WEINGUT JOH. JOS. PRÜMMOSEL
Wine Region
Mosel, Germany
Vineyard
13.5 hectares
The western side of the Mosel is flat, whilst over on the eastern bank, the gradient reaches 65% in places. Directly opposite JJ Prüm’s riverfront house lies the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard, its name standing proud in large white letters on a lower terrace and in the centre, the famous sundial from which it takes its name.
The 2020 harvest at JJ Prüm was a record early one for the estate – picking started on 17th September, the core harvest finishing on 21st October.
Once again this year, our tasting notes are from bottled samples sent to us in London by Katharina Prüm (pictured here) and export manager Mihailo Martinovic.
These are classical Mosels of delicacy and bone structure rather than outright power, yet with impressive ageing potential. The Prüm 2020s have real presence, with precision throughout and a gratifying richness at the top end.
GUY SEDDON
October 2021
KABINETT
This term was originally derived from the English word ‘cabinet’, which before the German wine law of 1971 was used as a mark of quality wines. Kabinett is the ‘lowest’ (least rich) of the six German wine Prädikats. Mosel Kabinetts are particularly light in alcohol and might be described as off-dry.
BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE KABINETT
This has the most westerly aspect of the Prüm Kabinetts, giving more afternoon sun exposure and a consequently fleshier style. A spicy, peppery nose, with intense white flowers, green citrus and white peach. The palate is zesty, green apple and melon vying with orange blossom. Lingering ripeness. 8% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17+
Recommended drinking from 2024 & 2038
£99.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH KABINETT
This is a cooler site, with a more moisture-retentive soil. As always, this wine is a little leaner and more mineral-driven than Badstube, green apple and gooseberry aromas dominating. On the palate, the warmth of the 2020 summer is more visible in the ripe stone-fruit which nonetheless retains a nice crunch and zesty delicacy. 8.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17
Recommended drinking from 2025 & 2038
£120.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
WEHLENER SONNENUHR KABINETT
The power of Wehlener Sonnenuhr is evident in an insistent brightness of green citrus and fleshy peach aromas. The palate takes another step up in intensity, the delectable, zesty stone-fruit flavours almost chewable, with beautiful balancing acidity holding perfect focus. A long, perfumed finish with a sense of slaty extract. 8% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 -18
Recommended drinking from 2025 & 2039
£130.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£150.00 /CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
SPÄTLESE
Literally ‘late harvest’, within the Prädikat system, Spätlese is a step up in grape sugar, as measured at harvest time. Many consider Spätlesen to be the sweet spot (or in the other sense, not so sweet really) of Riesling where the full expression of grape variety meets terroir.
BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE SPÄTLESE
The western aspect here results in more afternoon sun exposure and a consequently fleshier style. Aromas of peach and apricot, leading into a fresh, citrus and stone-fruited palate, with orange zest and white flowers lingering on the finish. A wine of understated power, impressive. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17 +
Recommended drinking from 2025 & 2037
115.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH SPÄTLESE
JJ Prum has over eight hectares in Graach, a cooler site. Flinty mineral aromas with white pepper and jasmine & a playfully floral nose. The palate is supple and sherbety, ripe peach fruit and zesty lemon filtered through a fine-grained mineral lattice. The step-up in richness is effortlessly assimilated. A ripe, fleshy finish. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2024 & 2047+
£125.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£145.00 /CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
WEHLENER SONNENUHR SPÄTLESE
Crystalline lemon and lime aromas, with honeysuckle and apricot, then stony minerality. Uncommon openness at this early stage. The palate is ripe and succulent, the fruit weight currently dominating rather impressively, sustained by an arc of steely acidity which lifts and drives the peach, pear and quince flavours through to a long, focused finish. Wonderful. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2027&2047+
£145.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£165.00 / CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
AUSLESE
Meaning ‘selected harvest’, Auslese is another notch up in volume. Auslesen may also have some botrytis, or ‘noble rot’, contributing to the sense of honeyed richness. In the best examples, this is offset by the Mosel signature high-line of taut acidity. In 2020, there was once again relatively little botrytis, due to the early harvest and cool late season.
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH AUSLESE
The flintiness and ferrous mineral aromas of Graach, with cool peach fruit and peppery spice. The palate is much more exuberant and friendly than the 2019 at a similar stage, soft and pliant, with a disarming purity of stone fruit. A wine with a long life ahead but don’t be afraid to try a bottle early. 7% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2025 & 2045
£145.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
WEHLENER SONNENUHR AUSLESE
Honeysuckle and crème brûlée aromas, with ripe peach and apricot. The palate is plushly fruited and cushioned on the entry, the stony mineral definition of this great vineyard just peeking through on the mid-palate and properly emerging on the long, textured finish. Honeyed and decadent. 7% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18
Recommended drinking from 2027 & 2047
£165.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£185.00 / CASE OF 12 HALVES, IN BOND UK
£185.00 / CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
AUSLESE GOLDKAPSEL
Goldkapsel, also referred to as Goldcap, signalling the gold capsule around the neck of these bottles. It is an unregulated term in Germany but has become widely used in the Mosel to denote an additional level of quality, richness and ageing potential.
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH AUSLESE GOLDKAPSEL
Fine stone-fruited aromas which combine the ripeness of a warm summer with the zesty citrus and delicate lemon sherbet of this cool site. The palate is rich and yet acid-driven, the clipped freshness and stony mineral definition lifting the flavours so that the fruit all but evaporates in your mouth. Effortlessly ephemeral which, for a wine of real richness, is no mean feat! 7% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 18+
Recommended drinking from 2027 & 2047+
£315.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£335.00 / CASE OF 12 HALVES, IN BOND UK
WEHLENER SONNENUHR AUSLESE GOLDKAPSEL
Cool, pure lime fruit aromas, with lemon zest and honeysuckle gradually emerging from the glass. Coy and elegant, versus the more extrovert 2019. The palate is more overtly powerful, demonstrative apricot, quince and honey flavours dominating, supported by flashes of nougat and slaty minerality. A great wine in need of time. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2030 & 2050+
£350.00 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£370.00 / CASE OF 12 HALVES, IN BOND UK
Introduction
Joh. Jos. Prüm’s vineyards are ideally located opposite the village of Wehlen, at the centre of the famous sweeping run of vertiginously steep slopes which are responsible for some of the world’s greatest and most age-worthy white wines.
The western side of the Mosel is flat, whilst over on the eastern bank, the gradient reaches 65% in places. Directly opposite JJ Prüm’s riverfront house lies the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard, its name standing proud in large white letters on a lower terrace and in the centre, the famous sundial from which it takes its name.
The 2020 harvest at JJ Prüm was a record early one for the estate – picking started on 17th September, the core harvest finishing on 21st October.
Once again this year, our tasting notes are from bottled samples sent to us in London by Katharina Prüm (pictured here) and export manager Mihailo Martinovic.
These are classical Mosels of delicacy and bone structure rather than outright power, yet with impressive ageing potential. The Prüm 2020s have real presence, with precision throughout and a gratifying richness at the top end.
GUY SEDDON
October 2021
THE 2020 VINTAGE
“We are convinced that the 2020 vintage will conquer wine lovers’ hearts…” Katharina Prüm
The 2020 season in a nutshell:
- Mild winter
- Budbreak in April and flowering in June – both early
- August warmer than average and September summer-like
- The sunniest growing season of the past three years, without the heat peaks of 2019 or the greater overall warmth of 2018
- Record early harvest, delivering healthy grapes with moderate sugar and good acidity levels
- Quantities higher than in 2019
Winter 2019-20 was very mild and started dry. February then brought a lot of welcome rain, replenishing the water table. March continued wet, before drier conditions arrived in April, along with temperatures which fluctuated between frosts and 25°C+. Fortunately, the frosts did not cause damage in the vineyards. Budbreak in April was even earlier than in 2019.
May continued dry, with June bringing “the rain we had so longed for”, in Katharina Prüm’s words. Flowering took place in early June, amid less extreme conditions than in 2019, with just one hot day, 31°C on 26th June, and 10 days above 25°C (versus 19 in 2019).
July was very dry and warm, with temperatures peaking at 37°C late in the month. August “outperformed” its counterparts in the 2019 and 2018 vintages, with an average temperature of 21.6°C and a maximum of 37.1°C on the 8th. It was both much warmer than average and more humid.
This warmth lasted through September, heralding a record-early harvest which started on 17th September. This allowed the Prüm team to pick “well-developed but not overripe” Kabinett grapes, during the first dry phase of harvest.
Temperatures then dropped drastically in October. Spells of rain required short pauses in picking, but the cool temperatures and wind enabled the grapes to dry quickly and allowed harvest (of “the most beautiful grapes”) to resume.
The “core” of harvest finished on 21st October, with “slightly botrytised” Goldkapsel grapes in Wehlener Sonnenuhr.
THE WINES
KABINETT
This term was originally derived from the English word ‘cabinet’, which before the German wine law of 1971 was used as a mark of quality wines. Kabinett is the ‘lowest’ (least rich) of the six German wine Prädikats. Mosel Kabinetts are particularly light in alcohol and might be described as off-dry.
BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE KABINETT
This has the most westerly aspect of the Prüm Kabinetts, giving more afternoon sun exposure and a consequently fleshier style. A spicy, peppery nose, with intense white flowers, green citrus and white peach. The palate is zesty, green apple and melon vying with orange blossom. Lingering ripeness. 8% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17+
Recommended drinking from 2024–2038
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH KABINETT
This is a cooler site, with a more moisture-retentive soil. As always, this wine is a little leaner and more mineral-driven than Badstube, green apple and gooseberry aromas dominating. On the palate, the warmth of the 2020 summer is more visible in the ripe stone-fruit which nonetheless retains a nice crunch and zesty delicacy. 8.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17
Recommended drinking from 2025–2038
WEHLENER SONNENUHR KABINETT
The power of Wehlener Sonnenuhr is evident in an insistent brightness of green citrus and fleshy peach aromas. The palate takes another step up in intensity, the delectable, zesty stone-fruit flavours almost chewable, with beautiful balancing acidity holding perfect focus. A long, perfumed finish with a sense of slaty extract. 8% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 -18
Recommended drinking from 2025–2039
£150.00 /CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
SPÄTLESE
Literally ‘late harvest’, within the Prädikat system, Spätlese is a step up in grape sugar, as measured at harvest time. Many consider Spätlesen to be the sweet spot (or in the other sense, not so sweet really) of Riesling – where the full expression of grape variety meets terroir.
BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE SPÄTLESE
The western aspect here results in more afternoon sun exposure and a consequently fleshier style. Aromas of peach and apricot, leading into a fresh, citrus and stone-fruited palate, with orange zest and white flowers lingering on the finish. A wine of understated power, impressive. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17 +
Recommended drinking from 2025–2037
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH SPÄTLESE
JJ Prüm has over eight hectares in Graach, a cooler site. Flinty mineral aromas with white pepper and jasmine – a playfully floral nose. The palate is supple and sherbety, ripe peach fruit and zesty lemon filtered through a fine-grained mineral lattice. The step-up in richness is effortlessly assimilated. A ripe, fleshy finish. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2024–2047+
£145.00 /CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
WEHLENER SONNENUHR SPÄTLESE
Crystalline lemon and lime aromas, with honeysuckle and apricot, then stony minerality. Uncommon openness at this early stage. The palate is ripe and succulent, the fruit weight currently dominating rather impressively, sustained by an arc of steely acidity which lifts and drives the peach, pear and quince flavours through to a long, focused finish. Wonderful. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2027–2047+
£165.00 / CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
AUSLESE
Meaning ‘selected harvest’, Auslese is another notch up in volume. Auslesen may also have some botrytis, or ‘noble rot’, contributing to the sense of honeyed richness. In the best examples, this is offset by the Mosel’s signature high-line of taut acidity. In 2020, there was once again relatively little botrytis, due to the early harvest and cool late season.
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH AUSLESE
The flintiness and ferrous mineral aromas of Graach, with cool peach fruit and peppery spice. The palate is much more exuberant and friendly than the 2019 at a similar stage, soft and pliant, with a disarming purity of stone fruit. A wine with a long life ahead but don’t be afraid to try a bottle early. 7% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2025–2045
WEHLENER SONNENUHR AUSLESE
Honeysuckle and crème brûlée aromas, with ripe peach and apricot. The palate is plushly fruited and cushioned on the entry, the stony mineral definition of this great vineyard just peeking through on the mid-palate and properly emerging on the long, textured finish. Honeyed and decadent. 7% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18
Recommended drinking from 2027–2047
£185.00 / CASE OF 12 HALVES, IN BOND UK
£185.00 / CASE OF 3 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
AUSLESE GOLDKAPSEL
Goldkapsel, also referred to as Goldcap, signalling the gold capsule around the neck of these bottles. It is an unregulated term in Germany but has become widely used in the Mosel to denote an additional level of quality, richness and ageing potential.
GRAACHER HIMMELREICH AUSLESE GOLDKAPSEL
Fine stone-fruited aromas which combine the ripeness of a warm summer with the zesty citrus and delicate lemon sherbet of this cool site. The palate is rich and yet acid-driven, the clipped freshness and stony mineral definition lifting the flavours so that the fruit all but evaporates in your mouth. Effortlessly ephemeral which, for a wine of real richness, is no mean feat! 7% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 18+
Recommended drinking from 2027–2047+
£335.00 / CASE OF 12 HALVES, IN BOND UK
WEHLENER SONNENUHR AUSLESE GOLDKAPSEL
Cool, pure lime fruit aromas, with lemon zest and honeysuckle gradually emerging from the glass. Coy and elegant, versus the more extrovert 2019. The palate is more overtly powerful, demonstrative apricot, quince and honey flavours dominating, supported by flashes of nougat and slaty minerality. A great wine in need of time. 7.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2030–2050+
£370.00 / CASE OF 12 HALVES, IN BOND UK