Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed from 10 to 35 years after the vintage, though exceptional sweet gold-capsule bottlings can easily cellar for 50 years or more.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Rich blue cheeses like Roquefort, classic fruit-based desserts such as apple strudel or peach tart, and aromatic, moderately spicy Asian dishes like Thai green curry.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Nestled in the dramatic, slate-strewn bends of the Middle Mosel, the Wehlener Sonnenuhr (Sundial of Wehlen) is one of the world's most legendary vineyards. Named after the historic sundial erected in 1842 by Jodocus Prüm to guide vineyard workers, this precipitously steep, south-facing slope of weathered blue Devonian slate yields Riesling of extraordinary mineral intensity. Under the uncompromising stewardship of Markus Molitor, who took over his family's estate in 1984, this terroir is elevated to its absolute zenith. Molitor's Auslese is crafted through painstaking, multi-pass hand selection of extremely ripe and botrytized berries. Fermented naturally with ambient yeasts in large, traditional oak casks, the wine showcases the estate's signature precision. Depending on the capsule color—white for dry, green for off-dry, and gold for sweet—this Auslese balances a vibrant, laser-like acidity with opulent stone fruit, wild herbs, and a profound, smoky slate minerality that defines the Mosel's historic 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.