Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 3* white Capsule
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2045
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared sea scallops with a rich butter sauce, roasted duck breast with a light fruit reduction, or aged Comté cheese.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the steep, slate-streaked slopes of the Mosel, the Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 3* White Capsule represents the pinnacle of Markus Molitor's dry winemaking philosophy. In the Molitor universe, the white capsule signifies a bone-dry style, while the three-star (3*) designation is reserved exclusively for the most exceptional, hand-selected parcels of fruit. The Graacher Himmelreich vineyard, meaning 'Kingdom of Heaven,' sits adjacent to the famous Wehlener Sonnenuhr, boasting deep, moisture-rich blue slate soils that impart a profound, smoky minerality and razor-sharp acidity to the Riesling grapes. Molitor's dedication to traditional, natural craftsmanship involves extremely late harvests, meticulous berry selection, and spontaneous fermentation in large oak foudres. This results in a dry Auslese of breathtaking complexity, balancing rich, concentrated stone fruit flavors with a crystalline, saline finish that echoes the ancient terroir of the Mosel Valley.
🍾 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.