The young wines in the cellar are just as exciting as the vintage: animating acidity, multi-layered aromas, invigorating, lively, herbal, juicy, authentic – very attractive and promising. For our taste, the winegrowing year 2023 could have been a bit less exciting. But we won’t complain, as – contrary to many colleagues in other regions – we have been spared by frost and other severe weather.

The rather mild winter was cloudy and humid. The water reservoirs were well filled. March was still cool, but mid-April had sunny, mild spring weather. There was more rain in May, but then sunny and warm days provoked a speedy growing season of the vines and an unexpected early start of the flowering around June 8. The summer was very dry and warm, before generous rain brought relief again. August was mostly wet with moderate temperatures. Summer returned at the end of August and continued into September. By mid-September, the thermometer climbed up to 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit). The weather conditions posed a challenge to the health of the grape during the vegetation period due to the heat and high humidity in August and September. Nevertheless, compared to other varieties, Riesling coped pretty well with this tricky situation. We ensured good ventilation and kept the grapes healthy with targeted foliage work and, in anticipation of a “turbo harvest,” we decided to start picking early. The grapes in some plots were already ripe and the taste was just perfect! So, we started picking on September 15, 2023 – the same day as the annual auction in Trier.

Fortunately, most of our faithful pickers were able to arrive on short notice. The early start to the harvest provided us with extra time, so that we were able to do all the necessary and detailed selections, without being under immediate time pressure. This enabled us to keep the “freshness” that now fascinates us every time we taste the young wines. Contrary to our expectations, the process of grape maturation slowed down. The major challenge of the year was to have an eye on all plots at all times, because, as it turned out, the development of the grapes was different compared to all the years before it. The stable, dry weather during the harvest was certainly an advantage. The nights also became cooler at the end of September. Once again, we were grateful for our experienced picking team, which supports us every year. After four exhausting weeks, we were lucky to conclude the harvest on October 12, 2023.
The must has tasted excellent and fermentation was swift and uncomplicated. Wehlen gifted us with a fruity Kabinett and also very noble berries for a majestic Auslese, which we will offer at the auction in November. In Graach, we harvested racy, elegant Kabinett and profound Spätlese wines. Grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot, in Domprobst yielded a marvellous Auslese. Just the small quantity is a bit disappointing. We won’t have any dry and off-dry (feinherb) village-level wines and also no Grosses Gewächs. We are, however, extremely happy about how the vintage turned out!