I haven’t tasted any other producers’ Wehlener Sonnenuhr wines with age on them except JJ Prum, which have been magical. Will continue buying those forever.
I would give Markus Molitor another try. They make quite a few wines from WS.
Also Loosen makes a GG, I don’t love it but have only tried it at trade tastings. Reviewers rate it highly and it is a bit geeky to try a GG from WS, Schloss Lieser and a few others also make GGs.
The only Wehlener Sonnenuhrs I have are from Prum and Schloss Lieser and by far the most I have come from Prum. Prum has the best section of WS (around the sundial) and makes great wines from there. I like other producers who make wines in WS but frankly if I want a wine from Selbach I am much more likely to buy one from Zelting where his best parcels are and if I want one from Loosen (not really a favorite) I would buy one from Erden or Urzig. In this case, however, I think, like JJ Prum, Loosen is a descendent of the SA Prum estate that got broken up. https://sapruem.com/open.php?id=15
I have more wines from Schloss Lieser from other vineyards but bought a few from WS to try and because I like Schloss Lieser’s wines so much. I have not opened any yet.
When the vineyards around Wehlen and Zeltingen were being “reorganized” there was some horse trading between Prum and Selbach. Selbach obtained some prime land in the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, while Prum picked up some Wehlener Sonnenuhr.
Which then brings me around to the point of not overlooking the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, which produces wonderful wines. The Selbach ‘Rotlay’ bottling is amazing, every single year.
Off course also a big fan of J.J. Prüm’s Wehlener Sonnenuhr.
And another vote for Schloss Lieser! Disclaimer: I import and sell these in the Netherlands…Insane p/q-ratio in my biased opinion.
Willi Schaefer third I think. However his Graacher Domprobst wines are better! But that’s not the question now.
Yes, sort of the Clos Vougeot of the Mosel, but with much greater variation in altitude and orientation.
I have had a number of wines from Schaefer over the years but I am not sure whether I have had any Wehlener Sonnenuhr from him. I primarily (exclusively?) have bought Graacher Domprobst and Himmelreich.
Thanks for all the input. It’s both helpful and and a lot of fun to read.
In addition to Molitor and Selbach, I’ll make a point of sampling some Loosen in the near future. I know they’re pretty easy to turn up. Not a producer I’ve been overwhelmed by in the past, but it’s been a long time since I opened one.
As far as Willi Schaefer goes, the only WS I’ve had is the 2007 spatlese. (Admittedly, not the ideal vintage.) I’ve been more impressed by his Himmelreich and (especially) Domprost botllings when I’ve sampled those. It sounds like David B. and some others have a similar view, presumably with more experience behind it.
The Clos Vougeot analogy seems pretty apt. Upthread, Russell F. mentioned that the site is 40 Ha. My sense is that this is absolutely huge by Mosel standards? Which returns me to the question of whether there was an expansion at some point in the past carried out in order to capitalize on the reputation cultivated by JJ Prum.
As far as Lieser goes–drinking a new release WS kab is what initially triggered my questions about the site. In Cellartracker, i only see recent vintages (2010 onward). So is this a new site for Haag? The one i tried was outstanding for such a young wine; I’d happily continue adding them to my cellar.
I have some 2010 Rotlay that I’m waiting on (along with a bunch of 2009 Schmitt). I think I opened one shortly after i got them, which turned out to be a complete mistake, so I’m trying to be patient.
- And, it wasn’t just WS. There was a huge revision to the entire body of German wine laws. See below.
A 1998 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Eiswein I had last November was stunning (and probably the best Riesling and one of the best wines I’ve had so far). Ever since, I’ve had a great appreciation for Zeltinger Sonnenuhr.
Dr Loosen has three WS GG bottlings: regular, alte reben, and a reserve that’s on lees for 2 years. I like all three but tend to prefer the reserve.
Thanks for this, Howard. It’s a great essay. The story is simultaneously fascinating and kind of banal in its recounting of bureaucratic minutiae.
For those who don’t have the time to go through it, here’s the paragraph that covers vineyard boundaries in WS (and elsewhere):
“Another major change initiated by the 1971 Wine Law concerns vineyards. Whereas prior to the institution of the new law, wine villages might have had a dozen or more individual vineyards or Einzellagen, with the new law the numbers were reduced greatly. The law required that vineyards be at least five hectares in size, although a good number of exceptions were approved. Some of the individual sites whose names were eliminated were consolidated with sites whose names were retained, while others became part of vineyards with new names. In theory, the new scheme seemed to make understanding labels and purchasing wine simpler for consumers. But simplicity came with a price. Some critics noted that because distinguished sites such as Scharzhofberger or Wehlener Sonnenuhr were expanded, their distinctive qualities were not necessarily found throughout the new sites. In a few cases, the opposite may have been true; fine sites whose names were eliminated with the new law may actually have enhanced their new homes.”
2009 Rotlay was pretty well shut down as of late last year as well. I’m another huge fan of the bottling.
David, any thoughts on how the 2004 would be doing now? I just have 2 bottles, so wondered if it was in the zone.
I really like 2004 German Rieslings now. I might consider waiting another 3-5 for a wine like the Rotlay, but I am sure it would provide a lot of pleasure.
Hmm, lots of Schloss Lieser responses yet I have no WS bottlings of theirs specifically. Might need to rectify this.
I think it’s critical to not look at the Mosel from a Burgundian viewpoint. It just doesn’t work the same way.
That’s a very helpful observation. I do think that’s the model i had in the back of my mind.
I’d be curious to hear whether other Mosel fanatics think that it is or isn’t feasible to try and identify site/vineyard characteristics that transcend producer and vintage, as people are wont to do with Burgundy.
Please explain.
My Clos Vougeot analogy seems apt here: Both CV and WS are fairly large, prestige appellations where the quality of individual plots varies greatly.