Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 2* Goldkapsel
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2050
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Rich blue cheeses like Roquefort, classic foie gras or savory duck pâté, and fruit-based desserts such as peach melba or apple tart.
✨ Technical Specifications
Perched on the steep, sun-drenched slopes of the Mosel valley, the Graacher Himmelreich—or 'Kingdom of Heaven'—vineyard is legendary for its deep, moisture-retaining Devonian slate soils. Markus Molitor, a master of precision, harnesses this unique terroir to craft a Riesling of breathtaking complexity. The 'Goldkapsel' (Gold Capsule) denotes a classic sweet style, while the two-star (2*) designation signifies an extraordinary selection of partially botrytised grapes. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in traditional large oak casks (Fuder), this wine represents a harmonious marriage of rich, honeyed concentration and a vibrant, slate-driven mineral backbone that defines the historic Mosel style.
🍾 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.