2022 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese #5, Mosel

The 2022 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5 is the only one next to the Domprobst Spätlese reserved for the auction (AP 13), so the more classic AP 10 wasn't been produced in 2022. The AP 5 Domprobst offers a very bright, clear, flinty and aristocratic nose that is still discreet and quite citric but most of all coolish and stony. On the palate, the wine becomes immediately hedonistic; it is round but refined and elegant, with great balance and a mouth-tickling, saline, crystalline and salivating finish. This is the Spätlese to be cellared, whereas the Himmelreich is already so seductive that it will be hard to forget it for a couple of years. The Domprobst is a classic that will surely improve with more bottle age. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork.

96 points robertparker.com

The astonishing precision of the exotic ripeness and enveloping floral aromas make this extremely concentrated 2022 Mosel Spatlese stand head and shoulders above the majority of the vintage. Then comes the fabulous wet stone freshness that drives the extremely long and totally cool finish. Great aging potential. Drink or hold.

97 points jamessuckling.com

Few Mosel estates stir the hearts of Riesling lovers quite like Willi Schaefer. Based in the tiny village of Graach, the family has been tending their steep slate vineyards for generations, quietly crafting wines that are revered for their purity and emotional resonance rather than sheer scale. Today Christoph Schaefer continues the legacy with an almost monk like devotion to detail, working the vertiginous slopes of Graacher Domprobst by hand. This famous site, with its blue Devonian slate soils and ideal south facing exposure above the Mosel River, consistently delivers fruit of remarkable finesse and precision.

Shimmering pale gold with green reflections, the Spätlese opens with an intoxicating perfume of lime blossom, white peach and ripe green apple layered with jasmine, crushed slate and a hint of wild honey. There is a weightless quality to the aromatics that feels both delicate and deeply expressive. The palate is where magic truly happens. A gentle wave of sweetness is perfectly balanced by electric acidity, creating a sensation that is at once juicy, crystalline and endlessly refreshing. Flavours of citrus curd, nectarine and lemon sherbet glide across the tongue before tightening into a long, mineral charged finish that seems to echo for minutes.

This is the sort of wine that invites contemplation and comfort in equal measure. Picture a quiet evening, rain tapping softly at the window, a warm throw across your lap and a lightly chilled glass of this luminous Riesling close at hand. It sings with spicy Szechuan dishes, pork dumplings, fresh crab or even a simple wedge of aged Comté. Beautifully expressive in youth yet built to evolve gracefully for twenty years or more, developing notes of toast, lanolin and preserved citrus. A truly soulful Mosel Spätlese that captures the timeless charm of Graacher Domprobst.