2018 Riesling Spätlese Graacher Himmelreich, Wéingut Max Ferdinand Richter, Mosel, Germany

This offers very refined and deeply complex notes of peach, orchard fruits, citrus and dried flowers. The wine combines a delicious creaminess and zest with freshness. It is racy and multi-layered on the palate with a sappy and very long finish. This terrific Spätlese is a great ambassador of the Estate’s classical airy and delicate style.

For 300 years, the Richter family has owned and farmed vineyards in the central Mosel area.

Working 40 acres of vines, they are masters of their craft and have consistently produced some of the region’s best Rieslings. The deep valley, cut through the landscape by the Mosel River, creates some of the wine world’s most impressive and precipitous slopes on which to grow vines. Using knowledge gathered over generations, the Richters’ fastidiously work the terraces, focusing on low yields, natural fertilizers, and cultivation in harmony with geology. Selective hand-picking, meticulous work in the cellar, and the use of old oak 960 litre Moselle fuders create single-vineyard cuvees that offer superb drinking but also great ageing potential.