2014 Graacher Himmelreich Pinot Noir (3 Star)
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Tasting notes
The 2014 Pinot Noir Graacher Himmelreich *** opens with a deep, concentrated, very aromatic yet fine and superbly balanced bouquet of perfectly ripe, sweet forest berries and dark cherries intermixed with noble toast, very fine crunchy/flinty slate and wild herbal notes including coriander and potted ginger. There is a tiny touch of potted plums and fat nougat here as well, so the three-starred Himmelreich is perhaps the least reductive of Molitor's outstanding 2014 Pinot Noir series. (Molitor says the Graacher had a high pH of 0.1 or 0.15 compared the the Trarbacher.) However, this is so generous and elegant on the nose, where everything is just as it should be—a beauty filled in bottles. Full-bodied, refined and voluptuous on the palate, with perfectly ripe fruit and a tender, highly finessed and silky character, this is a dense, intense and incredibly juicy Pinot Noir with great intensity, very tine tannins and a seductive texture. The finish is long, concentrated, intensely aromatic and endlessly juicy, with hints of ripe blackberries, but at the same time, it is still pure, fresh and fine, with exciting tension thanks to the vibrating mineral structure and expression. Although I love the more transparent, silky/filigreed and delicate style of the Trarbacher Schlossberg at least as much, the Himmelreich delivers more flesh and fruit to the palate. The extraordinary number of 2,400 bottles (more than ever before) were filled in August 2017. I tasted the wine three times in March 2018, and I am still in love.
Critic scores
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David Schildknecht, Vinous
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Scents of ripe cherry and strawberry are tinged with tamarind on the nose and on a silken palate. The oak presence here is more forgiving and better integrated than in this year’s "two-" or "three-star" Brauneberger bottlings, and an impression of salted veal stock contributes mouthwatering savor to a lusciously lingering finish. Sweet floral perfume adds inner-mouth allure to a performance that marries deeply ripe fruit and textural polish with non-fruity elements of the sort that reflect Pinot Noir’s special varietal potential.
Although the percentage of new wood employed for this “three-star” Pinot Noir is the same as for its Brauneberg counterpart, it delivers a greater measure of toast, resin and superficial sweetness. It’s also sparer in texture, thus more obviously displaying its tannins, fine-grained though they are. Fortunately, the stock of primary juiciness and mouthwatering salinity and the transparency to mineral, herbal and floral nuances are no less impressive. The alliance of dark cherry with high-toned kirsch and tart-edged red currant furthers this bottling’s uncanny combination of sinister complexity with bright invigoration.
Although the percentage of new wood employed for this “three-star” Pinot Noir is the same as for its Brauneberg counterpart, it delivers a greater measure of toast, resin and superficial sweetness. It’s also sparer in texture, thus more obviously displaying its tannins, fine-grained though they are. Fortunately, the stock of primary juiciness and mouthwatering salinity and the transparency to mineral, herbal and floral nuances are no less impressive. The alliance of dark cherry with high-toned kirsch and tart-edged red currant furthers this bottling’s uncanny combination of sinister complexity with bright invigoration. Nov 2016, www.vinous.com, Drink: 2018-2030
About the producer
Markus Molitor is now among the largest privately owned wine estates in the Mosel and also one of the best. With a focus on single-vineyard expressions, the estate produces between 80 and 90 different wines each vintage.