2003 - the Vintage of the Century Europe has not seen a summer like 2003 since 1540. Record temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius and sparse rainfall that barely exceeded 350 millimetres set the stage for an unusual vintage. January was moist and warm, followed by three dry months that saw not even half the normal precipitation. With the exception of February temperatures were much higher than usual until late September. May was 2 degrees warmer than normal, June 4.5 and August 5.4. In this same period there were 11 days with temperatures over 35 degrees, but a total of only 27 millimetres of rain. Bud break began over Easter and the canopy developed quickly in May. A storm front with hail showers passed through on the 31st of May but did little damage. Flowering followed on the 3rd of June, some 10 days ahead of schedule, and was completed within a week. Not since 1993 and 2000 had flowering ended so early. In fact between bud break and the end of flowering there elapsed only 38 days, ten fewer than usual. As always the unripe bunches were thinned in late August and the canopy on the shadowed side of the vines removed to encourage air circulation. Here and there leaves wilted and sunburn was a problem in certain vineyards – and new plantings had to be watered at this time to prevent undue suffering. September finally brought weather patterns back to normal, but not enough to regenerate the vines. Only as cool weather in October brought autumn rains did the vegetative cycle regain its equilibrium. Harvest began on the 29th of September, earlier than we can ever remember. In deciding when to pick it was nonetheless important to await the full physiological ripeness of the berries rather than to rely on analysis of must weights alone. The burgundian varietals were riper than we had ever seen before with nary a touch of rot. As all grapes were harvested by hand we were able to capture the full aromatic profile of each individual varietals and retain their elegant acid structure. Both Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris were harvested with must weights near 100 Oechsle, Pinot Noir came in at 110. After fermentation the wines showed both complexity and depth, harbingers of a brilliant career as fine table wines. Shortly after harvest began we were able to bring in a small quantity of Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese on the 10th of October, finer than any we have seen in the past ten years. In fact all records were broken in 2003. On the 15th of October we brought in another Trockenbeerenauslese from the Goldloch vineyard with a must weight 234 Oechsle. On the following day we harvested another with 266 Oechsle from the same site. The highest must weight ever recorded before at the estate was a Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese from the Piitermännchen vineyard from the legendary 1967 vintage with its full range of botrytis wines. It weighed in at 212 Oechsle. In 2003 on the other hand Botrytis Cinerea played almost no role. Instead it was dried and shrivelled raisins that brought the enormous concentration, yielding wines with pure fruit and finely balanced acidities. These noble wines will certainly be ageless, ripening slowly over decades to a perfect equilibrium. Although the German wine industry as a whole was worried that high alcohol and low acid levels would compromise the vintage, the Nahe will certainly prove to be an exception. Perfectly healthy grapes were harvested here at above average must weights, but without the full throttle alcohols that some might have feared – and the general level of quality is extremely high, be it for the First Growths, the delicate Spätlese or the succulent Auslese. The acid levels in the musts all lay between 7,5 and 8,5 parts per thousand and were thus comparable to the legendary 1976, 1971 or 1959 vintages. Perhaps it is still too early to judge definitively, but it is hard not to proclaim 2003 as the vintage of the century. Traditionally the ice wine harvest brings the vintage to a close. 2003 was no exception. In the early morning hours of the 9th and 10th of December we were able to pick frozen bunches of Riesling in our Burgberg, Goldloch and Pittermännchen sites at 7 to 9 degrees Celsius below zero. The must weights all lay between 130 and 148 Oechsle. Given the high physiological maturity of the grapes the acid levels were only about 8 to 10 parts per thousand, insuring ice wines with mouth-watering harmony. Such Rieslings can be served not only with a terrine of Foie Gras but also with a variety of savoury desserts.
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