Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese GK
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Extremely long-lived. While approachable in its youth with decanting, this Goldkapsel Auslese typically reaches its peak between 15 to 40 years from the vintage, and can easily cellar for half a century.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Rich blue cheeses, classic foie gras or savory terrines, and fruit-based desserts such as peach tart or apple tarte tatin.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Crafted by the legendary Markus Molitor, this monumental Riesling hails from the famous Erdener Treppchen vineyard in the Mosel valley. Named the 'little staircase' after the stone steps carved into the dizzying, near-vertical red slate cliffs to aid vineyard workers, this site benefits from an intense, sun-drenched microclimate. The Goldkapsel (Gold Capsule) designation signifies an Auslese of extraordinary selection, heavily influenced by noble rot (botrytis). Molitor's philosophy of minimal intervention, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in traditional neutral oak Fuder casks, and meticulous hand-harvesting yields a wine of profound complexity. It seamlessly balances luscious, honeyed sweetness and exotic stone fruit with the vibrant, iron-rich mineral tension characteristic of Erden's unique red slate soils.
🍾 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.