Axel Pauly, `Helden` Mosel Riesling Trocken

Axel Pauly is a dynamic young star of German wine. After many years honing his craft across Germany, as well as in California and New Zealand, Axel took over the Pauly family estate in the Mosel from his father. Most of this 10-hectare estate is situated in the village of Lieser, at the heart of the Mosel Valley, except for a small parcel in neighbouring Bernkastel. Fittingly, the label features the Mosel hills, which, when turned on their side, reveal the ‘Tres Naris’ (or ‘three noses’) of Axel, his father and his grandfather.

Lieser's grey and blue slate soils are cooler than the red slate in Bernkastel, resulting in more mineral wines than those from its more famous neighbour. The Pauly vines cling to steeply sloping, vertigo-inducing vineyards. Axel uses crop thinning, leaf plucking and grape selection at harvest to ensure a flavour ripeness in the fruit he preserves for the final wine.

From the quaffable and dry ‘Tres Naris’ and the pristine and steely ‘Purist’, to the traditional medium-dry ‘Generations’, the stunning quality and great purity of the Pauly range are enhanced by Axel’s approach in the winery. Indigenous yeasts are used until they begin to struggle towards the end of fermentation. At this stage, Axel introduces cultured yeasts to preserve the expression of the vineyard’s character in the wines. The fruit for his two single-vineyard Mosel Rieslings is sourced from the steep slope of the Niederberg-Helden top site. While the more delicate `Lieserer Niederberg-Helden` off-dry Kabinett is charming and lively, the dry ‘Helden’, whose name means ‘Heroes’, is sophisticated and elegant with wonderful concentration.