year

The season started well enough. Bud break was fairly early, we were spared by the spring frosts and May and June were hot and dry. The wines flowered 2 to 3 weeks earlier than normal and everything seemed set for another great vintage.

July however was the coldest on record and the wettest for the last 20 years or vice versa. The growth of the wines and the development of the grapes all but stopped and only the diseases thrived. August was fine but not hot enough to stop the development of the infections and we had to continue spraying our vineyards until August 20th. September also was warm and wet and when the grapes started to ripen Botrytis appeared almost immediately.

In October the predictions were for a copious harvest of average quality. We started harvesting on October 16 and rapidly picked our lesser vineyards that are destined for our „Scharzhof“ Qualitätswein. Here the yields were still quite good, averaging 55 hl/ha. The weather was fine and the grapes started to dry up and when we started picking in Wiltinger braune Kupp and Scharzhofberg on the 23rd the ripeness levels had gone up but the quantity was down dramatically. About half was Kabinett, one third Spätlese and the rest Auslese but we only harvested 29 hl/ha in the braune Kupp and 22 hl/ha in the Scharzhofberg.

Until November 1st, selective picking was rewarded and we were able to make a Trockenbeerenauslese from Scharzhofberg that might rival its counterpart from 1999. 

While 2000 is certainly not going to be another 1999, the wines show good concentration of fruit and a fine acidity balance. 

2001 might go down in history as a year of extreme contrasts. The winter was mild and wet with everything pointing toward yet another very early bud-break. April however was quite wintry with a sharp frost on God Friday that wiped out all the flowers on the fruit trees and good quantities of snow over the Easter Holidays. The vineyards fortunately were not affected.
May and June were fine and warm and the wines quickly recovered the time lost in April. The flowering was on time if not a bit early and finished quickly and regularly. July and August too were fine and hot with well-distributed rain and by the end of August the grapes were in magnificent shape.
September was untimely cold and very rainy and only the cold prevented the widespread inset of grey rot. At the end of September another 2000 vintage with all its problems was the most likely scenario. October however was the exact opposite and under sunny skies the insetting Botrytis developed into noble rot. We started harvesting on October 15th and from the beginning set out to pick these grapes separately. For a record breaking 3 weeks the weather remained exceptionally fine and by early November we were picking Trockenbeerenauslese in the Scharzhofberg. By November 10th we were almost finished when torrential rain set in and on November 13th we brought in the last grapes.

The average yield was very low, not exceeding 30 hl/ha for the second year in a row. The quality however is very good and first tastings show the wines to have a good concentration and a firm mineral core.

Because the harvest took us so long there is a wide difference between grapes from early harvest and those from late harvest. While at the beginning the acidity, levels soared making us wonder if we should not wait a bit longer, in the end they had come down so low that we were happy to have the early grapes to assure balanced wines.

This means that we will do more blending than usually and less single barrels and it means that we will have very little Spätlese because most of our Spätlese grapes fall into this later category and will probably be blended into the Kabinett for balance.

While 2001 will not be another 1997 or 1999, it is certainly on a par with 1995 and the wines might even show very similar characteristics to that vintage

The year 2002 started very cold but the second half of January was warm and rainy and winter was already over by than. April was rather cool but very sunny and fortunately we were spared spring frost. Bud break was slightly early and the weather during the month of May was erratic but, on the whole, good. June brought great heat and an early, quick and even flowering. By the end of June, the vineyards had an advance of 2 – 3 weeks on the long-term average.

July and August were not really summer-like, it was warm and we had frequent showers but we were unscathed by the catastrophes that ravaged other parts of Germany and Europe. The vineyards strived despite of a high pressure of Mildew and Powdery Mildew, but the humid conditions forced us to spray 5 to 6 times, depending on plot, rootstock and trellising system. In the old vineyards we had to plough until the end of August to keep the weeds down.

From early September it became clear that the summer-rainfall had not been excessive. When the rain stopped, the soil dried up quickly and by the end of the month the water table in our pond was dropping: A sign of drought. By than the ripeness level of the grapes was comparable to that of great vintages like 1999 or 1997 and we were hoping for a truly great year. 

October brought rain. Around mid October the grapes that had been exceptionally healthy began do develop Botrytis. We started harvesting on the 21st after a dry and sunny weekend by picking the Botrytised grapes in all our vineyards that are grafted on American rootstock. The first Fuders were surprisingly good, considering that they came not from our best plots. Throughout the week however the quality dropped with more and more rain. Over the weekend a windstorm did significant damage not so much to the quality as we feared but by knocking the botrytised grapes off the vines. I reckon that we lost 10 – 15% of our harvest during these two days.

The following week was drier and the quality of the harvest improved until Friday. November 1st is a religious holiday and normally we do not work but on that day we brought in the grapes from our best vineyards. During the next night, 40 mm of rain fell and unlike the previous rainfall, did do damage to the grapes because there was no wind to blow the water off. Improvement was not in sight and we brought in the rest of our crop quickly. By November 7th, all but the Eiswein grapes were gathered and it took until December 11th until sufficiently cold weather allowed us the harvest of what should become a very nice Eiswein.

The quality of the harvest is very high. The grapes were very ripe, not just physiologically but especially aromatically. At the same time the acidity level was fairly low. Because of the weather pattern there are no big differences between our top vineyards and our more modest plots and it was all but impossible to select late harvest wines: While the average must weights are significantly higher than last year and well in the legal  Auslese bracket we were with great effort only able to make on small barrel of Auslese Goldkapsel. 

Looking at my father’s old records I find striking similarities with the fine 1964 vintage and I hope that the wines will develop similarly:  First tastings show balanced wines with very good concentration of fruit over a mineral core. 

With the exception of a short very wet spell around New Year, the winter of 2002/3 was rather dry and warmer than average. The vegetation started very early and frost around the 10th of April already did some damage to the vineyards at the bottom of the Scharzhofberg hill. After that however it was warmer and drier than average until the end of September.

The vines first thrived under warm and dry conditions and it was difficult to keep up with the growth, as during May and June we had to do the work that is normally done in 3 month’ time. The flowering came extremely early and by the end of June the vegetation had an advance of about 3 weeks over normal years.

In July the growth slowed as water became scarce but the vineyards remained in great shape. I found the first signs of veraison in July, a date comparable only to years like 1947, 1959 or 1976.   In August the temperatures soared to 40°C for several days. The combination of lack of water and excessive heat caused sunburn to the grapes, especially in the steeper vineyards with shallow soils. In our vineyards the damage ranged from 10 – 30%. Sometimes whole clusters were burnt but mostly only the part of the grape directly exposed to the sun. Luckily the excessive temperatures dropped to more normal levels after the 10th August and the grapes ripened quickly. In September the sugar levels were higher than in any previous vintage. On September 22nd we had 30 mm of rain and from that point, the sugar levels rose only slowly. 

The rain however brought the onset of Botrytis and our harvest began on September 29th with the making of a Trockenbeerenauslese. This was not only the earliest harvest date ever at Scharzhof but the must also had the highest sugar concentration ever achieved in our estate. During the first week of October we had some rain but from October 13th the weather was beautiful: sunny skies and a strong easterly wind dried the grapes and from October 16th we were back to picking Trockenbeerenauslese. Under the prevailing cool and dry conditions, the Botrytis did not spread and while few berries were affected, the noble rot was extremely well defined and of superb quality. 

I had been doubtful about the early harvest but after the 20th October the grapes showed definite signs of over ripeness and the acidity was lower than usually.  Fortunately it did not drop further during our harvest. The proportion of tartaric acid was very high and when the weather forecast announced frost for the weekend of the 26th October we hurried in fear of it further reducing acidity levels by precipitating tartrate in the berries. We brought the last grapes in on 27th October, again a record-breaking early date. 

The yields were very low. No vineyard surpassed 40 hl/ha and in some instances we only had 20 hl/ha, averaging less than 30 hl/ha. The high ripeness levels will once again demonstrate the ineffectiveness of wine classification by sugar levels: According to the wine law our entire harvest would fall into the Auslese or higher categories. As is our standard, the ripe grapes from Wiltinger braune Kupp and Scharzhofberg will produce Kabinett while the overripe grapes will be Spätlese. Judging by the aspect of the grapes at harvest we reckon that the ratio might be 2/3 to 1/3. There will be little Auslese as there was little noble rot and there will be very little “Scharzhof Riesling” as we will probably have to rely on the grapes from Saarburg and Wawern only. 

My father’s records show a great similarity to the 1959 vintage, both years being extremely ripe, with low acidity levels and without much Botrytis. In both years it was possible to produce superlative Trockenbeerenauslese from raisin like, shrivelled berries. The first casks to finish their fermentation show aromas of an ethereal quality that again remind us of the 59’s.Overall this looks like a great vintage but the proof will be in the wines.

The winter 2003/2004 was mild and wet. Especially during the month of January there was more than the average amount of rainfall. It resulted in flooding on the rivers but was not enough to offset the 2003 drought. Consequently, during the whole growing season of 2004, water was in short supply and even after heavy only touched the surface and did not reach the deeper layers of the soil.

The spring was warm and the vines developed well and the first vines flowered early in June. Then it turned cold however, and flowering only finished around the end of the month. July too, was not very warm and intermittent rain caused high pressure of Mildew and Powdery Mildew, and black rot, a fungus that had not threatened the German vineyards before. Our vineyards escaped the diseases but the humid conditions forced us to spray 5 to 6 times, depending on plot, rootstock and trellising system. 

In August it was warm and humid and September was much warmer than the average, too. The vineyards strived but so did weeds and we had to hand-weed our old vineyards to prevent the ripening grapes from hanging in the weeds.

In October weather conditions were ideal and the sugar levels soared. We only started harvesting on the 25th because due to the late ripening the acidity levels remained quite high. During the first week we the grapes had very high must weights but also high acidity. There was very little Botrytis but what there was, was of good quality and we even were able to select a small quantity of Trockenbeerenauslese. The first week of November was rainy and unusually warm. While the total quantity of the rain was not enough to dilute the grapes, it created ideal conditions for the development of Botrytis. 

The following week was drier and the quality of the harvest improved, especially towards the weekend. By this time however, the acidity levels were down and although it was again possible with extremely careful selection to harvest small quantities of “nobly rotten” berries, their quality was well below that of the first week’s selections. We finished the harvest on the 16th November.
 
We believe that 2004 is a vintage of very high quality. The average must weight is well into the Auslese bracket and moreover, the sugar levels were good even in our lesser vineyards. The first tastings show wines of great depth, with highly concentrated aromas and flavors and beautifully integrated acidity. The wines appear to have a very classic Saar-character and and ageing potential 
 

The summer of 2005 was not spectacular. The year had started cool and fairly dry and flowering began late but under ideal conditions was finished very rapidly. July was quite dry but whenever the vineards began to show signs of hydric stress, there was a bit of rain. August was cool but September was quite sunny and warm allowing the sugar levels to quickly raise. Heavy rain around September 10th and the following warm and humid climate created ideal conditions for Botrytis and for a rapid spreading of „noble rot “. At the beginning of October, there was more rain that had us worried about the fate of the harvest. Fortunately, it remained dry after October 3rd and we started picking on the 4th.

The weather was stable, sunny and warm. The sugar levels were high but so were the acidities as it had to be expected after the cool weather in August. The quantity was small and became smaller every day as water evaporated from the „noble rot“-affected grapes. We used greatest care in the selection of the botrytised berries, trying for Trockenbeerenauslese until the 20th October. During the following days, there were intermittent showers and it was no longer possible to select those extremely concentrated wines.

We finished the 2005 harvest on October 26th.

What is exceptional about 2005 is not just the high sugar level of the wines which is higher than in any other vintage. The cool August has preserved acidity to match the sweetness and low yields of only 15 hl/ha and a comparatively stress-free growing season have added minerality and extract to the wines, assuring their balance. There are parallels with the 1976 vintage but ultimately 2005 might prove to be on another level.
 

In 2006 the vegetation phase was characterised by extremes. A record-breaking hot July was followed by a cool and wet August. The grapes that had remained very small up to that point, suddenly grew considerably due to ample rainfall. In September on the other hand the weather turned warm and dry, the grapes matured very well and because the enlarged grapes developed pressure within, it resulted in the first botrytis infections. By the end of the month the maturity of the grapes had almost reached the level of 2005, which is why we were expecting another great vintage.

On the 30th of September however, an enormous thunderstorm destroyed some of the vineyards along the Saar-river, particularly in Saarburg, Ockfen, Ayl and Oberemmel. The braune Kupp vineyard in Wiltingen was spared but the normally better protected Scharzhofberg was badly hit by the hail. The following two days saw one hundred millimetres of rainfall, and in the warm and wet conditions botrytis spread like wild fire. Panic-stricken, many vintners rushed to bring in their grapes.

After a few dry days, we started harvesting on the 9th of October and finished it in beautiful weather on the 23rd of October after working non-stop for 15 days. At the beginning, the must weights and the yield were good but under the blue sky, the water in the grapes evaporated quickly. While the sugar content in the gapes rose, the yields dropped continuously: The sections that were picked last only produced 5 hl/ha!

As in 2005, 2006 was characterised by noble rot and extremely low yields. Since, however, the wines did not have the same concentration as in 2005, 2006 is more similar to 1999 or even 1949. We were able to harvest beautiful Spätlese and Auslese grapes but as we were forced to pick them extremely quickly, we could only produce a few vats of Auslese Goldkapsel wines and a very small quantity of Trockenbeerenauslese.
 

The summer of 2007 was remarkable only for abundant rainfall. By the end of September, we had already received what amounts to the average of a whole year. May, June and July were warm, creating ideal conditions for mildew. On top, there was hail, both in the Scharzhofberg where it came early and did relatively small damage and in Wiltinger braune Kupp where it hit the developing grapes after flowering and where the damage was considerable. Here not only the quantity was reduced but the vines were under shock for some time and even after recovering could never quite catch up the delay in ripening.

Such a combination of adverse influences should be enough to destroy all hopes for a great vintage but in 2007 two extraordinary months changed everything: April was about 5°C warmer than average and not a single drop of rain fell during the whole month. Since the winter had been very mild, bud break came very early and by the end of April, the vegetation had an advance of almost one month compared to normal years.  Over the course of the summer, some of this advance was lost but still harvest was early and we started picking on the first of October. 

At that time, we were prepared for a copious harvest of Qualitätswein and Kabinett with a little bit of Spätlese from the best vineyards. After all the rain we were surprised by the excellent health of the grapes.  Then came the second dry month of this year: From October 1st to 29th, there was no rain. At the beginning we were still expecting a quick harvest because we did not trust the weather and after the wet summer were afraid of more rain and the ensuing rot. It became soon apparent however, that the weather was stable, allowing us to slow down for more careful selections.  By the end of the first week of picking, some noble rot began to develop. It was not wide spread as in 2006 but apparent in small batches throughout the better vineyards. 

The fine weather let the grapes ripen further and the effect of the noble rot added concentration and when we came to harvest the finer vineyard sites, we were convinced that the grapes were of Spätlese ripeness. By that time, we had also intensified our efforts at selective picking and for 10 days we picked Trockenbeerenauslese – small quantities only, but of very fine quality. We harvested the last grapes on October 29th and on that day, it began to rain. In only 3 days enough rain fell to make up for the dry 28 days. 

Overall, the harvest was smaller than we had initially thought. The average yield across all our vineyards and quality levels is of only 35 hl/ha. While for us this is more than 2005 and 2006 combined it is considerably less than the average yield in Germany where 2007 has produced a big crop.  Where the vintage generally seems to be considered as being well above average but maybe not great, we are much more enthusiastic and believe that 2007 is both great and has yielded wines of classical proportions. The cool August has preserved acidity and October has provided the sugar.  It is certainly not another 2005 but, other than that we have to look at the greatest classical years like 1971 or 1997 if we want to compare.

After a very mild winter, the vegetation started early once again. A beautiful May gave a head start to the vineyards and flowering was early and regular. The summer was less than spectacular but on the whole, warm with sufficient and well spread rainfall. Some thunderstorms brought local hail and erosion but the damage was limited and by the end of August the grapes looked very promising. A cold and wet September all but ruined the positive outlook and by the time we started picking on October 13th, we were not at all optimistic about the quality but to our surprise the sugar levels were a bit higher than expected. During the first week of the harvest the acidity was extremely high. The second week was better and the sunny weather even allowed the selection of small quantities of Auslese and, potentially Auslese Goldkapsel. Some rain at the end of October closed this window for the harvest of noble rot but it brought down the acidity and the following dry and mild weather allowed for a smooth finish of the harvest. The last grapes came in on November 7th. 
We have only very small quantities of Spätlese and Auslese, and so 2008 can never qualify as a great vintage but we have flavorful Kabinett with concentrated fruit and racy acidity and the Qualitätswein is aromatic and lively. Therefore in a very classical sense, 2008 looks to be a very typical Saar vintage.
 

The winter 2008/2009 was very cold and dry. After a mild December, temperatures dropped sharply in January: on the morning of January 7th, the thermometer showed -16° C. It stayed cold through February and even March was not very spring-like. In April however, the weather became fine, warm and sunny. Very quickly now we saw bud break and the young shoots grew fast. By the end of the month a serious delay turned into a handsome advance.  May, though not as spectacular as April was still very warm and towards the end of the month, we found the first flowers. The first part of June was cooler and the flowering lingered especially in the higher and flatter vineyard sites until the 20th. All the time it remained dry and by the beginning of July the water deficit was becoming critical. From the end of June until mid August a lot of rain fell and although it came as a relief to the thirsty wines it also brought a huge pressure of powdery mildew. From July 1st to 9th, not a single day was without precipitation and with the prevailing high temperatures careful spraying was of the essence. In August the pressure eased and after August 15th, barely any rain fell. September too, was warm and dry, allowing the grapes that had withstood the mildew attack to ripen beautifully in perfect health.

Harvest began on October 12th. Because of the drawn out flowering the cooler vineyard sites showed varied ripeness levels and while the sugar concentration was generally high, the acidity was breathtaking. We harvested grapes for our “Scharzhof” in the Rosenberg vineyard. On the morning of October 15th, the temperature dropped to -5°C and the frost killed the leaves in all our vineyards with the only exception of the low-lying parcels in Wiltinger braune Kupp that were protected by the Saar river. While it virtually stopped the photosynthesis the frost also lowered the acidity a bit and it released aromas in the grapes. It remained cold for a week, allowing us to harvest without pressure and to select small quantities of excellent noble rot affected berries.  Overall, the percentage of botrytised grapes was very small and the fruit harvested beside the Auslese was spotlessly clean. After October 24th the percentage of botrytised grapes increased significantly and until the end of the month together with more Auslese, most of our Spätlese was brought in. On the 2nd November it started to rain and after the 4th, we had considerable losses since the frost had damaged the stems and grapes started to fall to the ground. After a few rain-breaks we finished our harvest on November 7th.  The average yield was around 32 hl/ha but since we have replanted a parcel in the Scharzhofberg, the crop is slightly smaller than in 2008 or 2007.

The overall quality of the wines is very high. Because there was little Noble Rot, there will be plenty of Kabinett but we have good quantities of very fine Spätlese, too. We have made classic Auslese, albeit not in very great quantities and we have been able to select Trockenbeerenauslese in quantities not seen since the 2005 vintage. There will even be a small lot of Trockenbeerenauslese to be sold outside of our annual auction. If we look for a comparable vintage, we find that there are many similarities between 2009 and 2007. Both years enjoyed a very long growing season with moderately warm summers and with sufficient rainfall at the right moments and both years are characterized by high ripeness paired with high acidity and a relative lack of Botrytis. The first tastings show wines that may even have a more brilliant acidity than their 2007 counterparts. Alltogether 2009 looks like a great classic vintage that might develop to compare favorably to such stellar years as 2007, 1990 and 1971.
 

The winter 2009/2010 was very cold and long. The temperatures did not drop to the same extremes as in the previous year but there was no sign of spring until April. April was warm, sunny and dry and finally the vineyards came to live. May however was very cold and wet and the first 2 weeks of June were not much better. The flowering started but because of the adverse conditions it was quite drawn out and irregular. The cooler vineyards had not started flowering at all and it was questionable whether we would have a June flowering, always considered important for timely ripening of the grapes. The weather turned however, and the last decade was hot and dry. The cooler vineyard sites that had not started flowering at that point, enjoyed perfect conditions and finished in record time, well before the end of the month. July was very hot and sunny and by early August the development of the grapes was at the level of 2009. Before we could get our hopes up, the weather turned again and August and September brought considerable rainfall and especially September was very cold. The rain was followed by Botrytis, that with better weather in October spread rapidly.

Everything was set for a late start of the harvest, not before October 18th but under blue skies and a strong easterly wind the Botrytis developed into picture book Noble Rot.  We decided to bring forward our harvest and to try for Auslese or even Beerenauslese and started picking on the 14th.The must weights were very high from the beginning but so were the acidity levels. Warm temperatures in August and September are essential to bring the acidity down and because of the cool conditions during that time, the acidity levels remained very high and then, were further concentrated by the effect of the Noble Rot. We also saw the effect of the poor flowering on our yields. With the exception of Oberemmeler Rosenberg and the Eastern part of the Scharzhofberg that had benefited from late and quick flowering, the yields everywhere were dramatically low.  The effect of concentration from the Botrytis further reduced the quantity. We finished picking on October 30th and lost a few more grapes in a vain attempt to make Eiswein. We had serious frost by the end of November but since we had not wrapped our grapes in plastic sheets, they were all gone by then.

In the history of our estate, we have not seen a year like 2010: The average must weight is second only to 2005 and the average yield is only 18 hl/ha across the estate, suggesting very high extract levels and considerable concentration. At the same time the acidity is higher than 2005 at levels normally associated with outright unripe years. We are confident however, that the wines will have enough power for the high wire act of supporting the acidity and that 2010 will be a great vintage with almost unlimited aging potential and razor-sharp definition.

The 2011 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller

The salient feature of the 2011 growing season was its lack of rainfall. By the end of the harvest, we had a deficit of approximately 220 mm or about 1/3 of the normal precipitation. Especially the beginning of the year was very warm, too and the vegetation had a head start leading to a very early flowering that was finished on June 2nd, almost a full month earlier than usual. A frost on May 4th caused devastating damage in other growing regions but Mosel was spared and the damage was minor. Only the lowest rows in Sharzhofberg and Wiltinger Braunfels were touched. June was the only month that brought more than average and much needed rain. The summer appeared rainy and cool but the total amount of precipitation was small and it was not cold enough to really hamper the growth of the grapes. Veraison therefore came very early. We found the first soft grapes already in July. On August 26th a hailstorm damaged vineyards in the Middle-Mosel but again, we escaped. In the first half of September warm and humid conditions brought the onset of Botrytis and since not everything that was developing on the grapes was “noble”, also cause for alarm. Fortunately, summer finally arrived after September 20th with blue skies and high temperatures that stopped the spread of Botrytis as well as of anything undesirable. What followed was probably the longest time of uninterrupted good weather that I have seen during any harvest season.

We started picking on October 3rd. The crop was large, generally very healthy and the grapes were ripe. Our goal was to eliminate any bad rot while picking the shriveled noble rot affected berries. This was a very complex task, requiring the pickers to select only bunches affected by rot, to assess the quality of the Botrytis, to throw away anything dubious and to then separate the shriveled berries from the bunch, working with 2 buckets. We expected a slow progress and no spectacular results and were surprised that it took us only a day and a half to fill our press. Our surprise was even bigger when the sugar content of the juice turned out to be the highest ever recorded in our estate. By midweek, we had enough “Trockenbeeren” for a second press and because of a spell of less stable weather started to pick the remaining fruit in the vineyards already pre-harvested. The rainfall was minimal and on October 10th we resumed the picking of Trockenbeereenauslese for the whole week until we had combed through all the Scharzhofberg.

When we resumed harvesting the remaining grapes, still picking the botrytised fruit separately we were in for a second surprise: In any other year, the noble rot from the second pass will yield Auslese or Auslese Goldkapsel but here we were still well beyond Trockenbeerenauslese sugar levels. While all the time the vast majority of the grapes was healthy and the acidity levels remained stable, we were nevertheless feeling a sense of urgency since relatively little rain could have done great damage. We were lucky however, and the fine weather continued until the end of our harvest on October 28th and beyond.

Our first impression is that this is a great vintage. The average yield in our vineyards was 45 hl/ha, certainly not excessive but quite a bit more than what we had in recent years. Even the grapes for the “Scharzhof” were fully ripe and Wiltinger braune Kupp, being our warmest vineyard yielded beautiful Spätlese material while in the Scharzhofberg we harvested substantial quantities of Kabinett as well as Spätlese. On the other hand, the quality of the Botrytis leads to curious situation that we have relatively little Auslese and almost no Auslese Goldkapsel but we have a great quantity of Trockenbeerenauslese, part of which, provided that it will ferment, could be monumental. Overall, 2011 seems to be similar to 2009 or 2007, as it had both a similar growing season with a very early start, a mixed summer allowing for a long and even ripening and beautiful harvest weather and a similar general aspect of the fruit, but we believe that 2011 could turn out to be even superior to those great years.
 

The 2012 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

After the predominantly dry 2011 growing season, the winter 2011-2012 remained dry. Until February it was very mild, too and only when nature was gearing up for spring, it became very cold. For 2 weeks the temperatures stayed below zero, dropping to -14 and occasionally even to – 17° C at night. I don't believe that the vineyards were damaged but it set the pace for a very unusual growing season. March was very warm and dry and 2011 seemed to repeat itself. In April however it became cooler and rainy and while the rain was first seen almost with relief, when it didn't stop it became soon clear why old people say that one should never pray for rain.

By June the dry spring was forgotten. The humidity hampered the flowering and drew it out over a period from late May to late June. About 1/3 of the crop was lost through “coulure” and the berries within one grape were quite different in their development because of the protracted flowering.

At the same time, the humidity caused high pressure of mildew. In 2011 we had been successful treating the vineyards organically and in 2012 we started out organically as well. On June 29th, however, we had mildew infection under “ideal” conditions and lacking experience with organic treatments in an adverse situation, I decided to go back to “chemical” spraying. It was too late and we suffered another considerable loss of our crop.

The second half of July was finally dryer but virtually all hope was lost for 2012 to become a quality vintage. Then came a splendid August with 245 sunshine hours and an almost equally beautiful September.  “Veraison” started on August 10th, 3 weeks later than in 2011 but at about the same time as in 2004 or 2006. Now it was interesting to see, how quickly summer rain disappears. By the end of August, young vineyards were showing signs of drought stress and as the dry conditions persisted, it seemed as though grapes in vineyards with low yields were ripening while higher crop loads were stuck in their development.

In late September wild animals invaded the vineyards and ate our grapes. Especially between Wiltingen and Oberemmel, on the borderline between Scharzhofberg and Oberemmeler Rosenberg every night 80 or 100 deer could be seen. I reckon that we lost about 4 Fuders of wine despite protective fences.

In late September the weather deteriorated. We started our harvest on October 15th in cool and rainy weather. The grapes were completely healthy and selection was neither necessary nor possible. Within 2 and a half days we had picked the Oberemmeler Rosenberg and the Eastern part of the Scharzhofberg where the damage by wild animals was greatest. Because the acidity levels were still slightly on the high side and hoping for better weather, we stopped picking until October 22nd.
By then the weather was sunny and warm and some noble rot had appeared. It was possible to select Auslese of good quality but the grapes were not dry enough and the quantity was too small for higher Prädikat levels. Again, the question was whether to wait for the Botrytis to completely dry or to pick what was already there. I did not trust the fine weather and we kept picking. On Sunday, October 28th, the thermometer dropped to –6°C and we were able to harvest frozen grapes in the Scharzhofberg. On Monday, it was a bit colder yet and again we picked frozen grapes that might even qualify for Eiswein in the tradition of the Eiswein Auslese from years like 1973 or 1975.
We finished picking on that day, and by late afternoon, it was raining.

With only 10 picking days, 2012 is the shortest harvest I have seen and one of the smallest, too.
The quality appears to be very high, however with generally very healthy grapes that had must weights of up to 100 ° Oechsle and very good acidity levels. The old vineyards in the Scharzhofberg produced particularly good grapes and we may be able to bottle both Kabinett and Spätlese “alte Reben”. 2012 bears no similarity to any of the recent vintages. I have looked through my father’s notes and found that must weights and acidity levels are comparable to 1953 but other than that it was a great year, I don't know anything and I have only tasted the wines a couple of times. They have passed the test of time, and I hope the same for the 2012s.
 

Summary:

Until February it was very mild and only when nature was gearing up for spring, it became very cold. March was very warm and dry. In April however it became cooler and rainy. By June the dry spring was forgotten. The humidity hampered the flowering and drew it out over a period from late May to late June. About 1/3 of the crop was lost through “coulure” and the berries within one grape were quite different in their development because of the protracted flowering. The second half of July was finally dryer. Then came a splendid August with 245 sunshine hours and an almost equally beautiful September. In late September the weather deteriorated. We started our harvest on October 15th in cool and rainy weather. The grapes were completely healthy and selection was neither necessary nor possible. With only 10 picking days, 2012 is the shortest harvest I have seen and one of the smallest, too. The quality appears to be very high, however with generally very healthy grapes that had must weights of up to 100 ° Oechsle and very good acidity levels.
 

The 2013 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

The 2012/2013 winter really began with the unusually early harvest of the 2012 Eiswein on October 28. and 29. It was unseasonably warm around Christmas but in January it became cold again and the winter weather with temperatures often below freezing lasted until the end of March. A few beautiful days in April finally made us hope for spring but May was cool again and abundant rainfall flooded the rivers. Warm and even hot periods in June were interrupted by cool and rainy weather causing bad flowering and „coulure“ in the warmer vineyards, while in the cooler places the flowering had not even begun by the end of the month.
 
From June 30th, the weather was fine and the flowering finished within 2 or 3 days. At that time it was already clear that, in the warmer vineyards the yield was reduced considerably while the cooler parcels at the bottom and on the western slopes of the Scharzhofberg looked promising.

With more than 300 sunshine hours July was exceptionally beautiful as was August, and the vineyards all but caught up their delay. The work in the vineyards was fairly easy and the mildew pressure was low. The fine weather stayed until September 8th., when heavy rain ushered in a period of rainy and cool weather. It was just about the time of veraison and Riesling is at that stage quite sensitive to a sudden drop in temperature. It can induce a lack of Magnesium which in turn leads to a welting of the stems. The affected grapes drop off the vine and we lost quite a bit of our harvest through this condition.

At the time of veraison again deer and wild bore came to feed on the grapes but we managed to control the damage by having a person patrolling the vineyards every night until harvest time.

October was fairly warm but the sun did not shine and the grapes ripened very slowly with acidity levels remaining at levels comparable to the 2010 vintage.

Harvest started on October 21st and was finished after only 10 picking days on November 1st. Generally the grapes were healthy, must weights were good and the acidity levels were very high. The quantity however, was shockingly small. The average yield was only 11 hl/ha, the smallest since 1945. Noble rot was scarce. During the first 2 days we picked at Trockenbeerenauslese level but heavy rain on October 23rd and again on the 26th prevented us from harvesting more than a small  barrel of Scharzhofberger Auslese Goldkapsel.

The 2013 wines promise to be typical, racy Saar wines. However, the vintage will probably be remembered mostly for the small yields.
 

The 2014 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

We had no real winter 2013/14. The coldest night was on November 27th with -5,3°C. Dezember, January and February were warmer than usual but with about average rainfall. Spring came very early. March and April were significantly warmer, sunnier and dryer than average. On Easter Monday we were hit by a tremendous hailstorm. The damage was quite localized. While most of our vineyards escaped, the Western part of the Scharzhofberg was badly hit. The shoots at that time were still quite small and many were simply knocked off the wines. 

May was rather average but still the first flowers bloomed around the 20th. June was very sunny and dry but not extremely hot, ideal conditions for the flowering but while most vineyards flowered well, the plots that were hit by hail lingered until mid-June. 

By the end of June the vineyards were looking beautiful and everything seemed set for a great vintage. In July the weather changed, it rained a lot, only a few days were completely dry and while it was quite warm, it was overcast most of the time, creating ideal conditions for mildew. Up to that point we had only sprayed the vineyards twice, using an organic regime. We struggled to stay with that regime and had to suffer a few infections by mildew and towards the end of the season also by black rot.

August was the only month that was colder than the long term average with at the same time twice the average rainfall, and the high hopes for a great 2014 were reduced considerably. September however, was warm, dry and sunny. Only on the 20th we had significant rainfall and Botrytis began to show on the ripening grapes. The start of the harvest was set for October 6th. While generally a big harvest was expected our vineyards carried only an average crop and it was perhaps the combination of relatively low yields and organic spraying that made our grapes ripen a bit faster than others. 

During the first days of October the weather forecast that had been for very stable high-pressure weather changed dramatically and we started a day early, picking some of the best plots both in Wiltinger braune Kupp and Scharzhofberg before the rain. At this time, sugar levels and acidity were near perfect but the rain came on October 7th: 70 mm in 3 days. By October 9th, the must weights had dropped by about 10° Oechsle. At the same time it was quite warm and Botrytis was spreading rapidly. With no improvement of the weather in sight, we continued picking the grapes for “Scharzhof”. After October 12th  it was drier and as some of the water drained away and evaporated, the must weights rose again but the acidity levels started dropping. Still, the weather forecast wasn’t at all encouraging and we quickly finished our harvest, bringing in the last grapes on October 16th. We never finished a harvest earlier. The next day, there was more heavy rain and the first autumn storm  passed through on the 20th but after that, the weather was fine and dry.  
  
Overall, these were conditions not unlike those seen in 2006. At that time we waited for the weather to improve and the harvest consequently was very small with lots of Auslese and even Trockenbeerenauslese but it could be argued that the wines lacked some of their usual precision and cut. In 2014 we took a different approach and harvested before the grapes were completely botrytised. Sugar and acidity levels were high and we have some Auslese but with the exception of a small barell of Scharzhofberger Auslese Goldkapsel, it was not possible to select any higher Prädikat.  It will be interesting to see how those vintages compare in a few years’ time.
 

The 2015 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

Again there was no real winter 2014 - 2015. 
While rainfall in November and December was still about normal, all the first 8 months of 2015 were drier than average and by the end of August the deficit in precipitation had reached approximately 180 mm.  Mostly the weather was fine and after April 10th, there was no more frost. The flowering began in late May and was finished in the Wiltinger braune Kupp vineyard by June 15th. Just about then, there was a spell of cooler and rainy weather that delayed the flowering in most other vineyards for about a week.

July and August were hot and dry, almost to the extent of 2003. Because of the drought the pressure of fungus diseases was low and we only sprayed our vineyards 3 times during the entire season. Because of the late infection with Black Rot in 2014 we reverted to chemical sprays. It is entirely possible though, that the result would have been no different with no spraying at all. There were no diseases. Foliage and grapes were in perfect health.

The summer lasted through the first decade of September but then the weather turned. On September 1st, 20 mm of rain fell but after the long drought they were the proverbial drop in the – empty – bucket. From September 13th until the 23rd it rained constantly, 40 mm on the 16th alone. The ripeness of the grapes was already advanced but they were still at that stage quite sensitive to the sudden drop in temperature. Especially in Riesling such conditions can induce a lack of Magnesium which in turn leads to a welting of the stems. The affected grapes drop off the vine.

After September 26th, the weather improved: no more rain, blue skies and Easterly winds let the sugar-levels rise rapidly. More grapes fell to the ground, especially in vineyards with wire trellising and Botrytis started to spread.

On October 4th, we started the harvest, hoping to pick Beeren- and Trockenbeerenauslese. We quickly realized that it would not be all that easy, however. While the must weights were very high it was never completely dry and whenever the botrytised grapes began to shrivel, there was a bit of rain. The weather forecast was never for stable conditions either and nothing was to be gained from waiting so we put great effort into the sorting of the botrytised grapes but at the same time we always pushed to finish and we brought the last grapes home on October 24th. 

2015 is certainly a great vintage. After the summer one would look for parallels with 2003 and they are there: The volume of the harvest is the same, almost to the litre. The overall aspect of the grapes was similar. Green, turning to golden with very little Botrytis and the must weights are on the same level. One difference is easily explained with the weather during the harvest: While it wasn’t at all difficult to harvest great Auslese and while we did succeed in making a Trockenbeerenauslese, at that level the record breaking Oechsle of 2003 were never within reach.

However, after such a summer nobody would have expected the high levels of acidity of the 2015s.
Acidity levels that are often twice as high as those of the 2003s and 2 or 3 g higher than those of the 2007s or 2009s. Once again we seem to have a vintage without precedent this is one that we can expect to enjoy.

The 2016 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

The 2015-2016 winter was mild again. Dry conditions that had characterized 2015 lasted until December but from January onwards every month was wetter than normal. March and April were rather cold and bud-break came late. May was warm but rainy. June, too was very wet and with day time and night time temperatures around 20°C the mildew pressure was enormous. At times it was an almost ideal environment for the fungus and the incubation-time was only one day. Still our first 3 fungicide treatments were organic but under the prevailing conditions it was impossible to always spray every vineyard at the right time and we switched to systemic treatments. In this phase we lost about 40% of our crop. Flowering started at the beginning of June and lasted until the end of the month. We were spraying our vineyards at weekly intervals and mostly prevented further damage however, our plots in Saarburg and in the Braunfels were badly hit the former because it is too far away to always keep an eye on things and the later because of its situation in a narrow valley with a little creek at the bottom creating a humid ambience.

In August the rain finally stopped. Until the end of September it remained sunny, hot and dry and the vegetation progressed quickly because there was ample water supply from the previous rain.  During one week in September we saw an increase in sugar levels of 15° Oechsle.  On October 1st, 20 mm of rain fell and after the long drought the vineyards took a drink resulting in a noticeable drop in sugar levels. Then it was cooler but dry and the sugar levels rose slowly. 

We started the harvest on October 10th.  Because of the drawn out flowering there had been “coulure” and berry-shatter and the clusters were loose but individual berries were fairly big and actually the size of the berries did help to offset some of the losses from mildew.  The grapes were quite healthy and ripe. During the first week it was dry but the long-range weather-forecast was not for stable weather. We first picked the Saarburg and Braunfels plots where the mildew-damage was the biggest and where we harvested less than 10 hl/ha. Then we moved on to Wiltinger braune Kupp and Scharzhofberg. The yields were better there, just under 20 hl/ha in Wiltinger braune Kupp and a little bit over 20 hl/ha in the Scharzhofberg. The difference is probably due to the proximity of the river and the higher humidity, creating an even more favourable conditions for the fungus.

During the second week we experienced a few showers but the grapes remained exceptionally healthy and it was impossible to select botrytised fruit for Auslese. On October 19th and 20th, we picked Scharzhofberger Kabinett “alte Reben” in the breiter Weinberg. Then, as the long-range weather-forecast became more stable we decided to stop and wait. Botrytis did come after some rainfall on October 24th but despite the following fine autumn weather with plenty of sunshine the grapes did not dry sufficiently for it to develop into noble-rot. 

With rain looming we resumed picking on November 2nd. We had about 1 ha of Rosenberg and 4 ha of Scharzhofberg left, with the exception of the “Mallmann” plot all situated on the Eastern side of the hill. Here the yields were better reaching almost normal 30 hl/ha in the Rosenberg. With the fine weather the must-weights had increased a bit but despite our best efforts it was still not possible to reach what we consider Auslese level. The last grapes were brought in on November 4th.
 
Because of the complete lack of Botrytis, we took chances leaving some grapes for Eiswein, even though the harvest was small and we had to consider the possibility of losing everything seeing the string of mild winters in recent years. We were lucky however, and on November 30th the temperature dropped to -9,5° C, allowing us to pick frozen grapes. Incidentally, a 1975 Beerenauslese Eiswein was harvested on 25th November at almost the same temperature, sugar level and acidity.

Altogether, 2016 promises to be a very good vintage. Grapes were beautiful and ripe and the acidity levels seem perfectly balanced. At no time we were rushed or under pressure and we could harvest everything at the right time. It’s a relatively small vintage although the distribution of the different quality levels is very different from other years because the good harvest in Rosenberg could not compensate for the losses in Saarburg and Braunfels and therefore „Scharzhof“ will be in short supply and because of the total lack of noble-rot there will be no Auslese. On the other hand we have similar quantities of Scharzhofberger Kabinett and Spätlese as in 2015.

It is impossible to name a past comparable vintage if only for the long, self-imposed brake during the harvest. However, ripeness- and acidity-levels suggest wines of a stature similar to those from 2014, 2012 or 2004.
 

The 2017 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

The winter 2016-2017 began early and it was cold. From the Eiswein harvest on November 30th at -9,5°C, it stayed cold until the end of January. The dry weather that prevailed since July continued. In February temperatures rose and March was quite warm and sunny. April began spring-like and soon the first fresh leaves appeared on the vines. Between April 18th and 28th temperatures dropped repeatedly to -5°C causing considerable frost damage particularly in the lower part of the Scharzhofberg. However, since it wasn’t always radiation-frost but occasionally there was also wind-frost and even a bit of snow, no vineyard was completely spared. Overall, April was very dry with only 4,6 mm of precipitation and because of the dry conditions the losses were limited and probably didn’t exceed 30%.

May was hot. It remained dry but the vineyards thrived. The first flowers could be found on the vines in late May and by mid-June, the flowering was finished everywhere. Since it didn’t rain we only started spraying the vineyards in June, using organic products. Despite the continuing drought, the grapes developed well and the berries were rather big, compensating partially for the losses from the frost.

In July the trend turned: It remained warm but we had more than average rainfall. By the end of July veraison began and we finished spraying with the 5th treatment from July 28th to 30th. The warm and humid weather continued but the vines remained surprisingly healthy. Only by late August, Botrytis appeared. September was cold and wet but because of the cooler conditions, the spreading of Botrytis was slowed considerably. Yet it was clear that harvest would be early. The weather improved by mid-September and after a few dry and sunny days, we started picking on September 25th.

The first week of the harvest was fine with morning fog and sunny afternoons and we picked Botrytis affected grapes and from those selected the dry, shrivelled berries for Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese. Sugars were high and so were the acidity levels.

On September 30th it began to rain, and on October 3rd we received 18 mm overnight. Up to that point the long-range weather forecast had been favourable. The rainy weekend had been forecasted but the following 2 weeks were supposed to be dry. Over the weekend it did change however, and we had to prepare for rainier conditions. Still, we continued our selective picking, even though it slows down the harvest considerably. Fortunately, there were only minor showers and towards the next weekend it became dry again. After a few sunny days we picked the last grapes on October 14th.

For us this is the earliest harvest ever. We began 4 days earlier than 2003 and we finished 2 days earlier than 2014. This is of course due to the hot spring and summer speeding up the ripening of the grapes. The April frost played its part by reducing the quantity and allowing the vines a stress free development during the drought. Because of the experience of past hot vintages we do look a bit more at the acidity levels and maybe pick a bit earlier but first and foremost the early finish is due to the small yields: We only harvested 29 “Fuder” or an average of 18 hl/ha.

Besides the frost it was noble rot that caused loss of volume through evaporation, compensating us with increased concentration. We have promising Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese that make up a significant part of the crop. Still, 2017 isn’t a Botrytis vintage like 2005 or 2006, where every single grape is affected by Noble Rot. All the plots in Scharzhofberg and Wiltinger braune Kupp were picked in 2 passes, each time selecting for Botrytis. The remaining grapes that will go into the Kabinett were healthy, golden and crunchy. Thus 2017 resembles 2011 but while the sugar levels are comparable, the acidity is on average 1,5 g/l higher, wines that with all their power and concentration will remain excitingly elegant.

The 2018 vintage atWeingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

The 2017/18 winter was rather mild and wet. December and January were particularly rainy. February and March were dry and slightly colder than average but in April the weather improved and both April and May were the warmest month on record. 

The wines budded a bit late but then grew quickly. The second half of May was quite wet and Downy Mildew was threatening the vines. We had to start spraying on May 17th. While the first treatment was organic, in view of the weather and given the experience from 2016, we switched to systemic products.
During the night of May 30th we had 80 mm of rain, causing local erosion. The first part of June remained warm and humid and we had to spray repeatedly in short intervals. Even so there were Mildew infections in Wiltinger Braunfels and in some of the plots sprayed manually. Generally however, we could control the situation. Flowering started early and was finished by June 5th. There was a bit of Millerandange but the crop-level was quite satisfactory.

In July the weather became hot and dry. The vines thrived and canopy management, weed control and crop protection were straightforward. We applied the last spray on July 6th.

On July 17th already softening berries could be found in particularly hot places and only a week later veraison had set in everywhere. In August it became very hot with temperatures of up to 37°C. The sugar levels climbed rapidly and we were considering a mid-September harvest. September however, was rather average and the sugar formation slowed a bit. By that time drought conditions prevailed but because of the heavy rainfall in spring, vineyards didn’t suffer 

We started our harvest on September 24th right after the passage of the first autumn storm. The grapes were ripe and exceptionally healthy and we were surprised by the quantity: After only 3 days of picking in Oberemmeler Rosenberg and Wiltinger Braunfels we already had the equivalent of our 2017 crop in our cellar. Towards the end of September night-time temperatures dropped as low as 0°C causing a loss of about 1 g/l of acidity. As we would not have liked to see another drop in acidity levels, we harvested without delay even though the weather was generally fine. It was dry, mostly sunny and temperatures reached up to 28°C. The proportion of Noble Rot grew, albeit very slowly and it remained very small until the end. The quality of the bortytised berries however was sensational and under the prevailing warm and dry conditions the healthy berries also began to shrivel and the sugar levels rose constantly while the yields began to decline.

We finished our harvest on October 20th. 2018 is for us the biggest crop in a very long time with an average yield of 51 hl/ha. We are excited by the quality of the grapes and we believe that for every Prädikat we have exactly the grapes we want. Must weights are high but not at the level of, for instance 2005 or 2010. The acidity is moderate but the pH-levels are very low. Overall, 2018 is not a Botrytis vintage but as was the case in 2011 relatively small proportions of noble rot have great concentration effect and the 2018 Auslese and Trockenbeerenauslese should be at a similar level of quality.

THE 2019 VINTAGE AT WEINGUT EGON MÜLLER-SCHARZHOF

Another mild winter. December brought the much-needed rain but 2019 started dry. Until the end of April the weather was mild and dry and the vegetation was well ahead of normal. In May the weather deteriorated and on May 4th. after a long dry spell, we had rain and sleet. During the night the temperature dropped to – 1°C. In dry conditions this would not have been sufficient to damage the young shoots but the combination humidity and frost had a devastating effect particularly in the lower parts of Scharzhofberg and Rosenberg. During the following night a strong northerly wind drove cold air over the hill and at this time the damage was greatest in the higher parts of Rosenberg, Braunfels and even braune Kupp along the “Grätenbach” ravine. It remained cold until May 22nd and the growth of the vineyards slowed. Flowering began late and slowly but a few days of very hot weather at the beginning of June speed things up and by June 20th, flowering was finished.

June and July were mostly hot and dry and it was easy to tend the vines and vineyards.

From July 20th to 26th it was extremely hot. On July 26th the weather station in Kanzem registered a maximum temperature of 41.6°C. It was the moment when the vineyards were being hedged and, in those plots, where the grapes had been recently exposed to the sun, we saw considerable sunburn. Plots that had not yet been hedged weren’t damaged at all but in the very old vineyards which are less vigorous and have smaller leaves the damage was great throughout.

The weather remained mostly fine and we were preparing for another September harvest. After September 20th the weather became less stable. The temperatures were still warm and it rained intermittently. Botrytis began to spread. We started picking on September 30th. The first few days were fine and the results were quite satisfactory. We even harvested a first batch of Trockenbeerenauslese. From October 6th to 10th it was rainy and we had to interrupt our picking. Fine and warm weather followed and we harvested more and more Botrytis grapes, but at the same time tried to maintain speed since the long-range forecast was not favorable. We finished on October 18th.

Since 2014 the summers had been dry and hot and in such conditions the resistance of the old un-grafted vineyards to Phyloxera seems to decline. One of our old plots had been infected by the louse for many years but in 2018 many vines died and the trend continued in 2019. When we harvested this vineyard, we were shocked not only by the small quantity but also by the bitterness and lack of taste in the grapes. With great sadness the decision was taken to uproot and replant this plot.

The 2019 crop is small but of very high quality. We only harvested 20 hl/ha but there’s a great variation between vineyards: While braune Kupp was relatively good at 25 hl/ha, Scharzhofberg because of frost, sunburn and Phyloxera only yielded 18 hl/ha. 

Unlike 2018, this is a Botrytis vintage and Botrytis years often have trouble fermenting. Fermentations started well enough but a long cold spell in November cooled down the cellar and the casks that were still fermenting almost came to a halt. At this time, quite a few casks aren’t finished yet but those that are, show great promise.
 

The 2020 vintage at Weingut Egon Müller-Scharzhof

Once again, there was no real winter. In October 2019, during harvest, it had rained considerably after a long drought and November and December were wet as well, but rather mild. January was largely dry, only towards the end of the month significant precipitation fell but then it rained continuously, until March. It remained very warm and from mid-March the sun shone almost continuously.
The vegetation started very early, the first flowers on Riesling vines could be found on May 12th. Then a brief cold snap slowed down nature: On May 12th there was light frost after rain, but it caused only very limited damage in our vineyards. However, the flowering dragged on and was not completely finished until June 15. 
On June 5th, the first heavy rain fell after a prolonged dry period and we had to start spraying. Overall, it was sunny and warm, but there were occasional thunderstorms, which totaled an above-average 75 mm by the end of the month. We had only sprayed sulfur and copper and so a second treatment was necessary on June 15th. The rain stopped at the end of June and July was hot and dry. From July 10th to 13th, we sprayed for the third and last time.
During the spring, Europe was in lockdown because of the Corona pandemic. Our spring-team could not arrive from Poland and we were concerned about being able to carry out the necessary work on time. In summer the situation normalized and the warm and sunny weather did the rest. July and August were hot and dry, but there was no extreme heat. Only around August, 10th there were a few really hot days and in places sunburn on the grapes.
The grapes developed magnificently and one could expect a large harvest. Due to the hygiene requirements in the wake of the pandemic, we had to plan for a relatively small picking team and, expecting a long harvest, we decided to start early. In the week before the planned start, the weather forecast deteriorated considerably and instead of picking on September 21st as planned, we began on the 20th. The grapes were ripe but not overripe and completely healthy. The announced rain didn't come at first and for a week we picked Kabinett-grade grapes in ideal weather.
It began to rain on September 27th, and for us a poker game started. We wanted to wait for noble rot, but beautiful, almost summery days alternated with rainy days. Botrytis came but the grapes never dried properly and slowly the acid levels began to drop. We paused several times in the hope of better weather, then picked again for a few days and finally, on October 21st, we finished.
Hoping for early frost, we had left a few grapes hanging. The frost did not come, but after the wet October the weather improved in November. Finally, the botrytised grapes dried in and since a storm was forecasted for the next week, we harvested the last grapes on November 14th, finally at Auslese-level ripeness.
I can’t think of a comparable vintage. Perhaps, certain parallels can be drawn with 2016: the flawless, healthy, ripe grapes at the beginning of the harvest, the poker game around noble rot and finally the capitulation to nature. Even if, without Noble Rot we do not reach the peaks attained in the last 3 years, Scharzhof should turn out very fine and one can certainly expect excellent, mineral Kabinett and classically proportioned Spätlese wines.
 

Winter once again was mild with plenty of rain in December, January and February. It wasn't enough however, to balance the water deficit from the previous string of hot and dry years. February began cold with some snow but quickly it became very warm with temperatures reaching 18°C. Concerned by the ever earlier start of vegetation in recent years, we pushed through with the winter work, but the beautiful weather did not last long. From March through May it was colder than average. From May 14 to 26 it was rainy but otherwise quite dry.

June was beautiful without extreme heat. Flowering began late, but proceeded quickly. Due to the dry conditions, we only started spraying on 22 June when flowering was almost finished.

 On July 14, heavy rain, mainly over the Eifel, caused unprecedented flooding. It was worst on the Ahr but Kyll and Sauer also rose very quickly to never seen highs with great damage. The Saar, on the other hand, which rises in the Vosges, was hardly affected.

The persistent humidity caused enormous Downy Mildew pressure. We sprayed systemically on July 16 and 17 and, after further heavy rains, on the 27th/28th. This treatment, the 4th, which was supposed to be the last, came a day late and there were infections on the grapes. We estimate the loss at about 20% and we had to treat the most heavily affected vineyards a fifth time.

August was very cool and humid, the young leaves continued to be infected by Mildew and verraison didn’t begin until the middle of the month. As the grapes softened, it became apparent that there were unusually big differences in ripeness even in adjacent plots, which appeared to be due to the mode of cultivation of the vineyards and the level of yield.

September was warm, dry and sunny. October was also nice and mostly warm.

We started the harvest on October 11th, 3 weeks later than 2020. (In the 80s, that would have been considered early.) At the beginning of October it had rained a bit and the previously very healthy grapes began to rot. The sugar levels were consistently pleasing, acidity was after the cold August very high and the grapes were particularly aromatic.

About half of our harvesting team were first-timers. Since there was not much noble rot overall, it turned out to be very difficult to train the new pickers. Therefore, we formed a selection team, with the most experienced pickers harvesting the Botrytis grapes while the main crew picked the remaining grapes behind them.

We finished the harvest on October 28th. The average yield is 30 hl/ha, the sugar levels are higher than in 2020 but do not reach the level of 2019, and the acidity gives the wines an almost electrical tension, which, in combination  with the brilliant flavors, gives reason to hope for a very special vintage.

Again, the winter was very mild. October, November and December were rather dry, January and February wet. From March onwards it was very dry. After the warm winter, March and April were average but in May it became warm and the vineyards grew well. In sheltered places, flowering began on May 14 and by June 10 all vineyards had finished flowering. The fruit set was very good, with three grapes on most shoots and sometimes even four.

Because of the dry conditions, we only had to spray twice, on May 24th and June 2nd. Copper and sulfur were sufficient.

In July it rained only 2 mm and the lack of water became evident everywhere. The development of the grapes slowed down, the foliage of the trees began to yellow. The vineyard work was unproblematic due to the drought. After the experience of 2020 and, given the large fruit set for the first time since 1993, we decided to crop-thin: In the “breiter Weinberg”-vineyard we split the grapes and on 1/3 of our vineyard surface we cut away the third and fourth grape.

It was not extremely hot, only in August there was a longer heat wave with temperatures up to 37°C. Thunderstorms on 5th, 15th and 31st August with locally very different amounts of precipitation just about carried the vineyards in the Scharzhofberg through summer

September started warm and with heavy thunderstorms. In the Wiltinger braune Kupp vineyard there was considerable erosion several times.

From mid-September it became much cooler. The harvest began, very early, on the 19th and as we had suspected, due to the large quantity as in 2020, the must weights were not as high as one would have expected after this summer. The grapes were, on the whole, very healthy and we would have liked to wait a little longer, but the acidity levels were a bit low and it was to be feared that they would continue to drop during the harvest.

Old, vigorous plants had coped particularly well with the drought, while the young vineyards planted in 2015 or later suffered. The best qualities were found where we had thinned out and in the plots that bore few grapes by themselves.

After the rainfall at the end of August and beginning of September, botrytis spread and after harvesting grapes for the "Scharzhof" for 3 days, we began to select Noble-Rot affected grapes. If it had remained dry, we might have been able to harvest similar qualities as in 2018, but on the 27th 12 mm of rain fell and on 1st and 2nd October another 30 mm. On October 6th the actual harvest was finished, but, since the long-range weather-forecast was promising, we left 1 1/2 ha in Scharzhofberg. However, the outlook quickly deteriorated and from October 10.-13. we had a small team of specialists pick the Botrytis grapes, yielding a small cask of potential Gold-cap quality.

October was the warmest since 2001 and that begs the question whether better quality would have been possible with later harvest. However, it wasn’t only warm and sunny, with more than 100 mm of rain it was also quite wet. The warm and humid conditions let the grapes rot fast but they never really dried. It would seem that our harvesting decision was not too far off.

The vintage is unsurprisingly similar to 2020 and 2018. The yield was smaller with an average of 40 hl/ha and therefore we believe that the wines will be better than in 2020, but we have not reached the peaks of 2018. Contrary to initial expectations, the acidity levels remained stable until the end and thus the wines are likely to be racier than both 2020s or 2018s.

The winter was again very mild. The abundant rain in September and October had ended the drought and there was also above-average rain in November, December and especially in January. February was very warm and dry, but March and April again brought plenty of rain and April was also quite cool with some frost days, and the vegetation, which had started very early, was slowed down. May, June and July were warm, without extremely high temperatures and very dry. The vines thrived magnificently. Rarely have we seen such large leaves and branches. Flowering started rather late compared to the last years, but proceeded very quickly and was finished around 18 June.

Crop protection was unproblematic due to the dry conditions and by mid-July we thought the season would be marked by drought and heat like 2022. We cut off the third bunch on each shoot in all vineyards for fear that the yields might be too high should the dry conditions prevail.

On 18 and 19 July the nights were very cold. We had sprayed for the last time on the 4th, until then only ecologically, and as we knew that the vineyards were now without protection we controlled very closely. Fortunately, we were able to see and control the Oidium infection immediately.

However, this was followed by very unsettled weather that lasted until the end of August. From 24 July to 31 August, about 250 mm of rain fell. During that period, we sprayed three times, as many times as in the whole season until then and now with systemic products. The situation seemed under control and the last spray was only applied to the vineyards that are normally harvested late, as we expected an early harvest. However, the wet August slowed down the ripening and by the beginning of September we anticipated the harvest to start in early October. The vineyards that had not been sprayed late were now showing significant Mildew damage.

September was very warm, sunny and dry. The must weights shot up, but where the foliage was damaged by Mildew, the sugar increase was clearly lower. The grapes were unusually aromatic and the acids high. The persistent humidity had also favoured Botrytis and from mid-September there was an opportunity to select noble rotten grapes. We began our harvest on the 20th and quickly realised that although there were quite a lot of dry berries, their pressing yield was rather small, as the botrytis infection had come at a very early stage and a high concentration factor was needed to achieve the desired must weights.

In the course of the harvest, the yields, which had initially been around 50 hl/ha, declined. The decline accelerated in the 3rd week, but now with significantly higher must weights.

The last grapes were harvested on 10 October. On average, the yield was 28 hl/ha, the must weights are on par with 2021, albeit with greater variance upwards and downwards, the acids are even higher and particularly in the Botrytis wines, breath taking. Initial tastings suggest that the unusually pronounced aromatics of the grapes will be reflected in the wine and we hope for a very exciting vintage.

The 2024 season began, like previous years, with a mild winter. Following a rainy second half of 2023, January and February brought abundant precipitation, which replenished soil reserves effectively. The temperatures remained warm, and vegetation began to develop early, possibly marking the earliest start of vegetation to date.

In April, however, the weather changed drastically. It turned cool and unsettled, and on April 23, a late frost struck, bringing temperatures down to -2°C with fog, causing extensive damage. No vineyard was spared; even the braune Kupp-usually frost-protected due to its proximity to the river-was severely affected.

Warm and wet weather in May, June, and July promoted downy mildew, and infection pressure remained high well into August. We applied systemic treatments from the start, yet ended up needing 11 treatments in total, often working weekends and even multiple Sundays. It has been said that frost-damaged vines are particularly prone to infection, and this year may support that theory: the only other year we’ve had to spray nearly as much was 1997, when vineyards also suffered severe frost in April.

September was relatively cool and intermittently rainy, and despite the smaller yields, sugar levels increased slowly. While early September offered hope for a harvest start within the month, we ultimately had to delay and planned to begin on October 7. The first days of October were beautiful—foggy in the mornings but dry. However, the remnants of Hurricane Milton swept through in the week of the 6th, and since must weights remained unsatisfactory and acids were high, we postponed the harvest to the 14th, despite our foreign workers already having arrived. Heavy rain followed for two days, but the weekend stayed dry.

On the first day of harvesting, we picked 2 ½ hectares, but quality remained below expectations. The forecast was favorable, so we decided to wait another week. Unfortunately, the weather was not as good as predicted, and botrytis began to spread, turning the wait into a serious test of nerves.

Eventually, the dry weather did arrive, and when we started harvesting in earnest on October 21, we were rewarded for our patience. Botrytis transformed into noble rot, and must weights increased rapidly. In a normal year, this would have likely allowed for substantial quantities of great Trockenbeerenauslesen, but given the smaller yield, we needed to focus. We produced Auslese and Goldkapsel Auslese in useful quantities; however, all other wines - from “Scharzhof” to Kabinett and Spätlese - are available only in very limited amounts. Overall, we harvested 7 ½ Fuder, or approximately 450 liters per hectare.

Acidity levels remained high throughout, the concentration is considerable, and given the wet summer and the limited yield, the extract values should also be excellent. We anticipate a vintage that will be at least very good, potentially even outstanding.