Events

Weinborse Mainz: wines-2005
«Vinnaya Karta» №6(76) June 2006

A presentation of 2005 wines was held in Mainz. It was organized by VDP (Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter), an association of leading wine producers of Germany.

Our correspondent reports about the quality of the latest German vintage.

Spring tasting of Weinborse Manz is an excellent indicator of what we can expect from new German vintage. Only most authoritative producers of Germany who work under VDP banner can participate in it. VDP membership is limited to 200 estates, and their wines represent the elite of German winemaking.

– This is the most important event in German wine calendar as it gives an opportunity to taste top wines of the country, noted Christian Ebert, owner of Schloss Saarstein in Saar.

During the press-conference, Michael Prinz du Salm-Salm, VDP president, was the first to give commentary on vintage-2005.

– We rate the quality of vintage as above average. Conditions were marvelous in most parts of Germany in September-October. It helped to achieve balance between acidity and other components in wine. Naturally, there were specific conditions in each area, and producers talked about them when presenting wines. Still, most winemakers are inclined to think that 2005 brilliantly combined the best sides of two previous vintages. It possesses good fruit of 2003 and fresh purity of 2004.

During spring tasting VDP prefers not to show wines which haven’t completed their vinification — sweet beerenauslesen (BA), trockenbeerenauslesen (ТВА), eisweins and wines coming from Grand Cru terroirs (Grosses Gewachs, Erstes Gewachs or Erste Lage). There is a special tasting for them in autumn. In spring, though, producers can offer earlier millesimes of these wines.

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Chrisoph Tyrell, owner of historic Karthauserhof estate, gave a full report about how 2005 vintage developed in Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Winter was dry, the temperature in February dropped to minus 14 degrees. The bud break occurred much earlier than usual — in the last week of April. Real heat and a lot of rainfall in the end of May allowed vines to finish flowering by 20 June, but hailstorm in some parts of Ruwer valley destroyed up to 95% of future crop. July was warm, grapes developed well. Veraison happened in the end of August, two weeks earlier than the long-term average. Ideal conditions of September and October allowed to start harvesting on 10 October and finish it without complications on 3 November.

– It delighted me to receive the highest quality of harvest for auslese, beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese wines. The acidity of the wines is higher than in 2003 and I expect a superb, typical vintage which without any doubt will find its way into the history of great wines, comments Chrisoph Tyrell.

Sofia Thansch whose estate Dr. H. Thanisch, Erben Thanisch owns part of legendary Bernkasteler Doctor site, adds:

– The quality is very nice. We see crispness and minerality of 2004 with particular richness of wines.

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer traditionally succeeds with wines where crisp acidity is balanced by sugar, but this year the region features many excellent dry kabinett and spatlese. They benefit from the balance of acid, mineral and fruit components — like in Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett trocken (Weingut Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben) or Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Riesling Spatlese trocken (Weingut Karthauserhof).

Triumphal were sweet spatlese and auslese which give impeccable harmony of rich, fruity flavours with a fine presence of fresh acidity and minerals. Among the best examples of the region are Piesporter Domherr Riesling Spatlese (Weingut Reinhold Haart), Berncasteler Doctor Riesling Spatlese (Weingut Wwe Dr H Thanisch, Erben Thanisch), Schloss Saarstein Riesling Auslese (Weingut Schloss Saarstein).

Rheingau

Success of vintages of the 21st century continued in Rheingau in 2005.

– It is one of the outstanding vintages lately. It is a mixture of good parts of 2003 and 2004. Wines are crisper and lighter than 2003, but richer than 2004, commented Johannes Eser from Weingut Johannishof. — We have excellent kabinett and outstanding spatlese and auslese wines. This year consumer gets more quality for his money.

August Kesseler who owns historic vineyards in the western part of Rheingau, says:

– Nobody recognized that 2005 vintage in Germany was dry. Of course, it was not as dry as 2003, but we had very little rain. The weather was so-so — we had rain, we had cloudy days, we had sun, but it was not very hot. Nobody expected that this vintage was growing with less water. In the western part of the Rheingau — Assmannshausen, Rudesheim — the yields were 30% less. It rained 2 weeks prior to harvesting, but thanks to well draining soils it didn’t hurt us. In other parts of the Rheingau where they have heavier soil botrytis appeared. We had a very little amount of fruits, but highly concentrated. Minerals and acidity match perfectly that wonderful, delightful fruit. The wines are well structured. We expected a very good vintage, but in the end it was an outstanding one.

Wines of Weingut August Kesseler this year feature the state of perfect balance on all levels from kabinett to auslese. Weingut Johannishof made fine, crystal clear Rieslings, among which Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spatlese deserves a special mention.

Nahe

As noted by Christoph Friedrich, enologist of Schlossgut Diel, the leading Nahe estate, 2005 was a perfect vintage for botrytis — even better than the unparalleled 1959. Before TBA wines were relased in Schlossgut Diel only in 2003 and 1967. One has to have patience, though, to taste TBA-2005.

In the meantime the tasting featured several examples of BA which stand a level lower from rare TBA. Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Beerenauslese (Sclossgut Diel) appealed though luscious flavours of peaches and apricots while Bockenauer Felseneck (Weingut Shafer-Frohlich) exploded with freshness simultaneously showing intense, clean apricot flavours.

– This year there are beerenauslese wines from all our vineyards. We will even have TBA from the top two sites, noted Tim Frohlich from Weingut Shafer-Frohlich.

As far as other wines are concerned, quality exceeded the expected level.

– Usually wines are more open at this time, but higher concentration slowed their development. I think they will show better in September, says Wener Schonleber from Weingut Emrich-Schonleber.

Absence of residual sugar in dry spatlese wines makes them unnecessarily austere and brings minerality to grotesque. Is it worth it? I am not sure — paraphrasing Chekhov, everything should be delightful in wine. Nahe wines are much nicer with some sweet fruit.

On the other hand, superb examples of dry spatlese can be found in Pfalz region thanks to more full-bodied character of local Rieslings. The proof is available in Weingut A. Christmann which makes excellent dry spatlese Gimmeldinger Biengarten and Konigsbacher Olberg.

Joel Payne on 2005 wines

Joel Payne, wine critic and co-author of the influential Gault Millau guide on German wines, agreed to share his views on the quality of 2005 vintage in Germany.

– Which regions/producers/wines particularly stood out?

– There is no question about the fact that this will be a great vintage for the “stickies” from the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer. In fact, even further south producers who generally make no sweet wines at all, such as Dr. Wehrheim in the southern Pfalz made an impressive Auslese in sizeable quantities because the conditions were right. If I had to spotlight a few wines from the fair it would thus be those of Zilliken on the Saar as well as both Dr. Loosen and Sankt Urbanshof from the Mosel. Among the Haag brothers it looks like Schloss Lieser is beginning to take the upper hand. The Mittelrhein will probably be successful, too, but the best producers — Weingart and Muller — were not there. On the Nahe Diel and Schafer-Frohlich stood out. I did not go through the Rheingau thoroughly, but, beyond Weil, Leitz is the man to beat, Spritzer is becoming better with each vintage and Kunstler appears to be back in form.

– Can you confirm the positive mood of the producers regarding the quality of the vintage?

– Yes, although the general situation in Germany is still somewhat depressed, the top sixty or eighty producers here are very happy. Their domestic business is strong, they are receiving increased demand from abroad and given the low yields in 2005 they know that the vintage will be gone quickly. They are also very pleased with the quality. 2005 is a very good vintage for it has the ripeness of 2003, but without the overblown jammy tones, and it has the vibrancy of 2004, but without the steely acidity. Add to that the perfect botrytis and you have a recipe for what many are calling the finest Auslese and upward that they have ever made.