My visit to J.J. Prüm just before harvest in 2012 proved there were more mysteries than answers to be found at this historic estate. A cellar tour was off-limits, as is often the case with visitors. However, the estate's idyllic setting at the shore of the Mosel River was a fantastic place to taste wines with Dr. Katharina Prüm.

Today's offer features the 2020 release, which harkens back to the featherweight Rieslings we saw in 2008 and 2013. The wines have a high-acid component yet are well-integrated and even softer than the previous vintages. Many things are left unknown about the methods here, but one thing is abundantly clear: These are the most regal and crystalline examples of Mosel Riesling.

Also, we still have the rare 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Grosser Ring, or auction bottles, sourced from J.J. Prüm's best füders. This vintage is a personal favorite in the Mosel, turning out wines of lighter body and finesse met with an unmistakable cool slate finish. For acid lovers of yesteryear, this is as good as it gets, and these special bottles will go even further in the cellar than their "standard" counterparts.

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The balanced Rieslings found in Mosel River Valley captivate at every turn, but for me, Willi Schaefer sits in a select category. These wines have long impressed me for their featherweight lightness and mineral spring purity. Along with J.J. Prüm, this is where the Mosel reaches its crescendo.

Schaefer's minute holding of 4.2 hectares focuses on two vineyards in the village of Graach—Himmelreich and Domprobst—both comprised of Devonian slate soils. Visiting Christoph Schaefer at his family's cellar, situated at the foot of the wickedly steep Domprobst Vineyard, was an unforgettable experience.

In its youth, Himmelreich is the more approachable, fruity, and silky, with lots of citrus and white peach. Its nimble weightlessness personifies the magic of the Mosel. Domprobst, in comparison, is much deeper, spicy, and powerful. Earthy characteristics reveal themselves, slightly higher acidity, and the flavor profile moves toward yellow and red orchard fruit notes.

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The Mosel is home to the most laser-focused and filigreed German Rieslings. Estates like J.J. Prüm and Fritz Haag put this iconic region on the worldwide collector map in the 1700s, but today's offer highlights the new generation. A.J. Adam marvels the senses with saturating and powerful style, electrifying acidity, and unmatched texture that stands out from traditionally-minded estates.

A.J. Adam works with 1950-planted vines in Dhron and Piesport and farms their minuscule four hectares entirely by hand. The incredibly steep Hofberg vineyard receives maximum sun exposure, moderated by the Dhron tributary below and the whipping winds coming above the Hunsrück Mountains. The estate's hallmark is maximum ripeness with a fierce dry-extraction in the cellar.

The lineup ranges from the bone-dry Grand Cru-level Hofberg and Goldtröpfchen to the painfully rare Beerenauslese. Wines tasted back to 2001 have barely budged in their evolution, still showing fresh salinity and pale straw hues. A visit just before harvest in 2012 was my first exposure to these wines, and since then, each vintage has been accumulating in my personal cellar.

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"It is a medium-weight vintage and its weight is elegantly and gracefully dispersed.

It is graceful overall, and also lithe, limber and lissome. It is strong when it needs to be, but it measures its strength judiciously and with restraint.

It shows every aspect of superb German Riesling, but doesn’t emphasize any at the expense of the others. It is neither a fruit driven nor floral driven nor mineral driven nor acid driven vintage – it is all of these. Whatever you like about these wines, you’ll find it in plenitude. Except, perhaps, for brash acidity. If you really are someone who craves a yelping brusque acid profile, you might find 2016 too demure.

But I don’t. I find it nearly perfect, with gazelle grace but with the gazelle’s sinewy energy when it wishes to leap and run."

2016 Stein Rosé
$23 per bottle.

Also available:

2015 Stein "Blue Slate" Riesling (Dry) (From un-grafted 80-year-old vines)
$22 per bottle

Focusing on small-production wines has a lot of advantages, but an equal amount of challenges. When coming across something you love there simply may not be an opportunity to go deep. Rewind to the release of Ulli Stein's 2014 rosé from the Mosel. By the time the shop officially opened it was gone. So, when the flawless and psychedelic 2015 vintage was released I didn't blink. It was clear upon first taste this was special, but looking into the future I could surmise the best was yet to come. This Sunday on the beach in Encinitas marked the realization that the 2015 Stein Rosé, a grand achievement, has totally arrived in a big, bold way.

2015 truly was a perfect storm for the Mosel. Hot, dry summer met with unusually cold fall nights. We have very high ripeness, perfectly pronounced crisp acidity, and a dry extract that drenches the palate with a saturating, broad texture and laser-focus. Stein's rosé is comprised of Pinot Noir with portions of Cabernet Sauvignon (yes), and Merlot (again, yes). The addition of the latter varieties explain why this Mosel gem is endowed with such distinctive characteristics.

The Mosel's blue slate gives a cool fruit quality and salinity to the finish. There's a mélange of bright red and blue fruits with herbs and flowers in abundance. The total picture is one that's wrapped seamlessly together with mind-boggling texture and an explosively long finish.

Ulli's un-grafted vines on the very steepest slopes along the Mosel River (see below) lie on terraces that were once abandoned as the hand work required was a non-starter for many. Ulli has been described as a "true bohemian", living with his wife atop a mountain overlooking the Mosel. Their "inn" doesn't have rooms to book, yet it's always filled with friends, musicians, artists, and writers. Conversations here fuel the eccentric mind of Ulli who's beloved in this idyllic setting among his vines on ancient terraces. As you can imagine his attention to detail and natural approach to viticulture and winemaking is the foundation for the dynamic and intricate wines he produces.

To close I'll just say that this has been one of the more exciting discoveries over the last couple years with the shop. 55 degree, pitch black storage has its benefits, and the 2015 Stein Rosé has flourished beautifully over the last year. There are no signs this will tire anytime soon - I will certainly be re-visiting my bottles for many years to come. 

2015 Stein Rosé
$22 per bottle.

12 bottles or more down to $19 per bottle!

Also available:

2013 Stein "Blue Slate" Riesling (Dry) (From un-grafted 80-year-old vines)
$22 per bottle