Mosel

Home to some of the world’s finest and longest-lived sweet and dry white wines, the Mosel is a region of Germany formerly known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer—named thusly for the three rivers that flow through its dramatic valleys. Geology, climate and topography are paramount here, and the wines produced communicate a distinct sense of place. In addition to being prized for their heat-retaining properties, slate-based soils lend a stony minerality to the wines, contributing to some of the most recognizable terroir in the world. Cool temperatures necessitate the use of the region’s rivers to reflect heat onto the vineyards, and the best wines are made from sites with south or southwest facing slopes to receive sufficient direct sunlight for ripening. The breathtakingly steep slopes that straddle the river banks cannot be worked by machine, contributing to a high cost of labor (and treacherous working conditions).

Wines

Joh. Jos. Prum

Joh. Jos. Prüm estate (often just called “J.J.”) is situated in the Middle Mosel valley, around the 50th latitude, i.e., in one of the most northern wine-growing areas of the world. The consequence is a highly long vegetation period until November, sometimes even December, with relatively cool climate conditions that give the Riesling grape time enough to develop all those typical fruity, floral, and herbal aromas and flavors, keep a relativ ...