Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Auslese 2* White Capsule
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2045
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared sea scallops with a citrus-infused butter sauce, roasted pork belly with crispy crackling, or classic Alsatian choucroute garnie.
✨ Technical Specifications
Markus Molitor is a legendary figure in the Mosel, famous for reviving the region's historic reputation for producing wines of immense power, precision, and longevity. The Bernkasteler Lay vineyard, whose name 'Lay' derives from the old Celtic word for slate, is situated on a steep slope of dark blue Devonian slate right along the Mosel river. This specific bottling, a 'White Capsule' Auslese with a two-star (2*) designation, represents a dry-styled masterpiece crafted from highly selected, late-harvested Riesling grapes. Molitor's unique color-coding system uses white capsules to denote dry wines, challenging the traditional German association of Auslese with sweetness. Fermented naturally with wild yeasts in large, traditional oak casks (Fuder), this wine showcases the intense minerality, structural power, and vibrant acidity characteristic of the Bernkastel terroir, balanced by the rich texture of perfectly ripe, golden berries.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1984 when twenty-year-old Markus Molitor assumed control of his family's winemaking legacy, Weingut Markus Molitor has evolved into an undisputed titan of the Mosel. Based at Haus Klosterberg, Molitor manages over 100 hectares encompassing premier steep-slope crus along both the Middle Mosel and Saar, including Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Prälat, and Scharzhofberg. Viticulture is strictly manual on precipitous gradients of weathered Devonian blue, red, and grey slate. Molitor pursues an uncompromising philosophy centered on sustainable farming, late selective harvesting, native yeast fermentation, and prolonged aging on fine lees in traditional wooden Fuders carved into subterranean slate cellars. Renowned for its singular capsule coding system—white indicating dry, green denoting feinherb (off-dry), and gold designating noble sweet expressions, often tiered with asterisks—the estate crafts crystalline, hyper-mineral Rieslings of monumental depth and aging potential, alongside site-expressive Pinot Noir and Weissburgunder.
🍇 Grapes
100% Riesling