Now it was off to the house next door to have dinner and a tasting at Manfred Prum's of the JJ Prum estate. I was very excited as I had not tasted the '05's yet so anticipation was high. Tasting at Manfred Prum's house is a unique experience as Manfred talks a bit but very little about the specific wines. More generalities but still it provides a unique experience. He even had a tasting sheet this year. Rudi was very suprised by this as this was the first time in 30 years there has been a tasting sheet when Rudi has been there. His daughter, Katarina was incredibly charming and very easy on the eyes too. She is a great representative of the estate. There were many many wines and I did not take notes on the last three as I was so exhausted but I will list them for academic sake. After you taste what is on the initial tasting sheet the blind wines comes out which seems like forever. There is no real pace here. Manfred does things at his own pace. Manfred goes down to the cellar, comes back up, plops the wine down on the table, and just grins as we all try to guess. The wines especially from his cellar are ageless so it is very hard to guess. And you can tell Manfred gets delight in seeing how off we are on guessing the age of his wines. It was easier trying to guess if it was Wehlen or Graach but even then that was tough as you will see. A tremendous night and an unforgettable experience....albeit a long one.
'04 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett - Piercing nose of almond, apples and slate. Super-intense acidity on the palate with great concentration and purity. Long and intense and just showstopping Kabinett. Manfred's '04's are sleeper wines and are just tremendous. I cannot reccomend them enough.
'04 Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese - A touch of sulfur, decaying leaves and flowers peeking through. Very concentrated and pure with a sliken-like texture and wonderful elegance. Just gorgeous wine with perfect balance between ripeness and acidity.
'03 Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese - One of the best '03's I have had. They are much higher on '03 in the MSR than we are here in the states. Another touch of sulfur on the nose with some apples and cream. Palate is fat with some slightly dilute flavors but that is all forgotten on the finish where layers of ripe fruit coat your palate. Very intense Spatlese.
'05 Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese - My first '05 Prum! And it did not dissapoint. Another touch of sulfur but such purity and richness on the nose and a palate with waves and waves of fruit and mineral. Incrtedibly concentrated with dense minerality and a long finish. Just blew away the previous wines. Spectacular!
'04 Graacher Himmelreich Auslese - Major sulfur on the nose here...but hey..look where I'm tasting. Baking spices but not much else on the closed nose. Zingy acids and wonderfully complex palate make this a joy to drink now but this is holding a ton in reserve. The purity in this wine was astounding.
'03 Wehlener Sonnenhur Auslese - Too rich for my blood with not enough acidity. Apple, slate, tremendous ripeness and tons of botrytis. Needs either 30 years as they say over in Germany or will fade very quickly.
'05 Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese - Truly spectacular stuff here. Super minerally nose with intense white peaches. Very ripe. Fat and pure with a jaw-dropping creaminess. Dense with the cleanest botrytis you can imagine. A show-stopper.
'05 Graacher Himmelreich Auslese - What a nose! Just the essence of Graach. Brilliant. If you have some of this wine you will be happy. With all of it's complex fruit and spice it is truly refreshing. Best '05 yet.....until...two wines down.
'05 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese - This was excellent stuff but not in the same league as the Graach. It was perfect Wehlen wine with ripe generous fruit and lemony acidity and tons of fruit but of the regular Auslesen I preferred the Badstube and the Himmelreich.
'05 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese GK - If young Mosel Riesling gets better than this I have yet to taste it. Just a cacophany of spice, botrytis, apple, slate and pear on the nose. Layered nose that has to be smelled deeply and intensely. The palate is Sonnenuhr boiled down to it's essence. A refreshing liquer of Sonnenuhr that has endless and limitless complexity. Long finish. So pure and refreshing it defies description. Just a stunning wine that is not even wine just preserved sunshine.
'84 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett - Nice nose of petrol and lemon curd. Pure and cleansing. Very refreshing. I think I guessed '98.
'81 Wehlener Sonnenhur Spatlese - Complex nose of scallions and petrol, apple-spice, lemon curd and honey. Great concentration and ripeness with yellow and star fruits abounding on the finish. Great aged Spatlese.
'82 Wehlener Sonnenhur Auslese - Lemony, floral nose with apples abounding on the palate and great concentration. High acidity keeps it all very fresh. This was my last official note as I was on my last wind here and it was about 11:30 at night. We also tasted the following wines which were great. I think I thought they were all '01's.
'93 Bernkasteler Lay Auslese
'03 Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese
'03 Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese
I wandered out and reflected on the amazing experience I just had..breathed in the fresh Mosel air and said goodbye to the Mittle Mosel as the next day the Saar was up.
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