Markus Molitor, Wehlener Sonnenuhr Gold Capsule Riesling Spatlese Mosel 2022, [Pre-Arrival]

95 points Vinous
"The 2022 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese Gold Capsule flashes hints of fresh, juicy, ripe pineapple on the open nose. The pineapple is framed by zesty orange peel vividness that heightens every expression, dancing with juiciness. Stony, cool slate is ever-present. The finish is long, aromatic, zesty and precise. (Sweet)."

94 points James Suckling
"What a beautiful expression of this famous vineyard site. Brimming with white and yellow peach, plus fine honeysuckle and gardenia aromas. Such an exciting balance of finely nuanced white fruits and racy acidity on the medium-bodied palate. Delightful, featherlight finish that’s barely off-dry. Drink or hold."

Vinous Reverie Notes
Per Vinous Media:
Any visit to Markus Molitor’s Haus Klosterberg is a tour de force. The man himself is a force of nature. He tirelessly drives to make the best wines possible, do the utmost justice to his vineyards, and vinify as many parcels separately as he can. “Akribie,” or absolute meticulousness, is his guiding principle. His next favorite word is selection. “Transporting the identity of each site into the glass time after time, vintage by vintage,” is how one of his employees described the ethos of the estate. Add to this a tireless, obsessive nature and a deep-seated love for this intricate region and its history, and you begin to understand what you are in for. Molitor’s vast estate holdings, now amounting to 120 hectares, include the property of the former Prussian State Domaine in Serrig (Saar), which he bought in 2016. He notes how both the pandemic and building supply issues delayed the planned re-opening of this historic renovation project. Then there are new acquisitions: it took lengthy negotiation and persuasion with more than 60 vineyard owners to piece together the numerous parcels of the cooler, well-ventilated vineyards in the upper Zeltinger Schlossberg, many of them fallow for years. Molitor bought these to recultivate, so his supply of grapes for Kabinett wines is ensured in the ever-warming climate. Harvest in these elevated sites is two to three weeks later than in lower-lying vineyards. Molitor also says that he is always “on the lookout” for more sites suitable for Pinot Noir, having been among the first to plant the variety after it was re-permitted in the region in the 1980s and noting that it will be “ever more important” in the region. Wine styles at Molitor are color-coded: white capsules denote dry, green is off-dry, and gold is sweet. Within these categories, wines are tiered into one, two and three stars of each of the Prädikate, harking back to the pre-1971 attributes of “feiner”, “feinste” and “hochfein” – meaning finer, finest and absolutely fine. This old-fashioned but clear-cut distinction was conferred on wines before they went to auction during the last decades of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th centuries—the glory days of Riesling. A three-star Auslese can thus be produced in trocken, feinherb or sweet and so on. Multiply this by countless parcels in numerous sites across Mosel and Saar, several harvest passes for various Prädikate, and you understand the number of wines on offer. The star ratings are not down to degrees of Oechsle, i.e., the ripeness of the must at harvest, but to the evolution of every single lot of wine in the cellar. Molitor notes that many of the three-star Auslesen are made in tiny quantities of just 300-500 bottles. Three stars guarantee a wine at the very height of its expression. They often are from the oldest vines – but not necessarily. The sweetest Prädikate, BAs and TBAs, in tiny kegs and glass balloons, are still fermenting away in a corner of the smaller tasting room, so they benefit from the warmer temperature that they need at their glacial pace of progress. All dry wines, made strictly without botrytized grapes, are fermented and matured in 2,000- and 3,000-liter barrels made by Stockinger and some smaller barrels. This results in some Rieslings with a distinct touch of oak-derived hazelnut creaminess. Some wines also ferment in amphora, concrete egg and stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation is avoided as much as possible. While Riesling is the mainstay, Pinot Noir is of growing importance. There is also a little Pinot Blanc and, since 2018, also some Chardonnay. About 2022, Molitor said, “The important thing was to reduce yields,” and noted that depending on the site, this meant 30-40% less than his long-term average. “There has never been so little Auslese trocken,” he said and noted that, unlike some local colleagues, he did not chaptalize his wines. “There are few high caliber dry wines,” he added, “there is just a handful of extremely selected dry Auslesen, but they are still in barrel.” As could be expected from Molitor, the fact that 2022 did not offer much botrytis did not prevent him from making “16-17 nobly sweet wines, including two Beerenauslesen, one from Ürziger Würzgarten, one from Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, and two TBAs, both in the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, all still fermenting away. “Each and every single raisin was selected,” he said of the painstaking work necessary to achieve such wines, explaining that he has a trusted team of women who are experienced sorters. Pressing in a small basket press takes eight to ten hours for these raisined berries. “Since 1988, we have made TBA without exception. This is no longer anything to do with economic efficiency. Indeed, the 2022 Rieslings are a mixed bunch, and, in this vintage, where Riesling struggled to ripen due to water stress, the dry wines, i.e., the white capsule wines, are slender and less expressive than usual. However, the off-dry (green capsule) and sweet (golden capsule) wines are thrilling and animating. I also tasted three dry Auslesen from 2021 that had not been bottled on my previous visit. These are phenomenal wines.
Tasting Notes: Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - It smells of fully ripe apricots, peach nectar, mango, dried fruit, caramel, vanilla, nutmeg blossom and linden blossom honey. The taste is opulent, creamy, dense and round with a soft play of sweetness and acidity on the palate and ends with a full-bodied and powerful finish.