2023 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling Magnum 1.5L, Mosel

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. There’s a healthy amount of unfermented grape sweetness, but the interplay of this with the myriad other components is so complex and fascinating. Super-graceful finish that feels like stroking satin. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

97 points jamessuckling.com

Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling is one of the great treasures of the Mosel, a wine of haunting beauty and effortless longevity. From the sun-drenched slopes above the village of Wehlen, this Auslese expresses the full elegance and poise that define the finest German Rieslings.

The Prüm family has been making wine in the Mosel for over a century, with Joh. Jos. Prüm officially founded in 1911. Today the estate is run by Katharina Prüm, who continues the legacy of her father, the legendary Dr Manfred Prüm. They are famously patient winemakers, releasing wines only when they begin to reveal their potential. The house style is one of restraint, clarity, and grace, often with a telltale note of reductive flint or struck match in youth that gives way to soaring aromatics with age.

The Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard is a south-facing amphitheatre of blue Devonian slate that clings to the steep banks of the Mosel River. The name means "sundial of Wehlen" and it’s one of the Mosel’s most prized grand cru sites. It provides optimal sun exposure while the slate soils reflect warmth and retain water, allowing the vines to ripen slowly and evenly while preserving acidity and minerality.

Auslese indicates that the grapes were harvested very ripe, often with a touch of botrytis (noble rot), resulting in a wine with more sweetness and concentration than Spätlese but less than Beerenauslese. Prüm’s Auslesen are never heavy. They shimmer with energy, balancing honeyed fruit with crystalline acidity.

In the glass, this wine offers aromas of white peach, lime blossom, honeycomb, ginger and wet slate. The palate is succulent yet weightless, with flavours of ripe stone fruits, citrus peel, and a delicate smokiness. The sweetness is seamlessly integrated, buoyed by electric acidity and a long, filigreed finish.

It’s incredibly age-worthy, with decades of development ahead. Over time it will evolve notes of dried apricot, beeswax, and spice, while retaining its core of fruit and nerve.

Drink it alongside dishes with richness and spice: duck à l'orange, Thai green curry, pork with apple, or even a blue cheese tart. Or simply cellar it and wait for magic.