J.J. Prüm

The Prüm family presence in Wehlen stretches back to at least the 12th century, though the Joh. Jos. Prüm estate as it exists today dates to 1911, when the original S.A. Prüm holdings were divided among seven heirs. Johann Josef Prüm (1873 to 1944) founded the estate, and his son Sebastian (1902 to 1969) built its international reputation, forging the house style during the 1930s and 1940s as noted by Robert Parker. Sebastian's son, Dr. Manfred Prüm, took over in 1969 and shaped the estate for over five decades. Since 2003, Manfred has worked alongside his daughter Dr. Katharina Prüm, a doctor of law like her father, who now effectively leads day-to-day management. The estate's cellar remains famously closed to visitors, adding to its mystique.

• Founded 1911 by Johann Josef Prüm after the partition of S.A. Prüm; Sebastian Prüm built the estate's global reputation from the 1920s through the 1960s
• Dr. Manfred Prüm led the estate from 1969; Dr. Katharina Prüm joined in 2003 and is now the estate's public face and primary winemaker
• Both Manfred and Katharina hold doctorates in law, not oenology; the estate's winemaking tradition is rooted in hands-on knowledge passed through generations
• The cellar has never been open to outside visitors; the estate does not publish technical datasheets for its wines

J.J. Prüm's approximately 22 hectares encompass some of the Middle Mosel's most prestigious sites, all planted exclusively with Riesling on Devonian slate soils. The crown jewel is the five-hectare holding in Wehlener Sonnenuhr, a vineyard named after a sundial erected in 1842 by Jodocus Prüm, an ancestor of the estate, to help workers tell the time on the steep rocky face. The vineyard features slopes of up to 70% gradient, south-southwest exposure, and deep weathered grey slate that retains heat and provides steady moisture. Roughly 90% of the estate's vines are ungrafted because phylloxera cannot survive in slate soils, and average vine age exceeds 60 years, with some parcels over a century old. Additional holdings in Graacher Himmelreich, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Bernkasteler Badstube, and Bernkasteler Lay each deliver distinct mineral and aromatic signatures.

• Wehlener Sonnenuhr (5 ha): grey Devonian slate, up to 70% gradient, south-southwest exposure; named after the 1842 sundial of Jodocus Prüm; produces the estate's most structured and long-lived wines
• Graacher Himmelreich: deeper soils with pockets of blue slate providing excellent water retention; slightly less steep; wines show more citrus, earlier accessibility, and racy acidity
• Zeltinger Sonnenuhr: borders Wehlener Sonnenuhr to the north; shallow topsoil over firm slate; earthier, smokier character with somewhat lower acidity
• Bernkasteler Badstube: marginally shallower slopes with western orientation; produces floral, delicate, and mineral wines; Bernkasteler Lay adds a blue-slate, westerly-facing dimension to the portfolio

J.J. Prüm's winemaking is defined by minimal intervention and respect for natural processes. Grapes are hand-harvested with painstaking selectivity, often over multiple passes through each vineyard, with workers carrying separate buckets for healthy and botrytis-affected fruit. After gentle pressing, fermentation begins spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The estate employs reductive winemaking, using minimal handling and low oxygen exposure to preserve freshness and slow the aging process. Once fermentation concludes naturally, the wines are transferred to old 1,000-liter oak casks, typically over 50 years old, where they age on their lees until bottling. The estate produces virtually no dry wines; Katharina Prüm has stated that Joh. Jos. Prüm stands for the sweet style, and that the Mosel produces something rare that few in the world can replicate.

• Hand-harvest with multiple selective passes; separate collection of botrytis-affected fruit for higher Prädikat levels; harvest typically runs October into November
• Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts; reductive winemaking style produces a characteristic struck-match aroma in youth that resolves with bottle age
• Post-fermentation aging in 50-plus-year-old, 1,000-liter oak casks on the lees; this neutral old wood adds texture without imparting oak flavor
• No malolactic fermentation; virtually no dry wines produced; the house style centers entirely on off-dry to sweet Prädikat bottlings with natural residual sugar

J.J. Prüm produces the full Prädikat range from all four main vineyard sites, with the Wehlener Sonnenuhr bottlings representing the estate's most prestigious and sought-after wines. The Kabinett, despite its light frame, is a serious ageworthy wine; the Prüm family themselves rarely drinks their Kabinetts with fewer than 12 years of age. The Spätlese from Wehlener Sonnenuhr combines ripe stone fruit with saline precision and can improve for 20 to 30 or more years. Auslese and Goldkapsel Auslese bottlings command allocation prices and routinely appear at major fine wine auctions. At the apex, the estate's Beerenauslese, Eiswein, and Trockenbeerenauslese from Wehlener Sonnenuhr rank among the world's most expensive white wines. The first sweet Auslese was produced from the 1920 and 1921 vintages; the first Beerenauslese followed in 1934, and the first Trockenbeerenauslesen in 1937 and 1938.

• Kabinett: the entry Prädikat level, yet capable of 20 to 30-plus years aging; the Prüms consider 12 years a minimum before opening
• Spätlese and Auslese: core of the portfolio; Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese averages around $75-90, Auslese around $95-110 at retail
• Goldkapsel Auslese: stricter selection, higher botrytis influence; averages $215 to $260; Lange Goldkapsel bottlings are rarer and costlier
• TBA and BA: among the most expensive white wines in the world; Wehlener Sonnenuhr TBA has averaged over $5,000 per bottle at auction

Young J.J. Prüm Rieslings are often marked by a characteristic reductive struck-match or smoky aroma, a byproduct of spontaneous fermentation and minimal handling that dissipates with bottle age to reveal great complexity. Beneath this veil, the wines show crystalline citrus, white peach, and stone fruit aromatics framed by saline, stony minerality from the Devonian slate. Alcohol is naturally low, typically between 7% and 9.5%, which allows the interplay of fruit, acidity, and residual sugar to develop over decades without fatigue. With 10 to 20 years, wines develop honeyed stone fruit, waxy texture, and mineral depth. The finest Auslese and higher Prädikat bottlings continue evolving for 30 to 50-plus years, maintaining vivacity throughout.

• Youth (0 to 5 years): struck-match reduction, citrus, white peach, slate; wines are often closed and nervy in this phase
• Development (10 to 20 years): reduction resolves, honeyed stone fruit and waxy textures emerge, minerality intensifies; the classic Prüm drinking window begins
• Maturity (20 to 50-plus years): profound complexity of dried fruit, beeswax, petrol, and deep mineral resonance while retaining remarkable freshness and racy acidity

J.J. Prüm is consistently ranked among Germany's two or three most important wine estates, alongside Egon Müller and a handful of others. Dr. Manfred Prüm was named German Winemaker of the Year in 1996 and received the Collection of the Year accolade in 2007, both from the Gault Millau Guide to German Wines. The estate is a founding member of the VDP and holds the VDP Grosse Lage designation for its premier vineyard wines. Multiple J.J. Prüm bottlings appear on Wine-Searcher's list of the world's 50 most expensive wines, including Wehlener Sonnenuhr TBA, BA, and Eiswein. The estate's influence is foundational to understanding Mosel Riesling: its style of spontaneous fermentation, reductive winemaking, and naturally sweet balance has become the archetype against which all Mosel Riesling is measured.

• Founding member of the VDP; Wehlener Sonnenuhr wines carry the VDP Grosse Lage designation for premier cru-equivalent status
• Dr. Manfred Prüm: German Winemaker of the Year 1996 and Collection of the Year 2007, Gault Millau Guide to German Wines
• Multiple bottlings rank among the world's 50 most expensive whites; Wehlener Sonnenuhr TBA has averaged over $5,000 per bottle
• The estate's struck-match, reductive house style has become the defining reference point for traditional Mosel Riesling production