What do you consider to be the best vineyards in Graach?
Plural?
I’ve just come from the Schaefers tasting the 2013s, a vintage where the vineyards totally shine, hard to choose ‘best’, Himmelreich for floral fruit and more on show young, Domprobst for mineral power.
I understand there’s also a Graacher Abtsberg, but that seems a little confusing.
Yeah, there are only the two vineyards worth even discussing. The problem is that they are both rather large (I believe Himmelreich is 57.6 hectares), so we’re really only discussing which plots are the best.
Domprobst is around 20 and Himmelreich around 80 I think!
Does Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshofer count?
I’d say it does, but since it’s a monopole, there’s no real comparison. I’m a huge fan of their Josephshöfer wine, in particular when they bottle it “feinherb” as they often do.
Regarding Himmelreich and Domprobst, I’m torn and I also have real difficulties telling them apart. It’s always said that Domprobst is “darker” with a little Cassis fruit, more slatey notes, and that Himmelreich is lighter, white flowers, airy, a bit like Wehlener Sonnenuhr. I take those descriptors when having wines from Graach in my glass, but it has happened more than once that I said “Domprobst” and it was a Himmelreich. It depends on the producer, also. How many producers are there who have Himmelreich and Domprobst? Other than Willi Schaefer, Max Ferd. Richter and Kees-Kieren come to mind. Who else?
Bingo. This is about the only Mosel sufficiently famous to go without the village name and today it is an afterthought. Even German wine lovers think there are only two vineyards worth discussing. Is von Kesselstat the mosel version of the great estates of the Rheingau? I have not had Josephshofer in a long time, but when I did I thought it was good when I would think it should have been special.
Dr. F. Weins-Prum?
Its good that von Kesselstat have a monopole, that way they make the best wine from a vineyard… 
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Will be having lunch at their place today, so will look out for it, but not much enthusiasm…
Anyone know the story behind GraacherAbtsberg?
To be honest, apart from JJ Prum there isnt really any competition for Willi Schaefer across all ~100 Ha is there?
JJ Prum owns vines in Domprobst but I can’t find any record of their bottling a vineyard-designated wine from there.
Interesting, I’ve never seen a Domprobst from Prüm.
Scott, you’re right. Dr. Weins-Prüm has Domprobst and Himmelreich, but I’m not familiar with their wines.
Two more names who own both: Heribert Kerpen and Markus Molitor. I think I had both from Markus Molitor, but I didn’t drink them with “terroir differences” in mind. I’ve never drunk a wine from Heribert Kerpen.
Y’all may have read that some vineyards that were “summarized” by the 1971 wine laws now are permitted to be put on the label separately (e.g. Ayl Schonfels, Ürzig In der Kranklei, the current list is here: http://www.lwk-rlp.de/weinbau/rebflaechen/weinlagen/gewanne/). I’m not sure this will be applied also to the Graacher Himmelreich, but it is said that the best parcel in the Graacher Himmelreich is the former Graacher Goldwingert bordering Bernkastel. There are at least three owners in that parcel: JJ. Prüm, Max Ferd. Richter and Bischhöfliche Weingüter.
The vineyards Weinlagen
One of the best (and often underestimated) producer is Dr. F. Weins-Prüm. Then there are the fantastic Graacher Domprobst of Christoffel-Prüm from the 70ies.
here is an almost complete list: Liste der Verkostungsnotizen (Detailmodus)
This is incorrect, they USED to have one, over 20 years ago, but they swapped it for Himmelreich.
I got this from a good source this afternoon… 
According to Wine Atlas of Germany, Graacher Himmelreich (56.7 ha) is an “exceptional vineyard,” whereas Graacher Domprobst (17.8 ha) is a “superior vineyard,” and thus a rank below. This makes no sense, even though I really like Himmelreich from Willi Schaefer, which, by the way, isn’t even listed among the “most important producers” by Braatz et al. For example, Schaefer has over 100 different plots in these two vineyards, which underscores Scott’s point.
Absberg is an old place name within the present-day Graacher Himmelreich. Because it’s listed as a Gewannname on the cadastral map, a producer could register the named site as per the new wine-labeling regulations in Rhineland-Palatinate.
As Steven points out, von Kesselstatt has sole possession of the famous (Graacher) Josephshöfer, which is at the foot of the hill, just downriver from Graach.
I agree with Steven’s general descriptions of Domprobst and Himmelreich, but I’ve also said “‘Domprobst’ and it was Himmelreich.” Markus Molitor is definitely a producer to note, especially his Domprobst Kabinett trocken. It’s good that Charlie mentions F. Weins-Prüm. Selbach-Oster also has Graacher Domprobst, and J.J. Prüm only has Graacher Himmelreich.
Somebody should tell Rudi Wiest, one of their American importers, then.
Maybe the text was correct when written…
Really strange. I thought there is more or less common agreement that Domprobst is superior to Himmelreich.
Thanks for the explanation on Abtsberg. I’ll change that on weinlagen-info
Equal if not superior, and to not have the Schafers as top producers means the text is either very old, or very wrong.
You’re welcome, Charlie. The Schaefers consider Domprobst to be the core vineyard in Graach.
Yes, in my comment, I point out that Absberg is on the cadastral map.
Russell: The atlas was published in August 2014.