2020 Riesling, Auslese***, Erdener Prälat, Markus Molitor, Mosel, Germany (Gold Cap)
Critics reviews
7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 146 22 in July 2022.
Molitor's golden-yellow colored 2020 Riesling Erdener Prälat Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) indicates perfect botrytis that has concentrated perfectly ripe and zesty Riesling fruit with citrus fruit notes. On the palate, this is a highly concentrated, zesty and spectacular fresh Prälat given its warm terroir adjacent to the Mosel River.
Dense and fleshy yet also crystalline and savoury, the 2020 Prälat Auslese is carried by acidity that comes onto the palate like a laser to cut this rich and concentrated Riesling into very thin slices. This wine is incredibly precise and piquant and wakes up all the senses, even far after midnight. The finish is iodine, even salivating and super precise yet still nervous and striving for calm. Not at its peak yet, but it's once again a fabulous Prälat made to age for decades and more.
Drink 2035 - 2100
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (August 2022)
About this WINE
Markus Molitor
The Molitor family has been producing wine in the Mosel for more than 8 generations.
Markus Molitor is the present owner and winemaker and he now has 22 hectares of vineyard, with holdings in Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Urziger Würzgarten, Graacher Himmelreich and Bernkasteler Badstube. His substantial holding in Zeltinger Sonnenuhr is the jewel in the estate`s crown.
Mosel
The Mosel wine region in Germany is renowned for its high-quality white wines, especially Riesling. Its unique terroir of steep slopes, slate soils, and cool climate contributes to the wines' distinctive character.
Riesling dominates the vineyard plantings, and the region follows a vineyard classification system based on ripeness levels. Historic vineyards, such as Erdener Prälat and Wehlener Sonnenuhr, produce exceptional wines.
The Mosel offers various styles, from crisp Kabinett and rich dessert wines. The region's wine culture is celebrated through multiple festivals, making it a must-visit destination for wine enthusiasts.
Riesling
Riesling's twin peaks are its intense perfume and its piercing crisp acidity which it manages to retain even at high ripeness levels.
In Germany, Riesling constitutes around 20% of total plantings, yet it is responsible for all its greatest wines. It is planted widely on well-drained, south-facing slate-rich slopes, with the greatest wines coming from the best slopes in the best villages. It produces delicate, racy, nervy and stylish wines that cover a wide spectrum of flavours from steely and bone dry with beautifully scented fruits of apples,apricots, and sometimes peaches, through to the exotically sweet flavours of the great sweet wines.
It is also an important variety in Alsace where it produces slightly earthier, weightier and fuller wines than in Germany. The dry Rieslings can be austere and steely with hints of honey while the Vendages Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles are some of the greatest sweet wines in the world.
It is thanks to the New World that Riesling is enjoying a marked renaissance. In Australia the grape has developed a formidable reputation, delivering lime-sherbet fireworks amid the continental climate of Clare Valley an hour's drive north of Adelaide, while Barossa's Eden Valley is cooler still, producing restrained stony lime examples from the elevated granitic landscape; Tasmania is fast becoming their third Riesling mine, combining cool temperatures with high UV levels to deliver stunning prototypes.
New Zealand shares a similar climate, with Riesling and Pinot Gris neck to neck in their bid to be the next big thing after Sauvignon Blanc; perfectly suited is the South Island's Central Otago, with its granitic soils and continental climate, and the pebbly Brightwater area near Nelson. While Australia's Rieslings tend to be full-bodied & dry, the Kiwis are more inclined to be lighter bodied, more ethereal and sometimes off-dry; Alsace plays Mosel if you like.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 146 22 in July 2022.
Molitor's golden-yellow colored 2020 Riesling Erdener Prälat Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) indicates perfect botrytis that has concentrated perfectly ripe and zesty Riesling fruit with citrus fruit notes. On the palate, this is a highly concentrated, zesty and spectacular fresh Prälat given its warm terroir adjacent to the Mosel River.
Dense and fleshy yet also crystalline and savoury, the 2020 Prälat Auslese is carried by acidity that comes onto the palate like a laser to cut this rich and concentrated Riesling into very thin slices. This wine is incredibly precise and piquant and wakes up all the senses, even far after midnight. The finish is iodine, even salivating and super precise yet still nervous and striving for calm. Not at its peak yet, but it's once again a fabulous Prälat made to age for decades and more.
Drink 2035 - 2100
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (August 2022)
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