Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 1* Gold Capsule
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed from 10 to 40 years after the vintage release, though exceptional vintages can easily cellar for half a century or more.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Rich blue cheeses such as Roquefort, classic foie gras or savory duck terrines, and moderately spicy Asian dishes like Thai green curry.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Markus Molitor's Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 1* Gold Capsule is a monumental expression of Mosel Riesling, born from the steep, blue Devonian slate slopes of the Graacher Himmelreich (meaning 'Kingdom of Heaven') vineyard. Markus Molitor, renowned for his uncompromising pursuit of quality, employs extremely selective hand-harvesting to capture the ideal balance of botrytis and pristine fruit. The Gold Capsule denotes a wine of noble sweetness and extraordinary concentration, while the single star (1*) signifies a specific tier of selection and refinement. Fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in traditional neutral oak Fuder casks, this 100% Riesling marries the intense, smoky minerality of Graach's slate with luscious stone fruit, exotic citrus, and a laser-like acidity that keeps the wine remarkably fresh and weightless despite its richness.
🍾 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.