Wine Region

Mosel, Germany

Vineyard

22 hectares

Seeking Diamonds

2024 was a challenging vintage, but the outcome was remarkable. Winegrowers faced threats of frost, floods and cooler temperatures, but Riesling can relish in the stress of trying to produce fruit against the odds. The 2024 wines are concentrated, visceral and mineral-driven, born of pressure, but they don’t need a cut and polish to reveal their flawless brilliance… Just a little time.

It's a classic Mosel vintage, with drier styles considered the stars. But producers such as JJ Prüm, who have managed to make wines beyond Spätlese, have crafted something truly breathtaking. The Auslesen, and in particular the Goldkapsules, are striking, beautifully pure and rare. The signature youthful Prüm aromas of smoke and reduction are present now but will dissipate with maturity to reveal unparalleled freshness and intricacy. If you’re seeking diamonds, look no further.

For fourth-generation Dr Katharina Prüm, focussing on the Prädikatswein is key to harnessing the uniqueness of Riesling. You’ll find no GG (Grosses Gewächs) wines here, but instead a spectrum of expressions to tantalise even the most critical palate. Coupled with the wines’ renown for longevity, the 2024 JJ Prüms are perhaps some of the most desirable Rieslings in recent years.

In her vintage report, Katharina refers to the wines tempting you in with their light elegance and textural complexity. That word ‘tempt’ is paramount here, and you don’t need to be a Riesling lover to be seduced by their timeless allure!

TIFFANY VERNON

FINE WINE OFFERS & BUYING

NOVEMBER 2025

Founded in 1911 by Johann Josef Prüm, the estate known today as JJ Prüm has become a luminary in the village of Wehlen, the wider Mosel and the world of German wine. Johann Josef was succeeded by his son, Sebastian, who died in 1969, in turn handing over to his two sons, Manfred and Wolfgang. Katharina is Manfred’s daughter. She has been at the estate since 2003.

Joh. Jos. Prüm’s patchwork of vineyards spans 22 hectares, with some plots 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. Pickers have been known to require abseiling skills for harvesting. 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, installed by Jodocus Prüm in 1842.

The estate comprises four vineyard plots, including the renowned Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Graacher Himmelreich. Along with being planted on dangerously steep slopes, these plots boast blue-grey Devonian slate soils. Astonishingly, ungrafted vines account for almost 90% of the estate — as Katharina explained, “phylloxera doesn’t like slate”. However, since 2006, new plantings of ungrafted vines have not been allowed. The average vine age is around 40 years.

In 2024, meticulous sorting was essential. To this end, almost all parcels were visited 2-3 times prior to harvesting, with additional sorting required back at the winery for Goldkapsule.

“The wines tempt with a combination of lightness and elegance on the one hand, and texture, complexity and precision on the other”

Katharina Prüm

“The year 2024 got off to a chilly start, with frosty temperatures down to -9°C in January and a healthy amount of rain. High precipitation persisted until May, resulting in almost twice the normal rainfall and providing ample water reserves.

February and March saw mild temperatures, even reaching summery levels in early April, but then temperatures dropped significantly, reaching frosty lows on 22^nd April. Fortunately, the frost only affected a few of our parcels in Graach and Bernkastel, while our colleagues on the Ruwer and Saar suffered significant damage with crop losses of up to 90%.

May started off very warm again, only to cool down later in the month, making it a moderate one overall in terms of temperature.

June also started cool, but it became warmer as the month progressed, and there were even three hot days topping 30°C towards the end. While July was still rather average in terms of both temperature and rainfall, August brought the summeriest days and the hottest day of the year, peaking at 35°C. Ripening continued to progress well.

In September, the weather cooled and it rained more, continuing into October. We started the grape harvest on 1^st October and were initially able to harvest pleasing quantities of beautiful Kabinett grapes, particularly in the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, as well as excellent Spätlese-quality grapes in all four vineyards. When it became almost summery again in October, the grapes also ripened to Auslese and Goldkapsel levels, and we even were able to select a small amount of Beerenauslese. The harvest ended on 31^st October''.

THE VINEYARDS

BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE

Bernkasteler Badstube lies to the southeast of the Prüm house, facing back across the river towards Bernkastel-Kues. The slopes here are marginally less steep than in the other holdings (although steepness is all relative here!). The vines are afforded longer exposure to the afternoon sun. The wines, consequently, have a tendency to be a little more flamboyant in youth, with a marked mineral tension.

GRAACHER HIMMELREICH

The Graacher Himmelreich vineyard faces southwest and has deeper soils than Wehlener Sonnenuhr, which is sometimes described as Graach’s older brother. This soil depth provides excellent water reserves. The wines tend towards fine acidity, pronounced minerality, white flowers and spices. These can be earlier-drinking wines. The vineyard is shaded from the sun in the early part of the morning.

ZELTINGER SONNENUHR

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr has sparser soils than the adjacent Wehlen. Both sites are south-facing. The combination of reduced water supply and old vines yields wines with particularly stony minerality. We only have one wine from this vineyard this year, the Spätlese, but we urge you to seek it out — it is one of the surprises of the offer.

WEHLENER SONNENUHR

Directly opposite the family home, over the river, Wehlener Sonnenuhr is a fabulously sited and steeply sloping vineyard. It is the jewel in the Prüm holdings and one of the grandes dames of the Mosel. The name refers to a sundial constructed by Jodicus Prüm in the vineyard. There are five hectares of old, low-yielding, ungrafted vines here. An Einzellage (single vineyard plot), Wehlener Sonnenuhr produces wines defined by their warmth and impressive age-worthiness.

Tasting notes

By Guy Seddon

KABINETT WINES

This term was originally derived from the English word ‘cabinet’, which, before the German wine law of 1971, was used to denote quality wines. The German Prädikat system is based on the grapes must weight — the higher the must weight, the higher the level. This is often translated in terms of sweetness, but it would be more accurate to describe the richness of the wine. Kabinett has the lowest must weight and therefore is the least rich of the six German wine Prädikats. Mosel Kabinetts are particularly light in alcohol and might be described as off-dry.

GRAACHER HIMMELREICH KABINETT

Graacher Himmelreich is a cooler site, with a more moisture-retentive soil. Cool white peach and apple skin aromas with flinty minerality and spices. Enveloping white fruit on the palate, which is lifted by the taut acidity. A little less quantity than usual here in 2024. 8.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17

Recommended Drinking From 2028-2040

£162 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

WEHLENER SONNENUHR KABINETT

The Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard is directly opposite the house and forms the core of the estate holdings. There is more yellow fruit here than in the Graacher Kabinett. Zesty and tactile, it is fine boned, with rich extract. 8.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5

Recommended Drinking From 2028-2042

£168 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

SPÄTLESE

Literally ‘late harvest’, within the Prädikat hierarchy, Spätlese is a step up in richness. At their best, spätlesen combine Riesling’s power with its versatility, allowing both the grape variety and terroir to shine.

ZELTINGER SONNENUHR SPÄTLESE

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr has sparser soils than the adjacent Wehlen vineyard with a south-facing aspect. It tends to excel in spätlesen. The combination of reduced water supply and old vines makes for wines of particularly stony minerality. Spicy and smoky on the nose. The palate is flinty and slaty, with bright white peach and pear skin. A little less expressive at present, but with impressive wound tension and power to come.

Corney & Barrow Score 17+

Recommended Drinking From 2028-2042

£162 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

GRAACHER HIMMELREICH SPÄTLESE

JJ Prüm has over eight hectares in Graach, a cool stretch of the river between Wehlen and Bernkastel. Mint and lime rind aromas lead into a zesty palate of playful, dancing stone and citrus fruit, lifted by fine acidity. This will be approachable relatively early.

Corney & Barrow Score 17-17.5

Recommended Drinking From 2028-2042

£174 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

WEHLENER SONNENUHR SPÄTLESE

Wehlener Sonnenuhr is the centre of the Prüm world, directly opposite the family house. This is in many ways the benchmark of the estate. Macadamia nuts and white flowers on the nose. The palate is soft and tactile, with luminous white peach and waxy lemon zest. Slaty and saline on the long, tapered finish. Long, persistent and perfumed finish. 8% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18

Recommended Drinking From 2030-2046

£195 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

AUSLESE

Literally ‘selected harvest’, Auslese is another notch up in volume. Auslesen may also have some botrytis cinerea, or ‘noble rot’, contributing to the sense of honeyed richness. In the best examples, this is balanced against the Mosel’s signature steely acidity.

GRAACHER HIMMELREICH AUSLESE

Herbal, grassy aromas. On the palate, the attack is fine boned and delicate, reminiscent of a classical dancer in the Auslese chorus, as one of my tasting companions commented enigmatically, opening onto a rich mid-palate of real presence and quite weighty, luminous stone fruit. The finish is impressively tapered and elegant.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5-18

Recommended Drinking From 2030-2049

£198 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

WEHLENER SONNENUHR AUSLESE

This has the textbook nose of bright yellow flowers and apricot, complemented by mint leaf, herbs and white peppery spice. The palate is seamless and feels rooted in the earth. Rich yellow stone fruit, honey and toffee apple are offset against taut acidity. Katarina commented, “I think these wines will be extremely attractive in 10-15 years.” As complex as I had hoped, this offers top-quality drinking for decades to come.

Corney & Barrow Score 18

Recommended Drinking From 2032-2050

£225 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

£130 / case of 6 halves, in bond UK

AUSLESE GOLDKAPSULE

Goldkapsule is an unofficial indicator of higher quality. Some Mosel producers use a star rating, others a barrel number. JJ Prüm uses a gold capsule. Auslesen wines can be made from a wide range of oechsle (ripeness at harvest), meaning some will be akin to spätlesen style, whilst others are closer to a Beerenauslese. The Goldkapsule labelling term indicates the wine is on the richer end and likely to have some botrytis cinerea.

GRAACHER HIMMELREICH AUSLESE GOLDKAPSULE

This has all the lovely, rich stone fruit associated with this style of wine, whilst introducing a more herbal element. A fine boned structure shines through the white peach-fruited richness. Complex and multifaceted. I love the meeting of richness and finesse here.

Corney & Barrow Score 18

Recommended Drinking From 2033-2050

£450 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

WEHLENER SONNENUHR AUSLESE GOLDKAPSULE

This wine isn’t produced every year; for example, there are gaps in the 2022 and 2021 vintages, but it was made in 2023, and delightfully, in 2024. Fine smoky aromas, leading into a palate of tactile fruit, poised botrytic honey and marmalade, followed by quince, lime rind and yellow honeysuckle perfume. The richest of the wines, with fabulous drive.

Corney & Barrow Score 18+

Recommended Drinking From 2033-2052

£462 / case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

£252 / case of 6 halves, in bond UK

For any order inquiries, please contact us at [email protected]

WEINGUT JOH. JOS. PRÜMMOSEL, GERMANY

THE ESTATE

THE 2024 VINTAGE, IN THE WORDS OF KATHARINA PRUM

Vintage character

THE VINEYARDS

BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE

GRAACHER HIMMELREICH

ZELTINGER SONNENUHR

WEHLENER SONNENUHR

Tasting notes

KABINETT WINES

SPÄTLESE

AUSLESE

AUSLESE GOLDKAPSULE

In-Bond / Retail products