Bernkasteler Graben Riesling Auslese 2*
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2050
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Classic blue cheeses such as Roquefort, rich duck liver pâté or foie gras, and moderately spiced Thai or Sichuan dishes.
✨ Technical Specifications
Markus Molitor, often referred to as the 'Riesling Wizard,' has spent decades defining the pinnacle of Mosel winemaking. The Bernkasteler Graben vineyard sits on a steep, south-southwest-facing slope immediately adjacent to the world-famous Bernkasteler Doctor. Here, the weathered blue Devonian slate soils absorb the daytime sun, radiating warmth back to the vines through the cool Mosel nights. This Auslese 2* (Two Stars) represents an extraordinary selection of highly ripe, partially botrytized Riesling grapes, meticulously harvested by hand in multiple passes. Fermented naturally with indigenous yeasts in traditional, large oak Fuder casks, the wine beautifully balances intense, concentrated stone fruit flavors with a vibrant, electric slate minerality and a legendary, laser-like acidity that is the hallmark of Molitor's uncompromising style.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded upon an eighth-generation family viticultural heritage, Weingut Markus Molitor was transformed in 1984 when twenty-year-old Markus Molitor took over the estate at Haus Klosterberg with the dedicated mission of restoring Mosel Riesling to its historic world-class stature. Situated in Bernkastel-Kues in Germany's legendary Mosel region, the winery meticulously cultivates precipitous slate vineyards across renowned grand cru sites such as Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Erdener Treppchen. Molitor practices low yields, ultra-selective late hand-harvesting, and gentle spontaneous fermentation in ancient, deep vaulted cellars with minimal intervention. The estate is globally celebrated for its site-expressive Rieslings—distinguished by white, green, and gold capsules indicating dry, off-dry, and botrytized sweet styles—as well as remarkably complex, structured Pinot Noir.