Mosel and Saar: the great slopes of slate riesling
30 bouteilles, des coteaux de la Moselle à ceux de la SarreA wine name here is read in two stages: the village takes an -er suffix, the lieu-dit follows. Wehlener Sonnenuhr is the sundial slope, above Wehlen. Once you have that grammar, the valley becomes readable slope by slope.
The river carves a slate gorge between Trier and Koblenz, and every meander raises a due-south slope where riesling ripens slowly. The Saar, a tributary valley and colder, gives stricter wines that take longer to open. The two share the same layered rock, and the label always says where the bottle comes from.
Joh Jos Prüm - G. Himmelreich A. Goldkap 2022
A magnificent Moselle Riesling, pure and crystalline, where the finesse of the slate meets perfectly balanced sweetness.
Axel Pauly - Lieserer Niederberg-Helden Riesling Auslese 2021
An Auslese from Moselle combining intense indulgence, fruit purity and crystalline freshness.
Joh Jos Prüm - Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 2022
A great Moselle Riesling, combining crystalline purity, controlled sweetness, and remarkable mineral tension.
Dr. Loosen - Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett 2024
An airy and precise Moselle Riesling, where the gourmet fruit meets vibrant minerality.
Dr Loosen - Graacher Domprobst Dry GG 2023
A dry Moselle terroir Riesling, precise and mineral, combining aromatic intensity and great finesse on the palate.
Axel Pauly - Generations Riesling 2022
A precise and crystalline Moselle Riesling, where freshness combines with a beautiful mineral intensity.
The great lieux-dits of the Mosel
Every bend in the river raises a slope facing the sun, and every slope carries a name. Here are the slopes the selection runs through, from upstream to downstream, with the rock that sets them apart.
| Le coteau | Commune et situation | Sol et exposition | What it gives in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brauneberger Juffer | Brauneberg, en face du village | Ardoise grise profonde, plein sud sur une pente régulière | Broad and sunny for the valley, yellow peach, generous finish |
| Niederberg-HeldenAxel Pauly | Lieser, juste en amont de Bernkastel | Ardoise grise décomposée, sud à sud-ouest, pente raide | Slender, lemon and white flowers, very straight |
| Bernkasteler BadstubeJoh. Jos. Prüm | Bernkastel-Kues, au-dessus de la vieille ville | Ardoise grise fine et fragmentée, sud-ouest | Finesse et pêche blanche, un toucher soyeux |
| Graacher HimmelreichJoh. Jos. Prüm | Graach, entre Bernkastel et Wehlen | Ardoise bleue épaisse, sud à sud-ouest | Plus de chair, tilleul et pomme mûre, finale longue |
| Graacher DomprobstDr. Loosen | Graach, la pente qui domine le village | Very stony blue slate, steeper slope | Tight and saline, the more structured of the two Graach slopes |
| Wehlener SonnenuhrJoh. Jos. Prüm, Dr. Loosen | Wehlen, autour du cadran solaire | Ardoise bleue, plein sud, jusqu'à soixante degrés de pente | Cristallin, citron vert, en dentelle : la référence de la vallée |
| Zeltinger SonnenuhrJoh. Jos. Prüm | Zeltingen-Rachtig, en aval de Wehlen | Ardoise grise en terrasses étroites, sud à sud-ouest | Droit et floral, finale ferme et saline |
| Ürziger WürzgartenDr. Loosen | Ürzig, in the bend of the river | Ardoise rouge et grès volcanique, amphithéâtre plein sud | Épicé, muscaté, presque exotique : le plus reconnaissable |
| Erdener TreppchenDr. Loosen | Erden, en face du village | Ardoise rouge en terrasses, sud à sud-ouest | Fruit jaune et épices douces, plus rond que ses voisins |
The Saar, a tributary valley south of Trier, carries the same slate on into colder air: around Wiltingen and the Scharzhofberg, riesling gains in austerity and asks for a few years in the cellar. There Van Volxem makes a dry Schiefer Riesling at €21 a bottle, available as a single bottle.
Ce que dit l'étiquette, mot par mot
A Mosel name is always written in the same order: the village, the lieu-dit, the grape variety, then the harvest and style terms. Each word answers a precise question.
| L'élément du nom | Ce qu'il désigne | Un exemple de la sélection |
|---|---|---|
| Le village en -er | La commune d'origine, transformée en adjectif par le suffixe -er | Wehlener vient de Wehlen, Graacher de Graach, Ürziger d'Ürzig |
| Le lieu-dit | Le coteau précis, qui suit toujours le nom du village | Wehlener Sonnenuhrle cadran solaire de Wehlen |
| Le cépage | Le raisin, écrit en toutes lettres lorsqu'il figure sur la bouteille | Weissburgunderle nom allemand du pinot blanc |
| La mention de récolte | La maturité du raisin cueilli : Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese | Erdener Treppchen Kabinettla récolte la plus légère |
| Trocken | A dry wine, whatever else the label says | Kinheimer Rosenberg Trocken GGdry and cut out for the table |
| GG | Grosses Gewächs, the cru classified by the VDP, reserved for dry wines | Wehlener Sonnenuhr Trocken GGle sommet sec du coteau |
| AR | Alte Reben, old vines rooted deep in the slate | Ürziger Würzgarten Trocken GG ARvieilles vignes sur ardoise rouge |
| Goldkapsel | La capsule dorée, réservée au tri le plus concentré d'une cuvée | Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap186 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
The harvest terms announce the ripeness of the grapes, and the sugar scale that goes with them is set out in detail on the German wines page. To follow the grape variety from end to end, from taut dry to sweet, go to the Riesling page.
A bottle for every mood
Ways into the valley, from your first dry riesling to the gold capsule at the end of a meal.
Découvrir le style de la vallée
Un riesling sec de Lieser, citron et pierre mouillée, élevé sur ardoise grise. La porte d'entrée la plus fidèle au goût mosellan.
Axel Pauly Generations Riesling 2022 · 18,60 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Goûter l'ardoise rouge
Le coteau volcanique d'Ürzig donne un riesling épicé, presque exotique, léger en alcool et relevé par une acidité vive.
Dr Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett 2024 · 23,80 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Un sec de grand coteau
Old vines on the blue slate of Wehlen, fermented in foudre: dry riesling in its deepest form.
Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Trocken GG AR 2022 · 55 € la bouteille, par lot de 2Passer par la Sarre
A neighbouring valley, colder air, stricter wines. A taut, saline dry wine, cut out for oysters and seafood platters.
Van Volxem Schiefer Riesling 2022 · 21 € la bouteille, à l'unitéComprendre la légèreté mosellane
Huit degrés d'alcool, un soupçon de sucre et une acidité qui relance la bouche : la signature du plus célèbre domaine de Wehlen.
Joh Jos Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett 2023 · 55,80 € la bouteille, par lot de 2Finir le repas en douceur
Baies botrytisées triées grain à grain, miel et fruits confits, tenues par une acidité vibrante. Le compagnon du roquefort.
Dr Loosen Beerenauslese 2018 · 40,80 € la bouteille, par lot de 3Offrir une bouteille de garde
The gold capsule from the sundial slope, with ageing potential counted in decades. The gift for the well-informed.
Joh Jos Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap 2018 · 186 € la bouteille, à l'unitéSuivre une maison de Bernkastel
From light Kabinett to old-vine Grosses Gewächs, the estate that put the great Mosel slopes back in the spotlight.
Page du rayon · Dr. Loosen
Ardoise bleue, ardoise rouge
The rock changes colour along the way, and the wine follows. Around Wehlen, Graach and Zeltingen, Devonian blue slate gives fine, taut wines, almost like lace, with that note of lime that made the valley's reputation. A few kilometres downstream, at Ürzig and Erden, an intrusion of red sandstone and volcanic rock warms the soil: there the riesling turns spicy, muscat-scented, broader on the palate.
The Saar adds a third register. This tributary valley, higher and cooler, ripens its grapes later: the wines are born austere, seemingly slight, and open out their depth after a few years in the cellar.
Comment on choisit
On this shelf we taste before we list, and we look at two things: the precision of the fruit and how the saline finish holds. A prestigious slope name counts for less than what is still there ten seconds after the sip. For the rest, we follow the estates that harvest by hand on the steepest slopes.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur la Moselle
Pourquoi ces bouteilles partent-elles surtout par lot ou par caisse ?
The Mosel estates we follow ship their cuvées in full cases, and we keep that format to hold the price down. The price shown on each listing is the price per bottle, and the sales format appears right next to it. A few wines are still offered as single bottles, notably from Joh. Jos. Prüm and Van Volxem.
Comment se lit un nom de vin allemand ?
The first word is the village, recognisable by its -er suffix: Wehlener for Wehlen, Graacher for Graach. The second is the lieu-dit, that is to say the precise slope. Then come the grape variety, followed by the harvest and style terms. The label-reading table goes through each of these elements with an example.
Is a Mosel riesling always sweet?
The word to look for is Trocken, which guarantees a dry wine whatever else the label says. Used on their own, the terms Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese announce on the contrary a wine that is increasingly sweet, its sugar carried by a lively acidity. Most of the valley today makes dry wine.
Quelle différence entre l'ardoise bleue et l'ardoise rouge ?
Blue slate dominates around Wehlen, Graach and Zeltingen: it gives fine, taut wines marked by lime and wet stone. Red slate appears at Ürzig and Erden, mixed with sandstone and volcanic rock, and delivers spicier, broader rieslings with very ripe yellow fruit.
Combien de temps se gardent ces rieslings ?
Far longer than most whites, because the acidity and the sugar protect the wine. A Kabinett holds for ten years, an Auslese for several decades. Expect a closed phase around the fifth year, then a reopening on honey, lime blossom and that petrol note that marks a riesling come of age.
En quoi la Sarre diffère-t-elle de la Moselle ?
The Saar is a tributary valley south of Trier, higher up and more exposed to the cold. The grapes ripen later, the acidity stays livelier, and the wines seem austere in their youth before gaining depth. Their admirers actually prefer them after a few years in the cellar.
Que signifie Sonnenuhr sur une étiquette ?
The word means a sundial. Growers built several of them halfway up the slopes to give the harvest teams the time, and the best known of them looks down over Wehlen. Two slopes in the selection carry the name, Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, always preceded by the village to tell them apart.
Which slope should you choose for a first purchase?
Start with a wine from Lieser or Bernkastel, more affordable than the Wehlen crus and already very representative. Axel Pauly's dry Generations Riesling, at €18.60 a bottle by the case of 6, lays out the grammar of the valley in a single glass. A second bottle in Kabinett then shows what the sugar brings.
À quelle température servir ces vins ?
Count on ten to twelve degrees for a dry riesling, and a little cooler, around eight degrees, for a Kabinett, a Spätlese or an Auslese whose sugar gains from being tightened up. Take the bottle out of the fridge a quarter of an hour before serving, and choose a fairly wide glass to let the wine breathe.
Which dishes go with a Mosel riesling?
A dry wine calls for the rich and the salty: oysters, trout with beurre blanc, smoked salmon, fresh goat cheese. A Kabinett stands up to spicy cooking, Thai or mild Indian. The Auslese and the Beerenauslese are waiting for foie gras, Roquefort and yellow-fruit desserts.