Joh. Jos. Prüm Estate

The Prüm family's presence in the village of Wehlen stretches back over 400 years, with records placing them there as far back as the 12th century. The estate as it is known today traces its formal origins to Sebastian Alois Prüm (1794-1871), whose brother Jodocus famously erected the sundials in the Wehlener and Zeltinger vineyards in 1842, giving the great Sonnenuhr (sundial) sites their legendary names. When Mathias Prüm died in 1911, the S.A. Prüm estate was divided among his seven children. The oldest, Johann Josef Prüm (1873-1944), founded and named his share of the inheritance, creating Weingut Joh. Jos. Prüm. In 1920, Johann Josef's son Sebastian took over day-to-day management and, by the mid-1930s, had forged the distinctive house style that made the estate internationally famous. Sebastian died in 1969, and his son Dr. Manfred Prüm assumed control, carrying the estate to even greater heights over nearly five decades. Since 2003, Manfred's daughter Dr. Katharina Prüm has worked alongside her father, and the first vintage for which she held full responsibility was 2007. Both Manfred and Katharina hold doctorates in law, not winemaking, a charming detail that underscores how deeply the estate's philosophy is rooted in family tradition rather than formal enological training.

• The Prüm family has lived and farmed in Wehlen since at least the 12th century, giving the estate one of the deepest roots in German wine history
• Jodocus Prüm erected the famous sundial in the Wehlener vineyard in 1842, giving the Sonnenuhr its name and an enduring landmark visible from across the Mosel River
• The estate was formally established in 1911 when the S.A. Prüm holdings were divided among the seven grandchildren of Mathias Prüm
• Three generations have stewarded J.J. Prüm since 1920: Sebastian Alois Prüm, Dr. Manfred Prüm, and Dr. Katharina Prüm, all doctors of law and dedicated to preserving the established house style

J.J. Prüm's approximately 22 hectares of holdings are concentrated in the heart of the Mittelmosel, or Middle Mosel, between the villages of Bernkastel and Zeltingen. All four principal vineyards share a common thread: south to southwest exposures, extremely steep gradients on Devonian slate, and a commitment to producing only Riesling. The crown jewel is the Wehlener Sonnenuhr, where the estate holds around five to seven hectares of land opposite the village of Wehlen. This site features thin topsoil over pure weathered Devonian slate, with gradients reaching 65 to 70 percent, and delivers what many consider the most silky and seductive Rieslings in the Mosel. Adjacent to the north lies the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, similarly steep and rocky, with even shallower topsoil that forces vines to drive deep into fractured rock, yielding wines of considerable complexity and a certain smoky, earthy density. The Graacher Himmelreich, south of Wehlener Sonnenuhr, has deeper soils with pockets of blue slate and excellent water retention, producing wines of impressive richness and layered fruit. The Bernkasteler Badstube, bordering the Graacher Himmelreich on its southern edge, sits on a slightly shallower slope with a more westerly aspect, offering extended afternoon sun exposure and wines of pronounced floral character and delicacy. All of these sites are classified as VDP Grosse Lagen, the German equivalent of Grand Cru.

• Wehlener Sonnenuhr is the estate flagship, with pure weathered Devonian slate, gradients of 65-70%, and a south-southwest exposure that produces the richest, most seductive wines in the range
• Graacher Himmelreich offers deeper soils with pockets of blue slate, giving excellent water retention and wines of notable richness and depth
• Zeltinger Sonnenuhr directly borders Wehlener Sonnenuhr to the north; its shallower topsoil and immediate contact with slate rock produces wines of earthy, rocky, and smoky complexity
• Bernkasteler Badstube has a more westerly orientation than the other sites, yielding wonderfully floral and mineral wines that are among the most delicate in the Prüm portfolio

J.J. Prüm's approach to winemaking is defined by restraint and patience, a philosophy passed down through four generations with remarkably little change. The estate produces exclusively Riesling, spanning the full range of German Prädikat levels from Kabinett through Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and Eiswein, always with residual sweetness as the house signature. Fermentation is entirely spontaneous using indigenous wild yeasts, conducted in stainless steel tanks with no temperature manipulation or added yeasts. Following fermentation, wines are aged on their lees for extended periods before bottling, a practice that lends them a characteristic yeasty, reductive quality in youth, sometimes described as a sulfurous or struck-match character. Katharina Prüm calls this a 'wildness,' a veil of youth that gradually resolves with bottle age to reveal extraordinary freshness and complexity. Harvesting is done by hand only, with pickers navigating precipitously steep slopes, often using ropes, carrying separate buckets for healthy and botrytised grapes to allow precise sorting. In exceptional vintages, the estate produces Goldkapsel (gold capsule) Auslesen, which are richer, more concentrated selections influenced by botrytis. The Lange Goldkapsel (long gold capsule), identified by two white stripes, indicates an even higher proportion of botrytis and approaches Beerenauslese in concentration. Dry wines are produced only rarely and almost never exported, as the estate views residual sweetness as its defining identity.

• Fermentation is entirely spontaneous with indigenous wild yeasts; wines are matured on lees in stainless steel before bottling, creating a distinctive youthful reductive character that resolves with age
• Harvesting is exclusively manual and highly selective, with multiple passes through each vineyard parcel to pick grapes at ideal ripeness for each Prädikat level
• Goldkapsel Auslesen represent the best, botrytis-influenced selections; Lange Goldkapsel wines have an even higher botrytis content, bridging Auslese and Beerenauslese in style
• The estate maintains an unwavering commitment to residually sweet Riesling; dry wines are made only on rare request and are almost never exported

Few estates in the world can match J.J. Prüm for the documented longevity of their wines. The combination of pristine slate terroir, low yields from old ungrafted vines, naturally high acidity, residual sweetness acting as a preservative, and the protection offered by extended lees contact creates wines of extraordinary cellaring capacity. Even the most accessible Kabinett from Wehlener Sonnenuhr is capable of developing over many decades, and the Prüm family themselves rarely open their own wines with fewer than twelve years of bottle age. Spätlese and Auslese may not reach their peak for 20 to 30 years, while Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and Eiswein can remain vibrant and evolving for half a century or more. This track record has made J.J. Prüm wines among the most sought-after at auction internationally. The estate's Trockenbeerenauslese has ranked among the world's most expensive white wines, and legendary vintages such as 1959, 1971, 1976, and 1983 from Wehlener Sonnenuhr continue to achieve remarkable prices at auction. The first Auslesen were produced in the 1920 and 1921 vintages, the first Beerenauslese in 1934, and the first Trockenbeerenauslesen in 1937 and 1938. World War II interrupted production entirely in 1945, but the estate returned triumphantly with outstanding wines in 1949.

• Even a basic Kabinett from J.J. Prüm benefits significantly from five to ten years of cellaring; the Prüm family personally prefer not to open even their Kabinetts with fewer than twelve years of bottle age
• Spätlese and Auslese may not reach their peak for 20-30 years, while Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese can age vibrantly for many decades
• The estate's Wehlener Sonnenuhr Trockenbeerenauslese has ranked among the most expensive white wines in the world; the 1959 TBA has sold at auction for over $15,000 per half-bottle
• The first Beerenauslese was produced in 1934 and the first Trockenbeerenauslesen in 1937 and 1938, establishing a lineage of extraordinary sweet wine production spanning nearly a century

Joh. Jos. Prüm is a founding member of the VDP, Germany's premier association of quality wine estates, and all of its principal vineyards hold VDP Grosse Lage status, the association's highest classification, equivalent to Grand Cru. Dr. Manfred Prüm was awarded the title of German Winemaker of the Year in 1996 by the Gault Millau Guide to German Wines, and the estate was recognized as having the collection of the year in 2007 by the same publication. Critics have consistently placed J.J. Prüm among Germany's and the world's finest producers. Stuart Pigott wrote in The Wine Atlas of Germany that 'few estates in the world can claim to have maintained the highest quality standards uninterrupted for half a century and more.' Stephen Brook, in The Wines of Germany, observed that the estate 'remains where it has been for decades: at the summit.' The estate's wines have also attracted the highest praise from Robert M. Parker Jr., who credited Sebastian Prüm with developing the distinctive house style in the 1930s and 1940s and described the Lange Goldkapsel wines as 'liquid gold sought by collectors the world over.' The estate's consistent ability to produce wines of extraordinary quality across the entire Prädikat spectrum, from the most accessible Kabinett to the rarest Trockenbeerenauslese, is unmatched in German wine.

• J.J. Prüm is a founding member of the VDP; all principal vineyards hold VDP Grosse Lage classification (Germany's Grand Cru equivalent)
• Dr. Manfred Prüm was named German Winemaker of the Year in 1996 by the Gault Millau Guide to German Wines
• Stuart Pigott, Stephen Brook, and Robert M. Parker Jr. have all placed J.J. Prüm among the world's elite wine producers with uninterrupted consistency
• The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Trockenbeerenauslese has ranked among the world's most expensive white wines, reflecting the global collector demand for these rare sweet wines

Since 2003, Dr. Katharina Prüm has been the active face of the estate, working alongside her father Dr. Manfred Prüm. She assumed full winemaking responsibility with the 2007 vintage and has since steered the estate with a philosophy of careful conservation rather than transformation. Her guiding principle is to honor the established style her grandfather Sebastian and father Manfred built, making only incremental refinements. One adjustment she has implemented is creating a more distinct difference in sweetness levels between the drier Kabinett bottlings and the richer Spätlese wines, giving each style a cleaner identity. Katharina has also presided over the 2024 acquisition of a small 0.3-hectare parcel in the Graacher Dompropst vineyard, marking the first-ever J.J. Prüm release from that site. The estate now oversees approximately 22 hectares in total, with vine ages averaging 60 years and reaching over 100 years in some parcels, all with naturally very low yields. Both Katharina and Manfred hold doctorates in law, reflecting the family tradition of combining scholarly rigor with a deep personal passion for Riesling. The estate remains privately and entirely family-owned, with no indication of any change in that status.

• Dr. Katharina Prüm has led winemaking since the 2007 vintage; her philosophy is to preserve the established J.J. Prüm style with only incremental refinements
• The estate manages approximately 22 hectares with an average vine age of 60 years; roughly 70-90% of vines are ungrafted, contributing naturally low yields and concentrated fruit
• In 2024, Katharina Prüm acquired a 0.3-hectare parcel of Graacher Dompropst, marking the first ever J.J. Prüm release from that historic site
• The estate remains entirely family-owned and privately held, with a cellar that is famously closed to outside visitors