We’re taking you to the Mosel in Germany, to one of the region’s flagship producers, Willi Schaefer. This small family domain of only four hectares is located in the fine terroir of Graach, with remarkably well-located in the area (Himmelreich and Domprobst) as well as Wehlen (Sonnenuhr), on slate slopes that plunge into the Mosel, where Riesling reaches its zenith.
The sole variety cultivated is in fact Riesling, and thanks to respectful viticulture – with much focus on the balance of the soils - and precise vinifications, their wines display sublime purity of fruit and an ethereal complexity. Be warned: these rare cuvées – wines that have been known to “make adult men cry”, according to Danish blogger René Langdahl – are at once unmissable and hard to come by.

A small quantity of botrytised grapes go into this cuvée, conferring a sweetness which is reminiscent of an Auslese wine. Well-rounded and unctuous in the mouth with notes of lemon zest and a biting acidity.