Joh. Jos. Prüm, VDP.Weingut

Disclosure: I have a commercial relationship with this producer. See my ethics and disclosure policy.

J.J. Prüm is the iconic estate of the Middle Mosel and progenitor of the light, piquant, mineral, and energetic wines with varying degrees of balancing sweetness, which many associate with Mosel Riesling and German wine in general. Riesling Prädikatswein is the name of the game here.* While any Prädikat level at Prüm is a joy to drink, Auslesen with Gold Capsules (GK) and Long Gold Capsules (LGK) represent superlative selections from great vintages.

The estate produces only Riesling, and when young, the wines can show both natural carbon dioxide, which gives them a spritzig character, and a reductive quality derived from prolonged lees contact, spontaneous fermentation, and stainless-steel vinification. Prüm wines require time in the bottle to fully express themselves, though recent warmer vintages have yielded wines that are more immediately accessible. Aged J.J. Prüm wines have a reputation for developing the so-called petrol character, caused by a buildup of the chemical compound TDN, though I've found this less and less in recent vintages.

Before the founding of the estate in 1911, the Prüm family had been winegrowers in Wehlen for several hundred years. Johann Josef Prüm established the estate following the split-up of S.A. Prüm in 1911. His son, Sebastian, began working at the estate in 1920, developing Prüm style during the 1930s and 1940s. Sebastian's son, Dr. Manfred Prüm, and his younger brother Wolfgang Prüm took over in 1969. Manfred's responsibilities lay in the cellar while Wolfgang managed the vineyards. Dr. Katharina Prüm, a lawyer and Manfred's daughter, began working with Manfred in 2003. From Sebastian to Manfred to Katharina, J.J. Prüm's style remains unchanged.

Mature and mostly ungrafted vines grow in Bernkastel, Wehlen, Graach, and Zeltingen. The vineyard holdings include 8.5 hectares of Graacher Himmelreich and 7.5 hectares of Wehlener Sonnenuhr. The Himmelreich delivers very clear, filigreed, and energetic Rieslings; the celebrated Wehlener Sonnenuhr produces the estate's most sensual, elegant, complex, and iconic wines. There's also Bernkastel Badstube, Bernkasteler Lay, Zeltingen Sonnenuhr, and Johannisbrünnchen.

As I write this on September 1, 2026, the 2025 vintage is now on offer, with the first deliveries expected in the United States in early November. Based on the hundreds of GGs tasted in Wiesbaden, Germany last week, not to mention many years of reading and writing German vintage reports, the 2025s seem to be shaping up as one of the greats in recent decades. It's mere coincidence, of course, but the "5s" keep giving us great German Riesling worth cellaring.

2025 was an early harvest for Katharina Prüm and her team, beginning on September 15. Yes, the vintage was warm, and August was hot and dry, but rain and cooler weather arrived at the end of September. J.J. Prüm stands for Prädikatswein, but based on the 2025 GGs I just tasted, this will be a Mosel vintage of exceptional clarity, balance, and structural precision. J.J. Prüm produced the full spectrum of sites and Prädikats in this vintage. They will be a joy to sell and undoubtedly exhilarating to drink.

*A tiny amount of trocken wine is produced, although it is a niche product and not generally exported.