin. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.” – James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, 97 points
“Intense tropical fruit aromas such as fully ripe mangoes and baby pineapples open… savory slate spice… rich yet savory and persistently saline, juicy and structured Auslese with a long and still mouth-filling finish.” – Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 96 points
“Offers grapefruit peel, juicy peach and lemon… extreme finesse of the Prüm style meets the site's elegance… linear, elongated body… finesse, lightness and filigree nature, yet so much depth. Simply astonishing and a paradigm of site and style.” – Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous, 96 points
“Lifted and refined, with ripe apple and pear… savory elements of dried thyme and oregano… smoky mineral details… streamlined and fluid, razor-sharp acidity softened by sweetness. Drink now through 2046.” – K.B., Wine Spectator, 94 points
Finer Details:
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Riesling
Country - Germany
Region - Mosel
Vintage - 2023
Bottle Size - 1.5L
ABV - 8%
Closure - Cork
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