Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 2021

Joh. Jos. Prüm has defined Mosel Riesling from Wehlen since 1911, and under Dr. Katharina Prüm the house style is unchanged: fermentation with indigenous yeasts, low alcohol, and wines that unfold over decades rather than years. Graacher Himmelreich, whose steep Devonian slate slope carries deeper, water-retaining soils threaded with pockets of blue slate, gives the racier, more citrus-toned counterpart to the estate's Wehlener Sonnenuhr. Auslese, made from selectively picked, fully ripe bunches, is the richest of the estate's core Prädikat bottlings, yet the cool, late-harvested 2021 vintage keeps it improbably light on its feet at around 7 percent alcohol. Lime and crushed slate open into tangerine, honeyed peach, and a flash of candied pineapple, the sweetness pulled taut by crystalline acidity through a long saline finish. Patience will be repaid many times over.