12.10.2011
Status report by Dirk Würtz, our estate manager - 12 October 2011
During the last few days we harvested in our vineyards in Rüdesheim. Some of the grapes were perfectly healthy, completely ripe, and extremely aromatic. The quantity was also good. Delaying the harvest as long as possible definitely paid off. It seems that we numbered among the last in Rüdesheim to still have had grapes on the vine.
What was really superb, though, was our Pinot Noir harvest in Hattenheim. Some of the must weights were well over 100 degrees Oechsle; in one site, even 113. This is a completely new experience for us. We left these grapes on the vine so long because we wanted to measure the potential of these vineyards and parcels. The grapes were very concentrated and unbelievably aromatic. I’m anxious to see what the end product is like.
Up until now, we’ve been spared...there hasn’t been a great deal of precipitation. The small amount of rain that did fall wasn’t a problem, and we’re heading for the Nussbrunnen site today, to pick the grapes for our Erstes Gewächs (First Growth). This vineyard is closely tied with our estate’s renown. We’ll take our time to harvest selectively. Up until now, we’ve only done a negative selection, and a selection for Trockenbeerenauslese.
Now our goal is to single out those clusters that are well-suited for producing a top-notch dry wine. One parcel in the Nussbrunnen site still looks picture-perfect. We’ll definitely leave a few clusters on the vine there, in case we’re able to harvest an Eiswein. This weekend, with the help of our vine lease holders, we’ll devote our attention to the Engelmannsberg site. Early next week, then, we’ll wrap up the 2011
harvest with another selection in the Nussbrunnen.
Best regards,
Dirk Würtz
What was really superb, though, was our Pinot Noir harvest in Hattenheim. Some of the must weights were well over 100 degrees Oechsle; in one site, even 113. This is a completely new experience for us. We left these grapes on the vine so long because we wanted to measure the potential of these vineyards and parcels. The grapes were very concentrated and unbelievably aromatic. I’m anxious to see what the end product is like.
Up until now, we’ve been spared...there hasn’t been a great deal of precipitation. The small amount of rain that did fall wasn’t a problem, and we’re heading for the Nussbrunnen site today, to pick the grapes for our Erstes Gewächs (First Growth). This vineyard is closely tied with our estate’s renown. We’ll take our time to harvest selectively. Up until now, we’ve only done a negative selection, and a selection for Trockenbeerenauslese.
Now our goal is to single out those clusters that are well-suited for producing a top-notch dry wine. One parcel in the Nussbrunnen site still looks picture-perfect. We’ll definitely leave a few clusters on the vine there, in case we’re able to harvest an Eiswein. This weekend, with the help of our vine lease holders, we’ll devote our attention to the Engelmannsberg site. Early next week, then, we’ll wrap up the 2011
harvest with another selection in the Nussbrunnen.
Best regards,
Dirk Würtz