Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Rotlay
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2045
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, foie gras, apple tart
✨ Technical Specifications
The Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 'Rotlay' represents the pinnacle of Selbach-Oster's artisanal craftsmanship, sourced from a prized, historic parcel within the grand cru Zeltinger Sonnenuhr. Named after the iron-rich, reddish-blue Devonian slate ('Rotlay') and the iconic sundial erected in 1842 by Jodocus Prüm, this steep, south-facing vineyard is home to ancient, ungrafted Riesling vines. The Selbach family harvests this parcel late in the season, often selecting botrytised berries with obsessive care. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in traditional, large oak Fuder casks, the wine beautifully captures the tension between opulent, honeyed tropical fruit and a vibrant, crystalline mineral acidity that is hallmark to the Mosel's finest terroirs.
🍾 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.