Germany’s VDP represents one of the world’s most exacting communities of wine estates, united by a belief that great wine begins with great vineyards. Masters of Riesling brings together three distinctive expressions from Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Wagner-Stempel, and Joh. Jos. Prüm, traveling from the slate slopes of the Saar and Mosel to the volcanic porphyry of Rheinhessen. From the dry, intensely mineral Bockstein Grosses Gewächs and Siefersheim Porphyr to the luminous, delicately sweet Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese, this SommSelect collection captures the extraordinary range of Germany’s greatest grape through three benchmark VDP estates.

2022 Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Spätlese, Graacher Himmelreich

One of the defining names of the Mosel, and Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese shows another side of Germany’s Riesling tradition. Rather than pursuing complete dryness, Prüm uses natural sweetness as part of the wine’s balance, suspended against brilliant acidity, slate-driven minerality, and extraordinary aromatic purity. Ethereal rather than powerful, it completes the collection by showing that great Riesling cannot be understood through dryness alone.

2023 Wagner-Stempel, Siefersheim "Porphyr" Dry Riesling

From Saar slate we move south to the volcanic soils of Siefersheim. Wagner-Stempel’s “Porphyr” draws its identity from the ancient porphyry beneath these vineyards, giving us a completely different expression of dry Riesling. Where Bockstein emphasizes the cool, finely etched character of the Saar, Porphyr brings Rheinhessen texture, ripeness, and stony intensity. Together, the two wines demonstrate exactly why the VDP places such importance on origin and terroir.

2023 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, "Bockstein" Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Saar

Bockstein is a VDP.GROSSE LAGE, a historic Saar vineyard whose steep, slate-rich slopes produce Riesling of remarkable tension and mineral intensity. Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt renders it as a Grosses Gewächs, the VDP designation for a dry wine from a Grosse Lage vineyard. Precise, structured, and built around the Saar’s signature combination of delicacy and energy, this is Riesling defined by a great site.