1997 Vintage Report
Overview
In late January of 1998 we left for our annual vintage review in Germany. During the year we had heard rumors that the 1997 vintage was one of questionable quality, mostly because the acid levels were suspect. Also there was little or no botrytis in the vineyards. Some growers were getting concerned that the incredible streak of nine good to great vintages in a row was in jeopardy.
After visiting a few estates it became apparent that the streak was intact, 1997 is a fabulous vintage. The only real contrast between 1997 and other recent vintages is that very few noble sweet wines were made because the vintage had little botrytis. However, at the Estate Riesling (QbA), Kabinett, Spätlese, and Auslese level we’ve never tasted anything quite like 1997. The wines are incredibly ripe, with detailed fine fruit, and with layers and layers on the palate.
Even at this early stage, tasting the wines off the tanks / barrels, they were showing complexity and character. There is no clouding of flavors by botrytis or hard acidity, just pure, ripe, often tropical fruit.
Although total acidity is lower than in previous vintages, the key to the ‘97’s is the high levels of tartaric acidity. There is only a small amount of malic in these wines. Analysis of acid levels at Weingut Robert Weil showed over 90% tartaric acidity in the musts, yet Weil’s 1997 Kiedricher Gräfenberg Spätlese still has 10 gm/l acidity. This over abundance of tartaric acid explains the incredible ripeness we found in so many of the wines. While some estates did have acid levels at 10+ gm/l, the average acidity (for our estates) seems to lie in the 8.5 gm/l range.
Hanno Zilliken is the exception to the no botrytis rule in 1997. His was the only estate with significant amounts of botrytis. The wines are magnificent. It is one of the greatest vintages ever for this estate. Kudos to Hanno Zilliken for some of the finest wines produced in 1997.
Because there was very little botrytis in ’97, high end dessert wines are scarce. However, the following estates succeeded in making BA wines - Schloss Lieser, Fritz Haag, Joh. Jos. Prüm, Dr. Loosen, Karthäuserhof, Zilliken, Robert Weil, Franz Künstler, Pfeffingen (will probably be declassified to a GKA), Bassermann-Jordan, von Buhl, and Dr. Heger.
Even fewer estates succeeding in making TBA wines. Those that did include Robert Weil, Franz Künstler, Pfeffingen (221 Öchsle), and Dr. Heger. TBA’s of special note include an amazing Bassermann-Jordan Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad TBA, a completely non botrytised TBA, made from young vines picked the first time. Von Buhl achieved possibly the highest Riesling must weight in 1997 at 245 Öchsle, a TBA made in the Forster Ungeheuer. In late January (27th to 29th) there were significant quantities of Eiswein harvested in the Nahe, Rheingau and Pfalz.
In all the years we’ve been tasting young wines, we’ve never been as excited as we are about these 1997’s. There are many delicious wines at the Estate Riesling, Kabinett, and Spätlese level that will offer fantastic value to the consumer. We can’t wait to offer these wines and hope you’ll share in our excitement.
Table 1: Middle Mosel weather data for the months April to October.
|
Month |
1997 / 1996 |
Long Term Average |
||||
|
Temp in °C |
Hours of Sunshine |
Rain in Millimeters |
Temp in °C |
Hours of Sunshine |
Rain in Millimeters |
|
|
April |
8.9 / 10.9 |
190 / 217 |
21 / 7 |
9.4 |
149 |
50 |
|
May |
14.8 / 12.6 |
221 / 126 |
61 / 73 |
13.9 |
196 |
60 |
|
June |
17.1 / 17.8 |
166 / 211 |
127 / 30 |
16.9 |
202 |
66 |
|
July |
18.6 / 18.0 |
206 / 225 |
43 / 45 |
18.6 |
211 |
71 |
|
August |
21.7 / 18.9 |
239 / 191 |
31 / 60 |
17.8 |
185 |
74 |
|
September |
15.6 / 13.2 |
186 / 125 |
46 / 26 |
14.7 |
133 |
55 |
|
October |
9.8 / 9.0 |
116 / 79 |
68 / 64 |
10.1 |
86 |
56 |
|
Average |
15.2 |
189 |
56.9 |
14.5 |
166 |
62 |
Throughout Germany the winter of 1996 was very severe. However March was unusually warm and brought an early bud break on April 21st in the Mosel, and even sooner in other regions. Unfortunately this early bud break was accompanied by frost which caused a great deal of damage on the Saar, Ruwer, Nahe, and Ahr.
Early flowering and significant coulure along the Saar and Ruwer resulted in much reduced harvests, less than 50% of normal at Schloss Saarstein, von Hövel and Karthäuserhof. Bert Simon fared even worse with only a 20% harvest. Hanno Zilliken was the exception and suffered little damage. The Middle Mosel escaped relatively untouched as did our growers in the remaining wine growing regions.
With rainfall over double the long term average in June, the vines really benefited from a warm July and the hottest August in memory. Lots of sunshine in September and an ideal October brought very healthy, ripe fruit to the cellars.
Botrytis was all but absent in ’97, although some noble sweet wines were produced. In late January a number of Eisweins were made, but mostly outside the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region.
Most pH levels were below average, acid levels ranged from 8 - 9 gm/l. They are the ripest acids we’ve encountered in almost 20 years of tasting young wines. These are very ripe, very fine fruity and extremely filigreed wines.
Our early assessment is that 1997 is a great vintage, and that the streak of ten good vintages in a row continues. You will find evaluations for each of our estates on the following pages.
Table 2: Phenological data for Riesling on the Middle Mosel
|
Vintage |
1975 |
1990 |
1994 |
1997 |
Long Term Average |
|
Bud Break |
5/2 |
4/24 |
4/27 |
4 / 21 |
5/2 |
|
Flowering |
6/26 |
6/15 |
6/21 |
6 / 16 |
6/25 |
|
Start of Ripening |
8/29 |
8/20 |
8/22 |
9 / 1 |
9/7 |
|
Start of Harvest |
10/15 |
10/15 |
10/10 |
10 / 20 |
10/21 |
Estates by Region
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Schloss Lieser
There was little botrytis (botrytis showed up in a late harvest Auslese *** and BA). Yield was 65 hl/ha. Must weight ranged from 80 - 138 Öchsle. Thomas Haag feels the wines from 1997 are very high quality. The wines have a highly polished fruit character. Most amazing is the harvest of 2,000 liters of Niederberg Helden Auslese *** #10 with no botrytis, and 1,000 liters of another Niederberg Helden Auslese *** #9 with botrytis. The #9 with honeyed tropical fruit and the #10 with bright explosive tropical fruit and an almost silky texture on the palate.
Mönchhof
25% QbA, 40% Kabinett, 30% Spätlese, 5% Auslese. Acids are lower than in previous vintages (95 / 96) near 8.5 gm/l. Grapes were very healthy and make for very ripe and clear wines. Yield was approximately 60 hl/ha, must weights ranged between 76 Öchsle and 140 Öchsle (140 being BA, will probably be bottled as LGKA). Fruit reminds of peaches and tropical fruit with spice in all the Ürziger wines. There is also a terrific Erdener Treppchen Spätlese - rich, elegant with wonderful slate nuances.
Joh. Jos. Prüm
Dr. Manfred Prüm thinks 1997 is an excellent vintage. Wines from Estate Riesling up through BA (BA is TBA must) were harvested and he, like many others, feels the vintage is very special because of its very clean and compact fruit. Yield was 60 - 70 hl/ha, and the vintage is compared to 1983 but finer and riper. Even though the acids are technically lower, they are ripe, resulting in the most delicious young wines we’ve ever tasted at Joh. Jos. Prüm.
Dr. F. Weins-Prüm
Yield here was 70 hl/ha. Very little botrytis, and must weights ranged from 75 - 107 Öchsle with very healthy fruit. The wines express the pure tropical fruit notes that we found in so many of the 1997 wines we tasted. There are very high must weight numbers in just the Kabinett, Spätlese, and Auslese wines. The "normal" Ausleses would’ve been bottled as GKA’s ten years ago. Lots of very ripe concentrated fruit in these very layered wines.
Dr. Loosen
Erni Loosen joked that every vintage he keeps waiting for a disaster, but once again 1997 turned into another remarkable performance. In his vintage report he says that by September the vintage was starting to look very good. In the beginning of October conditions looked a bit risky and ripeness levels we’re not as expected. However, by late October the vintage had made up ground and ‘97 began to look promising. The grapes started to show wonderful ripeness with acids still in tact. Started the harvest on October 20th. Quality ranged from Kabinett to BA (had botrytis after the November rain). Tasted very ripe concentrated wines.
Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch
At this point the 1997’s are much more approachable than the 1996’s same time last year. It appears that the 1997’s at the Kabinett and Spätlese level are some of the best in years. They certainly have a chance of rivaling the great 90 wines. Made QbA through BA. The BA was harvested at about 140 Öchsle, and is targeted for the Trier action.
Fritz Haag
Wilhelm Haag feels the vintage is similar to 90 and 93. He even want down to the cellar to get a 90 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Spätlese to prove his point. Mr. Haag did qualify his statement and say that only time will tell how great these wines really are, but as of right now they certainly look to have a great future. These are truly remarkable wines, with incredible balance and purity.
Reinhold Haart
The Reinhold Haart estate escaped the frost damage that was present in surrounding areas. Theo Haart commented on the very ripe and healthy fruit he harvested. Only at the very end of the harvest did botrytis show itself. The harvest was finished by mid November. Yield was 65 hl/ha and must weights ranged from 78 - 120 Öchsle. Theo thinks the wines are similar to the 83’s, a vintage that also showed well early. Must weights ranged from the QbA - Auslese level, plus a GKA that Theo will likely take to the Trier auction. Tasted very pure, ripe, layered wines.
Milz - Laurentiushof
Yield was 20% above normal. Most of the wines were picked at the Kabinett and Spätlese level, with about 10% of the wines at Auslese level. Markus Milz feels the wines have excellent structure with better than expected acidity. Most of the acid levels are in the 8.5 to 9.5 gm/l range. The highest must weight achieved was 115 Öchsle, which will probably bottled as a GKA. Markus feels, at the Kabinett and Spätlese, the vintage compares favorably to the 1983 (we like them better). The fruit here again were very clean and bright. What’s more amazing at this early stage the difference between the Trittenheimer Leiterchen and Trittenheimer Felsenkopf was already quite clear on the palate.
Karthäuserhof
Again very little botrytis. Yield was only 30 hl/ha (due to frost damage) and must weights ranged from 80 to 135 Öchsle or Estate Riesling to BA. Christoph Tyrell says that this is probably amongst the finest vintages at the Kabinett, Spätlese, and Auslese level for the estate. He felt these wines are superior to both the ’83 and ‘90’s. The wines tasted have great purity and concentration. They attack the palate with ripe pears, exotic fruits and cassis - fresh and vibrant wines.
von Hövel
Eberhard von Kunow thinks that the 1997 fruit is the finest harvested at von Hövel since 1971. Yield was 50 hl/ha with must weights from 85 - 112 Öchsle. Here too there was very little botrytis. Most of the harvest was a minimum of Auslese must weight, that will be declassified to Estate Riesling, Kabinett, and Spätlese. Very fine fruity, filigreed Saar Rieslings of great quality.
Dr. Fischer
Yield was 45 hl/ha with must weights ranging from 78 to 95 Öchsle. The 1997 GKA was already sold out when we visited in late January. Very little botrytis. Hennes Fischer can’t remember a vintage quite like 1997. August was the hottest in memory. He feels the vintage has traits of both the ‘83 and ’75 vintages. The harvest yielded about 30% Kabinett and 65% Spätlese, and 5% Auslese.
Zilliken
Only estate we’ve visited where botrytis was present from the beginning of the vintage. Hanno Zilliken feels this is his best vintage - EVER. Yes better than the great 83’s and possibly better than ’59 or ’21. One of the great vintages of the century. Yield was 50 hl/ha with must weights from 81 - 142 Öchsle. A plentiful harvest of great Spätleses and Ausleses with explosive tropical, pineapple fruit - Bravo Hanno !
Bert Simon
A lot of frost damage and very poor flowering led to a very small harvest of barely 20 hl/ha. Again comments of very little botrytis, but wines of fine filigreed fruit. Must weights from 82 - 98 Öchsle, classic Saar Riesling with hints of pineapple and tropical fruit. The wines from the Serriger Herrenberg were truly superb.
Rheingau
Robert Weil
Harvest started mid October, and it turned out to be the longest harvest in the history of the Robert Weil estate. It would be January 29th 1998, after three days of picking Eiswein, when the harvest was finally complete. Yield was approximately 60 hl/ha with must weights ranging from 85 - 214 Öchsle. Wilhelm Weil speaks of incredibly ripe fruit and for Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese musts this is likely one of the best vintages in the last 100 years. There was little botrytis until mid December when GKA, BA, and TBA could finally be picked. Twenty pickers combined often brought in as little as 5 liters a day. Great filigreed Kiedricher Rieslings with very ripe, fine fruit of peaches, grapefruit, cassis, and notes of tropical fruit.
Franz Künstler
Gunter Künstler thinks that 1997 is special because of it’s intense ripe fruit and high must weights. He delayed the harvest 10 extra days to get additional ripeness. On our visit the Riesling was, in many cases, still fermenting but still showed a creamy, filigree texture loaded with ripe peaches, pineapples and tropical fruit. Even the Spätleses have hints of caramel and honey. Two noble sweet wines and an Eiswein (January 27th) were made in the Hochheimer Hölle vineyard. The BA reminded of apricots, honey and very ripe pineapple, whereas the TBA (175 Öchsle) offered fine honey, ripe fruit character and a rich, creamy texture. The Pinot Noir from the Hochheimer Reichestal is the finest ever picked with must weights up to 26 Brixs. Another array of superb wines from one of Germany’s most talented young wine makers.
Pfalz
Pfeffingen
Yield was just above normal with must weights ranging from 83 - 221 Öchsle. The 221 Öchsle wine is a Ungsteiner Herrenberg Riesling TBA, with 16 gm/l acidity, a record for Riesling at the estate. The wines here are incredibly aromatic, fine fruity, rich, with a creamy filigree texture. Acid levels are good at all levels, Estate Riesling, Kabinett and Spätlese. The Gewürztraminer and Scheurebe have great richness but are still filigreed. The Riesling Auslese from the Ungsteiner Weilberg tastes of ripe honeyed, pink grapefruit, an explosive fruit bomb. The new wine maker Reiner Gabel, in concert with Doris Eymael, has really taken the quality up to another level.
Bassermann-Jordan
The harsh winter frosts did not affect the vines at Bassermann-Jordan. Heavy rains in May and June, plus continuous warm weather in August and September formed the basis for excellent ripening conditions. The yield was 65 hl/ha with must weights ranging from 87 - 170 Öchsle. The highest must weight was a TBA (only 200 liters) with 1.4% acidity made from sultana like non botrytis grapes in the Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad. In the same vineyard there was also small quantities of BA at 150 Öchsle and 600 liters of Auslese at 120 o (with over 10 gm/l acid). All these wines were picked from vines that bore fruit for the very first time. On the night of January 27th Eiswein was picked at - 90 Celsius) and 150 Öchsle. On average the vintage produced very ripe, filigree wines with acid levels from 8 - 9 gm/l with Uli Mell showing that with the 1997 vintage things are going to get even better at Bassermann-Jordan.
Von Buhl
Harvest yielded 50 hl/ha with must weights ranging from 80 - 245 Öchsle. Up through Auslese the wines have no botrytis. The pH values are low in ‘97. The wines are bright, ripe and filigreed. Negative selection of the Forster Ungeheuer BA will probably become the von Buhl Auslese Classic with 125 Öchsle, 9.5 gm/l acidity and 13.8% residual sugar. There is 1,300 liters of Forster Ungeheuer BA picked at 150 Öchsle (TBA must), with 1.5 gm/l acid and 210 gm/l residual sugar. On of the greatest wines of the vintage was again harvested in the Forster Ungeheuer, a meager 120 liters of TBA picked at 245 Öchsle with 17 gm/l acid and 380 gm/l residual sugar. Last but not least there was 700 liters Eiswein, also harvested in the Forster Ungeheuer, at 161 Öchsle on January 27.
Franken
Wirsching
The beginning of the year was very cold, and the vintage did not look promising. Starting in July there was great weather, until the beginning of harvest on September 22nd (the earliest start in 20 years). Must weights for 1997 were quite high with an average of 97 Öchsle. As in most regions the dry summer prevented the development of botrytis. Yield was 57 hl/ha with must weights up to 106 Öchsle. Very good to great vintage for Kabinett and Spätlese wines, it compares favorably to 90 and 93. Silvaners are fine and filigreed at the lower must weights whereas the Julius Echter Berg Spätlese is a powerhouse of spice with a buttery, rich silky palate and no heat. The Rieslings, Scheurebes, and Muller-Thurgaus are all have a fine fruit character, and are racy and bright. For the 1997 vintage the estate also made large capital investments in a new temperature controlled fermentation system.
Nahe
Schlossgut Diel
Heavy frosts on April 27th resulted in a loss of roughly 2/3 of the Pinot Blanc crop. Up to July weather conditions were cool and Armin Diel was looking for an average year. A hot summer with little or no rain resulted in an early harvest that was mostly complete by November 4th. There was very little botrytis in the vineyards. Then began the long wait for Eiswein. On December 16th with TV crews at the ready temperatures did not cooperate and the show did not take place. It wasn’t until January 27th when temperature were sufficiently low that it was finally possible to make 500 liters of Eiswein at 130 Öchsle. The wines tasted were bright, with great clarity that remind of ripe peaches, passionfruit and cassis. We were especially impressed with the wines from the newly acquired Burgberg vineyard.
Emrich-Schönleber
The April frosts caused severe problems and losses were so great that optimistically only a 35% harvest was expected. Late July brought really great weather with sunshine through October and early November. The vintage set a new record for sunshine hours and brought the vintage up to a 50% of a normal harvest. Werner Schönleber feels that ’97 was the finest vintage for QbA, Kabinett and Spätlese wines since he began as cellar master. No noble sweet wines because as elsewhere there was little or no botrytis. The wines tasted were bright, with fruit of white peaches, tropical fruit with hints of caramel and a wonderful silky texture. A superb collection of Nahe wines.
Rheinhessen
Gunderloch
The early frosts, thanks to the superb microclimates in the top Rheinfront vineyards, did virtually no damage. Budding was timely with flowering under ideal conditions, bode for a good vintage. Mid September showed exceptionally high must weights for the Riesling and green leaves on the vines were visible until late October. As elsewhere there was very little botrytis along the Rhinefront. The harvest began on the 18th of October and was complete by the 27th of November. One hectar was set aside for botrytis selection, but it was picked on January 27th as Eiswein. Unfortunately neither the Eiswein or TBA harvest was successful. The remaining harvest produced superb, ripe, fine fruity, filigreed Rieslings. The Estate Riesling is chaptalized predicate wine. Must weights ranged from 82 - 158 Öchsle (high end will be a BA), with yields of 50 hl/ha and acid levels in the finished wines of 8 - 9.8 gm/l. A great vintage for dry and fruity wines without the quantity of noble sweet wines of the past few years.
Baden
Salwey
Yield of 55 hl/ha with must weights from 76 - 108 Öchsle with acids lower but riper than ’96. The higher must weights are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Silvaner Spätleses. Pinot Noir was also picked at over 105 Öchsle. The whites have wonderful bright melon fruit with clearly defined terrior of loamy loess versus volcanic soils. The Pinot Noirs are some of the best ever made at Salwey with ripe cherries and hints of chocolate. A very good vintage with well crafted wines by Wolf Salwey.
Dr. Heger -Weinhaus Heger
Joachim Heger thinks that the ’97 reds are the finest he has ever made at Dr. Heger and Weinhaus Heger with must weights ranging from 88 - 109 Öchsle and 93 - 114 Öchsle respectively. Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris achieved extraordinary ripeness for Weinhaus Heger and Dr. Heger where must weights started at the Spätlese level. The reserve Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc from the Winklerberg and Achkarrer Schlossberg are some of the best ever. A number of sweet wines were made at Dr. Heger. A Riesling BA at 145 Öchsle, a Scheurebe BA at 135 Öchsle and a Muskateller TBA at 190 Öchsle. Overall a great vintage for both Weinhaus Heger and Dr. Heger. In 1997 Heger also acquired another property in Nimburg Bottingen, also in the Kaiserstuhl, Weingut Otto Fischer. The estate is comprised of 40 acres that are planted 50% to Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Blanc, 14% Pinot Blanc, 12% Muller-Thurgau and the rest Riesling and Chardonnay.
Württemberg
Graf Adelmann
After four meager harvests in a row, 1997 was a vintage that satisfied both in quality and quantity. Yield was 60 hl/ha, with healthy grapes and very high levels of tartaric acid (there was virtually no malic). There was almost no botrytis, pH values were low, predicate level wines made up two thirds of the vintage and the average must weights were high. For Pinot Gris 97 Öchsle, Samrot 98 Öchsle, Clevner 99 Öchsle, 1,000 liters of Pinot Noir Auslese picked on the last day of harvest at 104 Öchsle. Both Lemberger and Riesling also made superb wines.
Ahr
Meyer-Näkel
The 1997 vintage here was a disaster. Spring frosts destroyed over 90% of the crop. There will be no Dornfelder. Werner Nakel did make very small quantities of high quality Pinot Noir. However, no wine will be available for export.