J.J. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese 2009
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Product Details
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Somm Note
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Wine Spectator
Very racy and powerful, with lots of mineral and sea salt notes to the fresh and vibrant flavors of nectarine and lemon-lime. Pure and long on the finish, with hints of licorice and savory herb. Best from 2012 through 2022. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pink grapefruit, banana, cassis and lily perfume announce the extreme ripeness of fruit that informed the Prums’ 2009 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese. Juicy and extroverted on the palate, it packs a sense of sassy brightness that perfectly compliments any tendency toward extravagant or over-indulgent ripeness. As to your being over-indulgent by drinking some, I’d say, “yes, you would be – fortunately.” I see no need to wait for a half dozen years to approach this. On the other hand, if you wait 25, this wine will still be waiting for you and in good shape.
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Wine & Spirits
This shows precocious charm, its ripe flavors of white peach and fresh apple incisive, pungent and pure. Harmonious from beginning to end, this demonstrates a silky finesse and subtly detailed length.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine shows terrific complexity at this young age, with spicy notes akin to musk, dusty notes akin to crushed stone and plenty of underlying fruit. It's stony yet sweet, lush yet crisp. A trifle heavier than expected, it finishes long, with savory-briny notes. Might this rating seem conservtive in 5–10 years?
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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.