2013 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
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Tasting notes
Prüm's 7% 2013 Wehelener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese (Auction) indicates its refined, pure and fresh nature already in its pale, greenish shimmering color as well as in its discreet aromas that deliver more stony than fruity (lemon) notes. Dense, sweet, piquant and very animating on the palate, where grapefruit is the dominating fruit, this Auslese finishes with a lingering salinity and purity. An amazing wine of great finesse from a very difficult vintage. "Selection is everything," says Dr. Manfred Prüm. (AP number #22 14)
Critic scores
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Very steely and minerally on the nose – much more youthful than the other two Auslesen. Tight and etched and very fine indeed. The sweetness is all but eaten up by the acidity. Extremely youthful but wonderfully promising. (JR)
Not bottled. Katharina Prüm generally does not show the most recent vintage but she felt that the two Wehlener Sonnenuhrs were perhaps a little more open than usual at this stage. Lightly smoky but fragrant too – much more open than their wines are usually at this age. More reductive on the palate, tight and lots of tension. Then a strong reductive note on the finish. Needs more time than the Graacher Himmelreich Auslese. (JH)
The 2013 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese offers a noble sweet, very fine aroma of wet and flinty stones intertwined with grapefruit and lemon aromas. Lovely sweet and intense, but also delicate on the palate, this medium to full-flavored 7.5% alcohol wine reveals a great elegance and finesse and finishes with delicately juicy, grapefruit aromas. (I tasted AP number #15 14.)||"2013 was an Auslese vintage," says Dr. Katharina Prüm when she served me nine (!) Auslesen and just one Spätlese from this difficult vintage (plus several 2012s that are still in the market and on which I report on our website eRobertParker.com). Whereas normally Auslesen are rare vineyard selections made from overripe and botrytized berries, in 2013 the Spätlese was the fastidiously picked "selection of ripe but healthy green and yellow grapes," Katharina went on. "These were rare in our vineyards, but when we picked enough of them to produce a Spätlese in the style we love, we decided to auction it as 'the rarity of the 2013 vintage'." In the end the total quantities were extremely low (just 1/3 of a normal harvest) and the Prüms had to allocate their wines with great caution. They started picking on October 23, so quite late since "the berries were unripe and the acidity too high for a long time. But when we started harvesting also botrytis came and we really had to rush." The results, however, are stunning and the Prüms presented some outstanding wines is one of the most difficult vintages of the last 25 years. 2014 was better because the loss was "only 50 per cent". eRobertParker.com.February, 2015
About the producer
Joh. Jos. Prüm is the benchmark estate of the Middle Mosel, renowned for Rieslings of exceptional delicacy, precision, and longevity. From the legendary slopes of Wehlener Sonnenuhr to Graacher Himmelreich, their wines capture a singular balance of lightness, tension and mineral purity.