Weingut Mönchhof Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2018

The Prälat is a true icon and one of the most famous and expensive vineyards in Germany. This tiny 1.5-hectare site is nestled in the steepest and most extreme part of the hill, between the two Grand Crus: Würzgarten and Treppchen. The steep slope faces south with near-perfect exposure to the sun and has a unique terroir blending blue-grey slate elements of the Erdener Treppchen with iron oxide elements of Ürzig. The parcel is planted with 120-year-old Riesling vines that year after year deliver the best grapes of the vintage. The vineyard is the last one to be harvested each year, as the berries hang loosely and ripen for a very long time. The old vines are trained using the traditional single-pole system that is characteristic of the Mosel, which allows for a greater planting density, and under healthy competition their roots extend deep into the soil to find water and nutrients – some are over 15 metres deep. Cultivated by hand, the soils are loose and healthy and able to absorb rainwater easily. Only Auslese is made from the Prälat vineyard and it still features the original label from the 1930s.

A rigorous, manual selection took place, with only the ripest berries making the cut. The fruit was immediately crushed and after sedimentation, the must was pumped into 500- litre stainless steel tanks. A short, cool fermentation with inoculated yeasts took place before being halted at around 8% alcohol. The young wine spent five months in stainless steel tanks.