2005 Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Museum Release
2005 Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Museum Release

2005 Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Museum Release

Joh Jos Prum |Mosel |Riesling
An extraordinary museum release from a legendary Mosel vintage, showing the intense depth and weightless precision of Prüm’s flagship slate vineyard with two decades of cellar age.
Price:
$149.00 $159.00
Stock:
Re-stocking, ships in 2-5 business days
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Description

"The wines are a stunning collection of real thrill—wonderfully classic and so expressive."
- Anne Krebiehl MW (Vinous)

"Vintages like this have become rare in this century—ones in which full fruit ripeness combines with lightness, fine slate spice and lively acidity..."
- Stephan Reinhardt (The Wine Advocate)

Every now and then, a parcel leaves the cellars in Wehlen that reminds you exactly why this estate dominates the global collector space. The 2005 vintage was an absolute blockbuster across the Middle Mosel, a year defined by perfect late-season conditions that delivered massive concentration while maintaining that impossibly light, floating structural skeleton the Prüm family is famous for. Manfred Prüm famously noted at the time that the fruit was so pristine he chose to harvest early to prevent botrytis from entirely dominating the vineyard signature.

Sonnenuhr is their grandest stage, a sheer wall of weather-split grey slate that bakes in the sun and drops right into the river. Decades of age have done wonders for this Auslese, melting the intense natural grape sugars into a fluid, incredibly detailed texture that lacks any heavy or cloying thickness.

It has shed its youthful reduction, showing instead a striking layer of preserved yellow plums, citrus marmalade, and beeswax, all stitched tightly to a cold, wet-rock mineral core. The natural acidity remains remarkably fresh, pulling the unctuous weight into a dry, lengthy, and completely unforced finish.

This is a rare look at a masterclass vintage hitting its true stride, showing incredible pedigree without shouting for attention.

17.5 points - “Smells much more of the soil than the Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 2005; firmer, chalky, cool wet stones. Leafy. On the palate it has more density and the acidity seems more pronounced – the sweetness too. Oranges, spices, deep and quite unctuous. Altogether a more demanding, powerful wine – the baritone to the Himmelreich soprano? Seems more evolved as well. A wine that commands attention.” - Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com

Customer Reviews

At the Auslese level, the shift is again more about intensity than sweetness. These are later-picked wines from riper fruit, but with pretty much no botrytis involved, so the style remains pure, fresh and finely drawn. There is a clear step up from Spätlese in depth, flesh and persistence, yet the wines still feel poised and digestible.

Katharina Prüm is always keen to stress that these are not “sweet wines” in the conventional sense. Instead, the 2024 Auslesen offer more power, more fruit concentration and more vineyard expression, while retaining the freshness that defines the vintage.

As at every level in 2024, the site differences are vivid: Graach shows a racier, more citrussy, herbal profile, while Wehlen is rounder, deeper, more stone fruited and intense.

Katharina also notes that, impressive as these wines already are, Auslese is a category that gains a completely different dimension with time. Young Auslesen can be wonderfully tempting, but patience is rewarded, and on the evidence of 2024, these are wines with a very long future ahead.

With such finesse and digestibility, these wines are typically too delicate for sweet desserts (although they can work with light, fruit-based, or custard-based dishes that are not overly sweet). Match them with whatever works for you, but don’t forget to at least consider savoury food like pork, game bird, schnitzel, savoury tarts, roast chicken, terrine, all kinds of sausage and charcuterie, and venison. But there are no rules, really; we’ve even drunk (and enjoyed them) with steak! They are also brilliant with almost all Japanese and Chinese dishes and terrific with a wide range of cheeses. And a little spice will not worry them!

The powerful 2005, by contrast, is more commanding and, naturally, more evolved. It’s deeper, chalkier and more architectural in shape. Where the 2018 charms with exuberance and texture, the 2005 feels broader-shouldered, denser, and more serious, with pronounced earthy development and a savoury complexity that demands attention. Together, they offer a compelling glimpse of how Prüm’s Auslese from Wehlener Sonnenuhr can develop across very different vintages—one radiant, generous and immediate, the other profound, soil-driven and authoritative.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Riesling
Variety Style ["Sweet Riesling"]
Country Germany
Region Mosel
Feature High Score
Iconic
Women in Wine
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Cork

Joh Jos Prum

Founded in 1911, and sporting one of the great unbroken track records for quality (save a short reprieve during World War II), J.J. Prum is one of the great wine producers of Germany, and indeed, the world.

These rare Rieslings are legendary for their incredible longevity, purity, and articulation of place. They are touted by critics as some of the finest examples of Riesling to be found anywhere on the planted. As Stephan Reinhardt once wrote, "the world always seems a better place with a glass of Prüm in hand."

The Prum family has seen the estate through three generations, with current director Dr. Katharina Prum taking hold of the reins during the 2007 harvest. With Katharina's commitment to tradition and quality from her family's label, J.J. Prum is sure to remain one of the benchmarks of the Mosel for decades to come.

Dr. Katharina Prum, Mosel Joh Jos Prum

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