Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese White Capsule*** 2019 (750ml) *

The White Capsule designation in the Markus Molitor system signals a Riesling that leans toward the drier side of Auslese ripeness, a style built for tension rather than sweetness. This one comes from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr in the Mosel, a steep slate site above the village of Wehlen, in the 2019 vintage. Riesling grown on these slopes tends to carry ripe fruit and mineral cut in equal measure, and the Auslese picking here means fully ripe grapes without the wine tipping into overt richness.

The nose is deep and intensely ripe, full of tropical stone fruit (mango, golden passion fruit, persimmon) layered over crushed, flinty slate and a saline, iodine edge. On the palate it is rich and crystalline at once, with vibrant, finely drawn acidity and a real sense of grip and coiled power. What stands out is the structure: firm, serious, even a touch austere in its youth, with salt and a tannic pull on the long finish. This is a wine to hold. Give it time in the cellar and its layers should open into something considerably more generous.