Brauneberger Mandelgraben Riesling Eiswein
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Extremely long-lived; typically best enjoyed from 10 to 40+ years from the vintage release, though it can easily cellar for half a century or more.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Classic fruit-based desserts such as apple tarte tatin, artisanal blue cheeses like Roquefort, or rich savory starters like foie gras terrine.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Markus Molitor's Brauneberger Mandelgraben Riesling Eiswein is a rare liquid masterpiece born from the extreme viticultural conditions of the Mosel valley. The Mandelgraben vineyard, named after the almond trees that thrive in this sheltered microclimate, features steep slopes rich in weathered Devonian slate. To produce this Eiswein, grapes are left on the vine into the freezing depths of winter, waiting for temperatures to plummet to at least -7 degrees Celsius. Harvested by hand in the freezing pre-dawn hours, the frozen grapes are immediately pressed, leaving the water behind as ice and extracting a highly concentrated, nectar-like juice. Molitor's signature style—relying on natural ambient yeasts and meticulous selection—preserves the electric, vibrant acidity of Riesling, balancing the intense natural sweetness. This creates a wine of breathtaking tension, purity, and mineral complexity, representing the pinnacle of German sweet winemaking heritage.
🍾 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.