Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese

Score

97

"From two parcels of very small, golden-yellow berries with thin, almost transparent skins, the 2024 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese #24 (Versteigerung Grosser Ring 2025) offers a precise and concentrated yet still a little reductive bouquet of ripe and concentrated white fruits intertwined with lemon and herbal nuances and crystalline slate notes. Mouth-filling, refined and elegant on the palate, this is an intense and rich yet highly refined, crystalline, saline and elegant Himmelreich Spätlese with a stimulating and mouthwatering finish. This is a beauty of the vintage in terms of clarity, lightness, finesse and elegance. Only 500 bottles were auctioned in November 2025 after the wine aged in stainless steel and glass balloons. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in January 2026 (AP 24 25)."

Score

99

"Schaefer's 2023 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese is very clear and intense yet also precise and flinty on the bright and well-defined nose that is intense without being bold and is characterized by its perfectly ripe and elegant fruit and delicate slate aroma. Lush and savory on the palate, this is a very intense, utterly mineral and mouthwatering Spätlese with great energy and tension, enormous length and salivating complexity. This is an adorable and age-worthy showstopper and a milestone Himmelreich for Andrea and Christoph Schaefer. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in August 2024 from AP 8 24."

Score

96

"This smells like the essence of ripe lemons with a thread of red currants running through it. So vibrant and so elegant on the barely medium-bodied, crystalline palate. The purity and brilliance are stunning. Glacial meltwater and Amalfi lemon freshness in the finish. Drink or hold."

Score

95

"The 2023 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese imbues its pristine white peach fleshiness with superbly aromatic citrus tones and mossy, green freshness. This is like a more intense Kabinett with the fruit volume dialed up a bit, but with the same essential, central lightness. It takes hold of the mouth and mind, filling the palate with charm and ease, homing in on a note of Seville orange sweetness. Its purity and radiating aromas are exquisite. (Sweet)"

Score

96

"Lovely nose of white peach with just a whisker of caramel. Also a wealth of white flowers. Simultaneously succulent and super-elegant thanks to the thread of slatey minerality that runs through this sensual beauty. The considerable power is so impeccably underplayed that you barely feel it. Very long, pristine finish. Drink or hold."

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96

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