Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese
⏳ wine.drinking_window
While approachable in its youth for its vibrant fruit, this Auslese is built for the long haul and typically reaches its peak complexity between 10 to 35 years from the vintage date.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Classic blue cheeses such as Roquefort, rich duck pâté or foie gras, and moderately spiced Asian dishes like Thai green curry.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Markus Molitor's Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese is a sublime testament to the steep, slate-laden slopes of the Middle Mosel. Molitor, often referred to as 'Herr 100 Points' for his uncompromising pursuit of perfection, crafts this wine from 100% Riesling grapes grown on the devonian slate soils of the Bernkasteler Badstube. The name 'Badstube' historically refers to the medieval bathhouses of Bernkastel. Molitor's signature approach involves meticulous hand-selection of botrytised or extremely ripe berries, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, and slow maturation in traditional neutral oak Fuder casks. This produces an Auslese of extraordinary tension, balancing rich, honeyed stone fruit and exotic citrus notes with a laser-like, mineral-driven acidity that reflects the unique Mosel terroir.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Taking over his family's estate in 1984 at just twenty years old, Markus Molitor set out to restore the Mosel region's historic prestige through uncompromising quality and traditional craftsmanship. Based at the historic Haus Klosterberg in Bernkastel-Kues, the winery meticulously farms steep, slate-rich vineyards across the Mosel and Saar, utilizing extremely late hand-harvesting and spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak Fuder casks. Molitor is globally renowned for his precise, mineral-driven Rieslings—distinguished by white, green, and gold capsules indicating dryness levels—as well as his structured, elegant Spätburgunder. This obsessive dedication to terroir has earned the estate numerous perfect 100-point scores, cementing its status as an icon of German winemaking.