2004 VINTAGE REPORT

2004 German Wine Vintage
- A Classic!

by Brent Wiest of Rudi Wiest Selections

April 2005: In a Nutshell…
2004 is a very good year in Germany for Riesling and Pinot varietals alike. For those of you who felt 2003 was “Über ripe,” rest assured 2004 will refresh your palate with the whip cracking acid structure and fruit-stuffing you desire. Put side by side, it’s clear ‘03 is the velvet gloved heavyweight, while ‘04 is exceptionally athletic in form, bright and full of vim and vigor.

Top producers deftly walked the acid high wire, sculpting wines which are harmonious and balanced. On the palate, one find’s a vivid array of juicy, shimmering, trim and crisp white tree fruits. While we often describe Riesling as bright and racy, 2004’s purity is particularly fetching. We have a
soft-spot for 2004: the wines are crystalline in form, exhibit wonderful tension, and a classic Riesling structure.

Before traveling to Germany in late February, we heard reports 2004 was a
“high acid” vintage. Not having tasted the wines, our minds raced back to 1996 and the cast-iron acidity that sent everyone running for the hills. Many did not return, until the very ripe and tropical ‘97s arrived. Now, don’t run off thinking the firmer backbone of ‘04 in any way resembles ’96. Yes,
’04 is a higher acid vintage, but one that is harmonious and balanced, with little botrytis and ample fruit.

’04 also has higher-than-average levels of extract helping to buffer acidity.
It’s difficult to draw analogies in this vintage. It is so crisp and pure. Some estates feel ‘04 is a morph of 2001 and 2002, yet most feel it is similar to 2002. Hanno Zilliken (Saar) observed “...in 2004 you know these are Riesling wines.” A canny and concise description of ‘04’s crisp style.

In 2003, achieving ripeness was an effortless process; this was not case in 2004. The majority of our producers stated it was top vineyards which were able to soak up the solar fuel needed to produce top quality wines in 2004. In late October, it was typical to find must weights in top sites ranging from 80 – 100 Öchsle, while average must weights hovered around 90 Öchsle. When harvest began, this translated into especially healthy, physiologically ripe, Spätlese quality fruit. Qualitatively, 2004 appears to be a very balanced vintage from region to region, and seems particularly good in the Mosel and Pfalz. At von Buhl in Deidesheim, 2004 easily marks their best effort since ’98, and Pfeffingen’s Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe and
Riesling wines are stunning. As you’ve surmised by now, 2004 is not a year of run away must weights. In fact most vineyards were hard pressed to yield anything over Auslese. Yields ranged from a meager 40 hl/ha at Schäfer-Fröhlich in the Nahe (due to hail), to a more typical 60 - 70 hl/ha for many estates. The 2004 growing season was described as not too hot and not too cold. Additionally, there was little rain until May. The summer was described as cool, but with robust vegetation. Several estates commented they were quite surprised vegetation was so energetic given the routine weather. This was a fortunate circumstance and there’s little doubt top sites provide some, if not all, of the explanation.

Since 2004 was a bit cooler, start of harvest, which typically begins around October 15th, was wiselypushed back by at least 10 days. Many estates began picking on October 25th. In the cooler Saar region, Bert Simon began his harvest November 5th. To our knowledge, ‘04 is the latest start of harvest in the past 25 years. The later date may have helped physiological ripeness, but most importantly it allowed acidity to taper off.

Some reported a reduction of 1 - 1.5 gm/l in this period. In general the harvest went quickly, with many estates picking for a scant two - three week period. A swift and uneventful harvest by German standards. The fruit was extremely healthy, with virtually no botrytis in any of the selections.
The fruit fabric of this vintage is sheer and bursting with fine citrus and white fruit patterns. The ‘04 structure is unique; words such as brilliant, pure, racy and vivid appear often in our notes. QbA and Kabinett wines exhibit incredibly crisp white fruit notes such as Asian pear, white peach, apple and also tangy grapefruit. You begin to pick up red fruits in the Spätlesen and Auslesen, especially sweeter strawberry and raspberry profiles. The tangy citrus notes in Spätlese and Auslese wines often add a fine layer of orange concentration, which compliments zesty lemon / lime tones.

At the GKA level, the wines can become moderately exotic, but most 2004 GKAs do not approach the date or fig profiles present in vintages with heavy botrytis. Quite to the contrary, ‘04 GKAs tend to maintain a profile like their Spätlese and Auslese siblings. They have an intense grip on the palate, white and red fruits, but then add ripe and concentrated layers of pineapple, yellow peach and apricot.

While many held out hope for a November / December noble sweet wine harvest, in the end it was not to be. Several estates achieved the basic ripeness levels for BA or TBA selections, but botrytis was unhealthy (wet / foul). However, some persevered with a diligent, painstaking selection process, which continued through January ’05 (yes, January), meticulously weeding out any sign of wet botrytis. These select estates were rewarded with a dry healthy botrytis. Gunderloch may be the chief benefactor
of this waiting game, with a monster 284 Öchsle TBA with an estimated 12 – 13 gm/l of acid.