Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 10 to 35 years from the vintage, as its intense sweetness and vibrant acidity integrate into a harmonious, complex nectar over decades of cellaring.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Pungent blue cheeses, rich duck liver pâté, and spicy Sichuan or Thai cuisine.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Nestled in the steep, sun-drenched slopes of the Mosel Valley, the Graacher Himmelreich—or Kingdom of Heaven—vineyard yields a Riesling of celestial complexity. Dr. Loosen, a historic estate managed by the visionary Ernst Loosen, crafts this Auslese from 100% Riesling grapes grown on deep, water-retaining blue Devonian slate soils. This unique terroir imparts a distinct, stony minerality and a vibrant, citrus-led acidity that beautifully balances the wine's natural sweetness. Hand-selected at harvest, often featuring a portion of botrytis-affected berries, the grapes undergo traditional fermentation with indigenous yeasts in large, neutral oak casks. The result is a wine steeped in Mosel heritage, offering a rich tapestry of stone fruit, wild honey, and wet-stone minerality.
🍾 wine.about_producer
The historic Dr. Loosen estate, located in Bernkastel-Kues in the Mosel region of Germany, has been in the same family for over two centuries. Since taking ownership in 1988, Ernst Loosen has propelled the winery to international acclaim by focusing on the estate's extraordinary heritage of ungrafted, old Riesling vines—some over 120 years old—situated in historic grand cru sites such as Erdener Pr$lat, $rziger W$rzgarten, and Bernkasteler Lay. The winery's philosophy centers on minimalist winemaking and a deep respect for the region's diverse slate soils, which yield intensely mineral-driven, expressive wines. Dr. Loosen is globally renowned for its precise, elegant Rieslings, spanning from dry (Trocken) styles to exquisitely concentrated sweet expressions like Auslese, Beerenauslese, and rare Eisweins.