Winemaker Notes
The grapes for this wine come from old parts of the vineyard, including some ungrafted vines of up to 100 years of age. The soil consists of layers of complex minerals, including the very distinctive blue Devon slate. Markus Molitor is currently the largest property owner within this very famous small vineyard site (only 20 hectares) recognized as one of the best ones along the Middle Mosel.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Molitor and Mosel fans shouldn't miss the chance to buy at least a case of the 2016 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese ** (Golden Capsule)—one of the five different Auslesen Markus Molitor selected in his most important grand cru. The sweet two-starred Auslese comes from the Schiesswingert and the Fliegenberg. It opens with a deep, clear, very fine and complex bouquet of perfectly ripe Riesling berries with very fine botrytis flavors and refreshing flinty notes from the fine slate of the Sonnenuhr. Lush and generous on the palate, with a perfectly ripe and concentrated Riesling fruit, very fine minerals and crunchy slate flavors, this is an exciting Auslese of great finesse and elegance. The finish is delicate but tensioned thanks to the crunchy-salty slate sensation that gives structure as well as finesse and energy.
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.