2013 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese

I tasted eight wines with Dr. Manfred Prüm last August, and six of them were Ausleses. Two even more unctuous Rieslings are still maturing in his cellars and will only be shown when the time is right at the relevant auction in Trier. “Until the early '80s, we often had vintages like 2013,” he explained. “It was a very difficult vintage and we had to wait until late autumn to harvest ripe grapes. By then, we not only had very little wine, but also little other than Ausleses.” With more than 50 harvests under his belt, he is one of the grand ol’ men on the Mosel and has memories of bygone years that few of the younger vintners can match. For them, he remains not only a legend but also a source of inspiration. While most collectors dream of Ausleses, the reality of the market is that most consumers buy only Kabinetts or the occasional Spätlese, which is why he also made one of each. The Kabinett carries no site name on the label, which is his sly way of saying that it is actually a declassified Spät- or Auslese.