2022 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese, Mosel

Lovely nose of white peach with just a whisker of caramel. Also a wealth of white flowers. Simultaneously succulent and super-elegant thanks to the thread of slatey minerality that runs through this sensual beauty. The considerable power is so impeccably underplayed that you barely feel it. Very long, pristine finish. Drink or hold.

96 points jamessuckling.com

Sourced in the same parcel as the legendary 1976 Auslese and picked rather early, the 2022 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese opens with a clear, precise and elegant nose of white fruits and flinty notes of coolish crushed slate. Intense and lush on the palate, this is mouth-filling and charming, very long and mineral/saline Spätlese that doesn't show exceptionally high acidity but a ripe one that is completely interwoven with the mineral/phenolic structure. This is a hedonistically juicy but weightless and finessed, stimulating and saline Spätlese from the Himmelreich, which didn't produce an Auslese in 2022. All the fully ripe and golden berries went into the Spätlese. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in May 2023.

96 points robertparker.com

From the impossibly steep, slate covered slopes of Graach in the Mosel, Willi Schaefer crafts Rieslings that have become quietly legendary among collectors. This tiny, family run estate has been in the Schaefer family for generations, now guided by Christoph Schaefer with a philosophy rooted in patience, low intervention and deep respect for site. Graacher Himmelreich, meaning kingdom of heaven, is one of the Mosel’s most revered vineyards, its blue Devonian slate soils and cool river influenced climate producing Rieslings of shimmering delicacy, precision and extraordinary longevity.

A pale straw colour with green reflections glows almost weightlessly in the glass. Aromas float upwards with white peach, green apple and lime blossom layered with jasmine, wet slate and a whisper of honey. There is an ethereal quality to the perfume, a sense of purity and lightness that feels both captivating and serene.

On the palate the wine is beautifully poised, balancing gentle sweetness with vibrant acidity and mineral tension. Flavours of ripe citrus, nectarine and orchard fruit glide across a feather light texture, finishing long and crystalline with a saline flicker that speaks clearly of its slate origins. This Spätlese will evolve magnificently over twenty years or more, developing complex notes of dried apricot, petrol and exotic spice while retaining its luminous freshness.

A magical companion for flavour driven dishes, it shines with spicy prawn curry, roast pork with apple, crispy duck pancakes or soft washed rind cheeses. Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese captures the quiet poetry of the Mosel, perfect for contemplative evenings, candlelight and those moments when a wine feels less like a drink and more like an experience.