The Value of Gold
1985 J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Gold Capsule
Cellar Rarity - Only Pricing in the U.S.
All capsules are not created equal.
Within the obsessive (neurotic?) and detail-obsessed world of the fine wine fanatic, the "gold capsule" has to hold a special, almost poetic place.
The gold capsule is one of the more aesthetically suggestive and creative ways that German winemakers denote extra-special bottles, wines that were harvested later, came from older-vine parcels, were more fanatically selected or whatever the case may be.
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There is no more famous practitioner of the "gold capsule" then the venerable estate of J.J. Prüm. Were I to list the top 10 German wines I've ever had, I'd estimate 5 of them came from Prüm - all of them sported the golden capsule.
The greatest German wine I've ever had - the 1971 Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese wore a long gold capsule, so yes... the story can get even more complicated.
I spend altogether too much time searching out back-vintage German wines. Still, all this effort amounts to is a few offers a year. Well, this is one of them and it's special for three reasons: The wine, the provenance and the price.
Prüm's 1985s are smoking wines, opulent and fleshy with a Mosel sex appeal that combines a sort of sultry, curvaceous mid-palate with all the blue slate and smoke and cut that this legendary site delivers.
If the 1983s are still primal, nervous and brimming with granny smith apple fruit, the 85s show more depth and generosity, a glowing depth of fruit that has incredible breadth: sharper edges of apple, pear, taut stone fruits wrapped in the rounder, riper flavors of honeydew melon and even pineapple. Yet, what the Mosel Valley does so well, what the famed Sonnenuhr Vineyard does... what Prüm does, is marry this complexity to finesse, marry the sweetness to acidity - always the perfect balance.
Aged Riesling is one of the rare, rare treats - there is no other grape, aside from maybe Chenin Blanc, that can rival the ageability, the grandeur and mystery that Riesling achieves with a few decades in the cellar.
These come from a great cellar in Germany and while the 85 Gold Capsule finds itself in a very, very nice drinking window right now, it will only proceed forward at a glacial pace so expect another 10 years or more of drinking, easily.
And finally... price. Well, there is no other 1985 Prüm available in the U.S. so it's hard to say this or that, but consider that the 2009 and 2010 Gold Capsules already push the $100-mark (and often times, bust it wide open).
Here we have a small parcel that's pre-cellared! Think about it as buying the bottle at $100 and then paying $3.70 a year for its cellaring?
This will sell out quickly - give us your maximum order and we'll do the best we can.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Stephen Bitterolf
Wine Director
Crush Wine & Spirits
Gold Capsule Auslese