Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt - Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Beerenauslese 1976

🏰 The Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt wine estate - a traditional jewel from the Moselle

With over 675 years of history, first mentioned in a document in 1349, the Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt wine estate is one of the most traditional estates in the entire Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wine-growing region .

• Aristocratic past:The name goes back to the old, influential noble family of the Counts of Kesselstatt, who were large landowners here for centuries. In the years 1740-1746, the family had the baroque Palais Kesselstatt, which still exists today, built in the centre of Trier.

• Modern era: In1978, two years after the harvest of this wine and at the height of the fame of the legendary vintage, the entrepreneur Günther Rehacquired the winery from the founding family. This acquisition secured a successful future for the traditional winery.

• Current size: Today, the winery cultivates around 46 hectares of vineyards , 95% of which are plantedwith the noble grape Riesling and spread across the most renowned steep slopes of the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer. The winery belongs to Schloss Wachenheim AG, which has kept the estate in the Reh family to this day.

🍇 The Piesporter Goldtröpfchen site - the legendary VDP.GROßE LAGE®

"Goldtröpfchen" is more than just a name - it's a promise. The site is one of the most prestigious on the Moselle, classified as a VDP.GROßE LAGE, and resembles a huge amphitheatre created by nature . The vines stretch up to 200 metres above sea level along one of the picturesque Moselle bends near Piesport.

• The legendary terroir: The key to the Goldtröpfchen lies in its soil. It consists of deep, heavily weathered , dark Devonian slate, interspersed with quartz and minerals. This special slate stores the warmth of the sun, releasing it to the vines at night and giving the wines their inimitable mineral flavour, a salty note and impressive longevity.

• Origin of the name:The poetic name "Goldtröpfchen" has several origins. It could come from the golden droplets of noble rot that form on the ripe grapes during Trockenbeerenauslese. Other theories see the high value of the wine, which was once weighed out with gold, or the mica inclusions in the slate as the origin of the name.

☀️ The 1976 vintage of the century

The 1976 vintage is no ordinary good vintage - it is one of the great, legendary vintages of the 20th century on the Moselle that is unrivalled:

• The summer of the century:an extremely hot and dry summer ensured unprecedented ripeness of the grapes. Thanks to the water-storing slate soils of the top sites, the vines nevertheless recovered. A perfect, long and sunny autumn with cool nights then enabled slow, complete ripening and promoted the valuable noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), which is essential for sweet wines of this quality. The resulting Rieslings are described as "ripe, powerful, with plenty of noble rot".

• Auslese - The art of selection: TheAuslese label stands for selective hand-picking, in which only fully ripe, often already noble rotten grapes are selected. Together with the ideal conditions of the vintage, the result is a wine of noble, natural sweetness that presents the essence of the Goldtröpfchen terroir in its highest perfection. The 1976 Beerenauslese thus epitomises the highest art of Mosel Riesling winemakers.

🥂 Tasting profile - An almost 50-year-old masterpiece (as of May 2026)

At half a century old, this wine is going through a fascinating ageing phase. A tasting note of a similar Goldtröpfchen Beerenauslesefrom the same vintage (here from Sichel Estate) offers an authentic impression of its current state. It was describedas having a "deep, apricot/copper, bright" colour. On the nose and palate it showed a rich, sweet bouquet of marmalade and apricot and offered a fresh, long finish with no burnt or caramelised notes.

Tasting summary:The 2010 tasting described this wine succinctly: "This was an example of what makes collecting wine so rewarding. The accentuated flavours and complex aromas could only come from long and elegant ageing".

To summarise, the Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt - Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Beerenauslese 1976presents itself today as a rare and impressively mature gem:

• Appearance: a bright, deep amber to apricot gold colour.

• Nose: An intense, complex bouquet. Instead of the youthful fruit, notes of ripe apricot, orange marmalade, ripe pear, honey and a hint of noble rot now dominate . The characteristic mineral slate note remains present.

• Palate & finish: A perfect harmony of creamy sweetness and a still lively, fresh acidity. It is dense, concentrated and complex on the palate, picking up on the ripe fruit flavours of the nose. The finish is of enormous length and elegance, characterised by a fine spiciness and a lingering, refreshing finish.

💰 Market prices & availability 2026 - A sought-after rarity

This wine is no longer regularly on the market today, but is a coveted collector's item of considerable value. Prices vary depending on condition (fill level, label) and provenance. Research in May 2026 shows the following picture:

To summarise: The Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt - Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Beerenauslese 1976is not an everyday wine, but a rare historical document that has been bottled. It is the result of an extremely fortunate constellation: a centuries-old traditional vineyard, one of the best sites in the world, the VDP.GROßE LAGE® Goldtröpfchen, and a vintage of the century that is unrivalled.

With almost 50 years of maturity, this wine has left its youthful stage far behind and reached a state of great harmony, complexity and elegance. For the collector who is lucky enough to own one of these rare bottles, the 1976 Goldtröpfchen offers an unforgettable taste experience of historical and cultural dimensions.