Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 1* Nr20
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, spicy Thai curry, roasted duck with plum sauce
✨ Technical Specifications
The Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 1* Nr20 is a sublime expression of one of the Mosel's most cherished vineyards. Translating to 'Kingdom of Heaven,' the Himmelreich vineyard features steep slopes of weathered Devonian slate that absorb the sun's warmth, radiating it back to the 100% Riesling vines. Crafted by the historic Selbach-Oster estate, this wine represents a meticulous selection (indicated by the single star) of highly ripe, partially botrytized grapes hand-harvested late in the season. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in traditional large oak Fuder casks, the winemaking process is minimally interventionist to preserve the pristine purity of the fruit. The resulting wine is a masterclass in balance, marrying luscious sweetness of peach, apricot, and honey with a vibrant, electric vein of slatey minerality and laser-like acidity.
🍾 About the Producer
Weingut Selbach-Oster represents over four centuries of winemaking heritage along Germany's Middle Mosel, with family viticultural roots established in 1661. Based in Zeltingen-Rachtig, proprietors Johannes and Barbara Selbach, alongside their son Sebastian, steward approximately 23 hectares of precipitous, south-facing slopes. Their historic holdings encompass quintessential Grand Cru sites including Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Zeltinger Schlossberg, Zeltinger Himmelreich, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Graacher Domprobst. Characterized by weathered Devonian blue and grey slate soils, over half the estate's vines are ungrafted, centenarian rootstocks farmed with rigorous sustainable and low-intervention methods. In the cellar, Selbach-Oster champions unhurried native yeast fermentations carried out in neutral German oak Fuder casks and temperature-controlled stainless steel. The resulting wines—spanning bone-dry Grosses Gewächs bottlings, nuanced Feinherb styles, and pristine Prädikat sweet wines—epitomize classical Mosel tension, showcasing crystalline acidity, wet-slate minerality, pristine orchard fruit, and exceptional longevity.