It’s been a drab year so far, and we are already in March without much great wine to talk about. Your Winepisser has tasted a slew of whites lately (middling sauvignon blancs, a few lackluster pinot grigios, and a ton of crappy chardonnay) as well as a moderate sampling of reds (dull malbecs, a few surprisingly bad California blends) and nothing has stood out. Well, except for the Apothic White, which was so shockingly bad we compared it to what you might get if you juiced those artificial banana cakes they sell at all-night gas stations.
But where were the great wines? It’s March, for heaven’s sake!
Well, meet Joh. Jos. Prüm’s 2012 Graacher Hehimmelreich Spätlese, Winepisser’s first 5-star winner for 2017. This Mosel Riesling should surprise no one since it keeps garnering high ratings from the usual wine reviewers, but reading a review is one thing, and drinking it is something altogether different.
This reez reminds us why Mosel is Eden for the breed, the place where seemingly nothing can go wrong for Riesling, as the glass is a bounty of light but uninhibited flavors: tea, apricot, pear and a finish of ever-so-slight green apple. It’s sweet, but only slightly so, and there’s no fizz here so don’t worry. Lovers of arid dry wine won’t like it, but everyone else will.
I had limited tasting notes for this, and it was drunk un-paired, but it would go well with any of the typical dishes that sit well next to a Mosel Riesling, including pork, fish and even spicy tacos.
Interested in more information? It will be hard to come buy, as the JJ Prüm website is a Spartan little thing, but with some sniffing you should find it at a Total Wine or orderable through your local grape-shiller.
