Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2* (Green Capsule)
⏳ Drinking Window
2025 - 2065
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Spicy Thai or Sichuan cuisine, roasted duck with plum sauce, and aged semi-hard cheeses like Comet or Gruyere.
✨ Technical Specifications
Markus Molitor's Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2* Green Capsule is a masterclass in the off-dry, or 'feinherb', style of the Middle Mosel. The Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard is legendary for its incredibly steep, south-facing slopes of weathered Devonian blue slate, which capture the sun's warmth and reflect it back to the vines. The vineyard's name pays homage to the historic sundial erected in 1842 to guide vineyard workers. Molitor's unique capsule system uses the green capsule to denote off-dry wines that strike a sublime balance between residual sweetness and vibrant acidity. The two-star (2*) designation represents an elite selection of highly concentrated, partially botrytized grapes, meticulously harvested by hand. Fermented with wild yeasts in traditional large oak casks (Fuder), this Riesling showcases a profound mineral tension, exotic stone fruit aromas, and a complex, smoky slate character that defines this historic terroir.
🍾 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.