Winemaker Notes
The Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard in the most northernly site and directly borders the northern edge of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr. Both sites are named after the sundials (Sonnenuhr) that sit amongst the vines and that are clearly visible from the other side of the river. The Zeltinger Sonnenuhr has a similar sun exposition and steepness to its neighbor, but there is less top soil and the roots hit on the firm slate rock almost immediately. This means the vines have more trouble finding water which affects yields and the characteristics of the vines. Prüm's parcel comes from a patch of 60-70 year old vines around the sundial. The wines can be very complex, with earthy, rocky and smoky notes. They can have a certain dense quality and their acidity often is lower. They perhaps do not achieve the same finesse as the wines from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, but they are probably more complex and can deliver wonderful, mouth-filling pleasure nonetheless.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese opens with a highly delicate bouquet of finely crushed or weathered slate into which the fruit is bedded like a princess so that the terroir and Riesling fruit are already perfectly interwoven at this early stage. Round and juicy as well as saline and with mineral grip on the palate, this is a dense and stimulating saline and frisky Spätlese from one of the finest Mosel terroirs. It is endlessly saline and salivating on the crystalline, super clear and vivacious finish. This is a great, highly stimulating and finessed Spätlese indeed! 7% stated alcohol. Natural cork.
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Vinous
The 2023 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese is still a little reductive. A slight dried herbal frisson plays around tender yellow plum notes on the shy nose. The palate is beautifully light and vividly citric with gentle lemon candy sweetness and luminous freshness. A tingling, balanced, vivid finish accentuates the lightness.
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James Suckling
Still quite closed and tightly wound, this firmly structured Mosel riesling spatlese needs some time for the fruit aromas to unfurl. Excellent concentration and delicacy of flavor in a more forthrightly mineral direction than the spring-like classics from the neighboring Wehlener Sonnenuhr.
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Wine Spectator
Passion fruit, guava and pink peppercorn spiciness define this round, vibrant version. The silky, generous structure is backed by stony minerality. Offers a refreshing kick of menthol and herbs thats like a cool breeze. Tightly coiled, rich and elegant, with a long, taut finish. Drink now through 2040. 85 cases imported.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Following the Mosel River as it slithers and weaves dramatically through the Eifel Mountains in Germany’s far west, the Mosel wine region is considered by many as the source of the world’s finest and longest-lived Rieslings.
Mosel’s unique and unsurpassed combination of geography, geology and climate all combine together to make this true. Many of the Mosel’s best vineyard sites are on the steep south or southwest facing slopes, where vines receive up to ten times more sunlight, a very desirable condition in this cold climate region. Given how many twists and turns the Mosel River makes, it is not had to find a vineyard with this exposure. In fact, the Mosel’s breathtakingly steep slopes of rocky, slate-based soils straddle the riverbanks along its entire length. These rocky slate soils, as well as the river, retain and reflect heat back to the vineyards, a phenomenon that aids in the complete ripening of its grapes.
Riesling is by far the most important and prestigious grape of the Mosel, grown on approximately 60% of the region’s vineyard land—typically on the desirable sites that provide the best combination of sunlight, soil type and altitude. The best Mosel Rieslings—dry or sweet—express marked acidity, low alcohol, great purity and intensity with aromas and flavors of wet slate, citrus and stone fruit. With age, the wine’s color will become more golden and pleasing aromas of honey, dried apricot and sometimes petrol develop.
Other varieties planted in the Mosel include Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), all performing quite well here.