“Few estates in the world can claim to have maintained the highest quality standards uninterrupted for half a century and more. Joh Jos Prüm, the most famous of the many Mosel wine estates bearing the Prüm name, is one estate that can. Since the early 1920’s its wines have been among Germany’s best, Rieslings with the Mosel’s vivacious aroma and racy elegance in its highest form.” — Stuart Pigott, The Wine Atlas of Germany
The JJ Prum estate is one of the most highly respected of the region. Many aspects of their production contribute to the complexity and ageability of their distinctive wines. Their 33.5 acres of vineyards are composed of 70% ungrafted vines benefitting from phylloxera’s inability to survive in slate soil. They specifically maintain old vines that produce low, concentrated yields, and they practice rigorous berry selection. The wines are produced with minimal intervention and fermented with naturally present yeasts under reductive conditions. Reductive winemaking refers to wine produced in a low-oxygen environment. They rarely produce completely dry wines and only at special request. Such practices results in wines that benefit greatly from cellar aging to allow the wine to slowly absorb and interact with the minute amounts of oxygen cork allows into a bottle. Even the Kabinett level wines benefit from about 5 years of cellaring to fully develop their fruit and floral aromas, according to Dr. Manfred Prum. At present, the family prefers their own wines no younger than the 2008 vintage. Their suggested ideal wine and food pairing is a bottle-aged Auslese with roast venison or wild boar. But we’d suggest that Mosel Riesling wines not only pair very well with almost all North European based cuisine, but also are the ideal wines alongside a broad array of Asian, Caribbean, and Mexican foods.
The JJ Prum estate is known for four benchmark sites that have been under vine for about two millennia. Their premier vineyard site is Wehlen Sonnenuhr, the VDP-classified Erste Lage (First Growth) vineyard. The vineyard is extremely steep at 35 degrees, faces south-west and is composed entirely of Devonian blue slate. It is known for producing wine of freshness, structure, focus and lively minerality. From these vineyards, JJ Prum produces its top wines which achieve notable depth and age with profound grace.
Zeltinger Sonnenuhr is the northern-most site for JJ Prum and is considered the best vineyard around the twin villages of Zeltingen and Rachtig. It has slightly less topsoil than the bordering Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard and produces lower yields with less acidity. JJ Prum’s vines are between 60-70 years old and the resultant wines are marked by their complex mineral notes of rocks and smoke.
The Graach Himmelreich vineyard is planted along the right bank of the Mosel on a slate mountain facing south-west. The soil is a mix of clay and slate. Wines from the area are noted for their racy acidity and strong minerality. The Bernkasteler Badstube vineyards are in the greater region around the village of Bernkastel. The slopes are west-facing and at a more shallow angle than other sites. The wines are floral and delicate.
We are pleased to present our selections of JJ Prum wines from each of these four vineyard sites below.
JJ Prum Bernkasteler Kabinett 2011 ($21.95) $17.00 special, 3+ cases available JJ Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett 2012 ($27.95) $20.90 special, 3+ cases available
Stephen Tanzer 89 points “This delivers a simple yet attractive nose of citrus, white peach and smoke, in which one notices a great touch of herbs and ground spices. The finish is balanced yet powerful. The sweetness is nicely framed by the structure of the wine. Now-2022.”
JJ Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese 2011 ($39.95) $29.90 special, 23 bottles available
Wine Advocate 91 points “The Prum 2011 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese is scented and flavored with spearmint- and crushed stone-infused; musk-, lily- and peony-wreathed apple, honeydew melon, and blueberry, with an invigoratingly tart chew of berry skin lending counterpoint to the wine’s luscious, silky texture and its consequently succulently soothing aspects, including a seductive sense of liquid floral perfume. While this hasn’t the transparency or interactivity that characterized the corresponding Kabinett, it largely makes up for this with its own distinct virtues. Look for three decades of delight.”
JJ Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese 2012 ($34.95) $27.00 special, 3+ cases available
Stephen Tanzer 91 points “($39) Easygoing aromas of cling peach, sweet lime and wild herbs. The rich depth of velvety passion fruit is animated by an elegant acid backbone that gives the wine poise. Ends on a delicately spicy note.”
JJ Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese 2011 ($44.95) $34.90 special, 3 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93 points “Given the outstanding performances of its Kabinett and Spatlese counterparts, I approached the Prum 2011 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese with keen anticipation and was not disappointed. Here are cherries poached in musk and Persian melon juices, steeped with brown spices and headily wreathed in gardenia perfume. The combination of succulence and delicacy is attention-grabbing and a hint of salinity and crustacean-like savor grabs the salivary glands for a long finishing engagement. This striking beauty should be worth cellaring for decades.”
JJ Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese 2012 ($44.95) $33.00 special, 33 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 91 points “($49) Pale golden yellow. Rich, musky aromas of yellow plum and sweet herbs. Possesses good depth of rich tropical fruit, but is more noteworthy for its velvety texture and supple, pleasing style. Finishes with salty minerality and excellent persistence.”
Graach Himmelreich
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett 2008 ($31.95) $24.00 special, 3+ cases available
Wine Advocate 91 points “The Prum 2008 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett smells of green tea, fresh apple, honeysuckle, and acacia; offers boundless refreshment and gravity-defying buoyancy with pungent invigoration of citrus peel and apple skin; and finishes with its pure fruit and effusive, persistent inner-mouth floral perfume allied to saline, stony, smoke, iodine-like and remarkably savory manifestations of things mineral. It will reward 20-25 years of cellaring for the few who put that claim to the test–or who are already convinced by their past experience with Prum Rieslings.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett 2011 ($29.95) $22.90 special, 17 bottles available
Wine Advocate 90 points “The Prum 2011 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett leads with scents of mint-tinged cassis and Golden Delicious apple, but the softness that these intimate on the palate doesn’t really materialize thanks to tart apple skin and piquant apple pip and grapefruit rind impingements, all the way through a bitter-sweet interchange of flavors leading into a satisfyingly sustained albeit rounded-off, delicate and soothing finish. Greater complexity and a sense of transparency may well emerge with time – and one can count on two decades’ high performance.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett 2012 ($29.95) $21.90 special, 3+ cases available
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “This offers a gorgeous nose of lemon, peach, white orchard fruits and some herbs. The wine is deliciously well balanced on the palate and delivers a stunningly long and well-balanced finish. 2019-2032.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese 2011 A.P. #12 ($41.95) $32.00 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Advocate 91 points “Site-typical scents and bursting juiciness of mint-tinged grapefruit, pineapple, and apple inform the Prum 2011 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese A.P. #12, albeit with a bit of a yeasty, cheesy veil that needs to blow off. A delightful inner-mouth floral perfume–akin to honeysuckle–along with a slick of honey add decadent richness to the palate. Hints of apple pip piquancy and chew of tart apple skin along with crushed stone accents lend counterpoint to the succulently-sustained finish. It seems that for whatever reason–the Prums confess to having no clue–their Graachers are behind their other wines in evolution. Look for-the usual- quarter-century or more of admirable service.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese 2012 ($37.95) $29.00 special, 3+ cases available
Stephen Tanzer 91 points “($42) Apricot pit, lime zest and clove on the nose. The delicate nectarine fruit and creamy texture is held aloft by nutmeg and mineral salts. An element of slate provides spice on the enticing finish of this bright, lively wine.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 2011 ($47.95) $37.00 special, 7 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 92 points “Pale golden yellow. Lively aromas of peach pit, honeysuckle and candied lemon. Bright and spicy, but with a velvety, creamy texture to its plush papaya fruit. Herbal essences heighten the pleasingly ripe, supple finish. Not a showy wine but a lovely auslese.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 2012 ($47.95) $36.00 special, 32 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 92 points “($51) Pale golden yellow. Enticing aromas of raspberry, mint and sassafras mingle with a sensation of honey. Ripe and full yet discreet, this auslese is both dense and light on the palate. Finishes complex and long.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese GK 2011 ($99.95) $75.00 special, 2 bottles available
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese GK 2011 375ML ($49.95) $41.90 special, 12 bottles available
Wine Advocate 92 points “Candied, spiced apple and overripe Persian melon dominate the Prum 2011 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese gold capsule, with honeyed impingement both aromatically and on the palate reinforcing the sense of relative opacity and rounded richness that the other Graachers in this year’s collection displayed. Here the sense of delicacy is nearly weightless; intriguing and enticing notes of liquid peony and lily enter the picture mid-palate after the wine takes on air; and for all of the botrytization in effect, there is a welcome retention of primary juiciness, spurring a lusciously long finish. Look for four decades or more of luxuriant satisfaction.”
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese GK 2012 ($99.95) $79.00 special, 11 bottles available
JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese GK 2012 375ML ($59.95) $41.90 special, 19 bottles available
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “This offers a comparatively ripe feel on the nose as well as a long and fresh finish. The wine is quite driven by minerals and herbs on the palate and leaves an airy and smoky feel in the long and smooth finish. The wine develops a cool, zesty and minty side with airing. 2027-2047.”
Wehlen Sonnenuhr
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2007 ($31.95) $24.00 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 91 points “The Prum 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett displays the classic fresh apple, apple blossom, and vanilla of the site. Crushed stone and the bitter side of the vanilla bean help temper the sweetness here. This shows alluring creaminess along with refined delicacy, finishing long on fresh apple, sweet floral perfume, and wet stone along with hints of anise and vanilla. “This is Kabinett the way we imagine it,” remarks Katharina Prum, although hardly surprisingly, the estate’s quantities at this Pradikat level are smaller than are those at Spatlese grade. And I would add that it is unlikely very many vintages of this iconic Mosel will age more expressively or successfully than the one under consideration here.”
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2008 ($31.95) $26.00 special, 15 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 92 points “Succulent aromas of cherry, apple blossom and sweet herbs. Firm apricot pit fruit, but with a refreshing acid bounce framing the palate. The elegant finish features persistent slatey minerality. My candidate for the kabinett of the vintage.”
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2011 ($34.95) $27.90 special, 3+ cases available
Wine Advocate 93 points “Prum’s 2011 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett is a tad higher in residual sugar and correspondingly lower in alcohol than its immediate stable mates, but as one would expect from this great site, if anything the taste impression is drier. A ravishing nose of heliotrope and honeysuckle, Normandy cider and wet stone establishes the common themes for a palate performance that unites delicacy, juiciness and creaminess to an uncanny degree that only a few of the best Mosel vineyards and their prime caretakers can capture. Mouthwateringly lingering and compelling of the next sip, this rarified illustration of Mosel Kabinett virtue will reward you over the next quarter century.”
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2012 ($39.95) $33.00 special, 30 bottles available
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2012 1.5L ($119.95) $89.00 special, 6 bottles available
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2012 375ML ($29.95) $20.90 special, 20 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 91(+?) points “Crisp aromas of passion fruit, nut oils and cinnamon. Rich, sleek and invigorating, but with creamy tropical fruit flavors remaining light and ethereal. Well-balanced, elegant and impeccably long. This does not have the depth of the auction wine, but at present more it offers greater drinkability.”
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2012 ($49.95) $39.00 special, 28 bottles available
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2012 1.5L ($149.95) $99.00 special, 12 bottles available
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2012 375ML ($29.95) $24.00 special, 36 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 92 points ” Pale golden yellow. Candied papaya, persimmon, clove and a vague hint of smoky botrytis on the nose. Luscious, creamy peach nectar flavor is nicely framed and accented by a splash of salty minerality. Richer and denser than the spätlese, showing excellent length, but not necessarily much better.”
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese GK 2007 ($149.95) $119.00 special, 5 bottles available
Wine Spectator 95 points “Very concentrated, yet also very clean, refined and pure. Slate, honey and vanilla aromas and flavors prevail, with hints of peach and lime peeking through. It all culminates in a long, mercurial finish. Best from 2012 through 2040.”
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese GK 2011 375ML ($59.95) $46.00 special, 11 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 points “A delightful hint of salted caramel creeps into the nose and onto the palate of Prum’s 2011 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese gold capsule, which when combined with apple jelly, honey and nougat not to mention a creamy and almost taffy-like texture, makes for a decidedly confectionary aura. Sweet liquid essences of lily, musky peony and gardenia as well as a faint oiliness and high glycerol enhance the luxuriantly seductive effect of this long-lingering performance, yet there remains a critical modicum of fresh apple and melon juiciness (if less efficacious than that of the corresponding Bernkasteler) to complement the sense of levity in this elixir’s finish and to render the next sip virtually irresistible.”
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese GK 2012 ($119.95) $89.00 special, 11 bottles available
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese GK 2012 1.5L ($249.95) $199.00 special, 6 bottles available
JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese GK 2012 375ML ($69.95) $49.00 special, 22 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 93 points “Rich golden yellow. Heady aromas of strawberry and nut oils, with only a gentle hint of honeyed botrytis. White peach fruit essences and mineral salts animate the creamily rich yet delicate palate. More concentrated than the other ausleses and showing a distinctly aristocratic personality. One of the most impressive ausleses of the vintage.”
Zeltinger Sonnenuhr
JJ Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese 2012 ($47.95) $36.00 special, 36 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 92 points “($51) Pale golden yellow. Lively aromas of peach pit, honeysuckle and candied lemon. Bright and spicy, with sweet, plush papaya fruit showing a velvety texture and a note of creaminess. Herbal essences heighten the pleasing finish. Not a show reserve, but a lovely auslese.”
JJ Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese GK 2012 ($99.95) $79.00 special, 11 bottles available
Mosel Fine Wines 92 points “Made exclusively from the parcel forming the original Sonnenuhr, this delivers a great fresh nose of bergamot, quince and mango which turn into more botrytized and homeyed flavors of exotic fruits including passion fruit and pineapple on the palate. The zesty and fruity finish makes one magically go for another sip. This is gorgeously made. 2022-2042.”
Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese 2012 ($31.95) $24 special, 3+ cases available
“Full-bodied and rich, with minerals and lemony finish”-Importer notesGraach Himmelreich
Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett 2011 ($29.95) $24 special, 19 bottles available
Wine Advocate 92 points “The Schaefer 2011 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett is strikingly delicate and flowery, with lemon, grapefruit and apple wreathed in honeysuckle and mingled with nut oils. Polished both texturally and in terms of its impeccable balance–at 9% alcohol and therefore only modest residual sugar–this is also a little masterpiece of understatement, its sense of mineral and floral finishing impingements quite intricate but asking that you take time to commune with it. That you could do anytime over the next 20 or so years.”
Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Auslese #4 2012 ($59.95) $49 special, 18 bottles available
Mosel Fine Wines 95 points “This cask made from clean fruit only was so different from the AP09 that Christoph and Willi Schaefer decided to bottle this beauty separately. And what a beauty it is. This is all about energy and purity. It starts off with some undercooled and subdued scents of fruits, before white flowers as well as smoke come into play on the palate. But what sets this wine apart is the utterly brilliant balance and aromatic depth. This is just breathtakingly good and all lovers of delicate Auslese that retain a great drinking side should plunge onto this offering. 2022-2042.”
Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Auslese #9 2012 375ML ($59.95) $49 special, 20 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer 91 points “($51) Pale golden yellow. Enticing aromas of raspberry, mint and sassafras mingle with a faint hint of spicy botrytis. Ripe and full yet discreet, this auslese is both dense and light on the palate. Finishes complex and long.”
Wehlen Sonnenuhr
Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2012 ($49.95) $31.90 special, 3+ cases available
“Very fine, elegant and long finish.”-Importer notes
Zeltlinger Sonnenuhr
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2012 ($34.95) $26 special, 3+ cases available
Stephen Tanzer 91 points “Lovely floral, peach and hazelnut aromas, with a twist of acacia blossom. Delicate apricot on the palate, enlivened by a bracing citrus character. Finishes alluringly, with slate, lemon oil and a hint of clove and excellent length.”
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese 2009 ($49.95) $39 special, 20 bottles available
Wine Advocate 92 points “The Selbachs’ 2009 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese smells complexly of spiced apple, lily, narcissus, sassafras, musk, and white raisin. It may give up something in elegance, refinement, textural allure, or finishing juiciness vis-a-vis typically exemplary performances chez Selbach of this site and degree of ennoblement, but it offers a dynamic, interactive multiplicity of flavors with pungent penetration and exotic intrigue. Look for 20-25 years of fascination.”
Selbach-Oster Zelting Sonnenuhr Auslese* 2010 ($59.95) $44 special, 27 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95 points “Honeysuckle, lily and heliotrope; apple and white peach essences ravishingly scent the Selbach-Oster “one-star” 2010 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese*, then reconvene on a creamily-textured yet insistently juicy palate that conveys an irresistible sense of tenderness, delicacy, caress, yet at the same time vibrancy. The savor of browned butter, salt, and deep nut oils here are like catnip to the salivary glands. This glorious epitome of its great site finishes with extraordinary, multi-layered, and in the end almost ethereal persistence. The berries here were still largely green-gold, freckled, but only delicately (“perhaps 20-25%”) botrytized, relates Johannes Selbach, and this seems to me entirely recognizable in the glass. I would hope to follow and be spoiled by some of the 2,000 liters of this for the next quarter century.
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr BA 2005 375ML ($149.95) $99 special, 25 bottles available
Wine Advocate 98 points “The 2005 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese smells intensely honeyed, with nut paste, apple jelly, citrus oils, and a hint of molasses as well. In the mouth, this offers a most amazing combination of jellied viscosity and caramelization of fruit, a nut-brittle character of almond and hazelnut, and along with all this, the clarity and purity of a stream of fresh fruit. An intensely esterous, billowing finish carries apple, white raisin, and toasted nuts on waves of caramel, fruit jelly, and a persistently refreshing core of fresh fruit that only Riesling can deliver under circumstances this ripe and nobly rotten. It’s hard not to get carried away on these waves and with this wine.”
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Rotlay 2010 ($49.95) $39 special, 18 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93 points “The remarkably nuanced, savory complexity as well as the combination of creaminess with vivacity and elegance that characterize this site at its best certainly accrue to the Selbach’s block-picked (at 140 aggregate Oechsle!), Pradikat-free 2010 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Rotlay, just as in this year’s corresponding Spatlesen and Auslesen. Nut paste, honey, citrus cream, dried apricot, and brown spices are among the layers to be found densely packed yet coursing with almost electric energy and citricity (at 14 grams acidity!). Its hold on my palate is equaled by that on my imagination. Following this over the next two or more decades will be an adventure, and I suspect that it will unfold its layers and its sheer dynamism will turn to captivating dance.