Graacher Josephshofer Spatlese
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5 to 25 years from the vintage release, as it evolves from vibrant primary fruit to complex secondary notes of petrol, honey, and dried ginger.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Spicy Thai or Sichuan cuisine, glazed roast pork belly, and blue cheese
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The Graacher Josephshofer is one of the Mosel's most legendary monopole vineyards, held exclusively by Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt since 1858 when it was acquired from the secularized Abbey of St. Martin in Trier. This historic site, nestled between Graach and Wehlen, features deep, iron-rich Devonian slate soils that impart a unique, spicy minerality to the Riesling vines. The Spätlese expression from this vineyard is a masterclass in balance, showcasing luscious stone fruit flavors of ripe peach and apricot, interwoven with wild herbs, exotic spices, and a vibrant, life-giving acidity. Crafted with minimal intervention, often utilizing traditional large oak casks (Fuder) alongside stainless steel, this wine beautifully captures the tension between natural sweetness and slate-driven tension that defines great Mosel Riesling.
🍾 wine.about_producer
With a winemaking legacy spanning over 650 years since its establishment in 1349, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt is one of the Mosel region's most historic and prestigious estates. Based at the majestic Schloss Marienlay in Morscheid, Germany, the estate was long held by the imperial counts of Kesselstatt before being acquired by the Günther Reh family in 1978, who elevated its global reputation under the visionary leadership of the late Annegret Reh-Gartner. The winery is uniquely distinguished by its exceptional vineyard holdings across all three of the region's river valleys—the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer—including the legendary monopole Josephshof in Graach, as well as prime parcels in Scharzhofberg and Kaseler Nies'chen. Embracing sustainable viticulture and minimal-intervention cellar practices, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt produces world-class, mineral-driven Rieslings that beautifully articulate their diverse terroirs, ranging from precise, vibrant Kabinetts to legendary, long-lived Trockenbeerenauslese expressions.