2001 Germany & Mosel Riesling Vintage

A cool and humid spring in Germany held back budding, but warm and sunny weather returned at the end of May and flowering was successful in June. Flowering was slightly delayed, and where it went through very smoothly, as in Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Wurttemberg, growers had to thin bunches. August was exceptionally hot in Germany, while the Pfalz and Baden had the best summer, with many days above 30 C. September was cool and damp, and in spite of this the ripening proceeded rapidly, which growers in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer confirmed. Pigott compared it with 1990, when September also saw mediocre weather but a big leap in ripeness. October came in with sunshine and temperatures above 25 C throughout the month, followed in some regions by morning mist in the first two weeks of November that encouraged botrytis. "The last two weeks of good weather really saved us," Ernst Loosen of Dr Loosen in Bernkastel told Pigott for his 24 October report. "If the rains of September had continued any longer then even in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer rot could have been very destructive." By 2 October the German harvest was slightly later than in previous years and almost no Riesling had been picked; by 24 October the Riesling harvest was expected to extend well into November. Yields everywhere looked small to very small, and in no region did the leading producers expect a big crop.

• Cool, humid spring slowed budding; warm, sunny weather returned at the end of May and flowering succeeded in June
• August exceptionally hot in Germany; September cool and damp, yet Mosel-Saar-Ruwer growers confirmed rapid ripening
• October sunny and above 25 C throughout, then November morning mist in some regions encouraged botrytis
• Harvest slightly later than previous years, Riesling picking expected well into November, yields small to very small

Decanter calls Riesling supreme in the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer, and almost as fine in the Mittelrhein, Nahe, Pfalz and Wurttemberg. As of 2 October, ripeness levels within the sprawling Mosel-Saar-Ruwer varied considerably: the tributary valleys of the Saar and the Ruwer were behind the Middle Mosel, and Riesling in the Terrace Mosel at Koblenz showed the highest level of ripeness. By 24 October Pigott predicted that Rieslings from the northerly Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Nahe regions would generally be superior to those from the Rhine regions. Across Germany, Pigott wrote, ripeness levels were generally high but so was acidity, and acidity, not ripeness, was the big issue of the year.

• Decanter: Riesling supreme in the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer
• Early October: Saar and Ruwer ripeness behind the Middle Mosel; Terrace Mosel at Koblenz the ripest
• Pigott's 24 October prediction: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Nahe Rieslings generally superior to the Rhine regions

Decanter rates Germany 2001 5/5, "A great year: clean, concentrated, structured wines worthy of aging," and marks it Keep. Decanter found the Rheingau hit by rain, hail and then rot, though some top estates made very fine Rieslings. Rot spread rapidly through Rhine Valley vineyards in the weeks before 24 October, making mechanical picking a poor option, Pigott wrote. To the east, in Franken, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen, Decanter found the September rain made top quality wines very difficult. Decanter also calls 2001 a "dream" year for Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) and one of the finest Spatburgunder vintages in the Ahr, Pfalz and Baden.

• Decanter: 5/5, clean, concentrated, structured wines worthy of aging
• Rheingau hit by rain, hail and then rot; some top estates still made very fine Rieslings
• Franken, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen: September rain made top quality very difficult
• One of the finest Spatburgunder vintages in the Ahr, Pfalz and Baden

2001 was the first vintage of Grosses Gewachs dry Rieslings, and Decanter names Mossbacher and Christmann in the Pfalz and Wittmann and Keller in Wonnegau, Rheinhessen, among the growers from the sunny south who excelled. In the Mosel, Decanter credits many growers, including J.J. Prum and Reinhold Haart, with superb traditional Spatleses. Karthauserhof in the Ruwer made three Ausleses Decanter calls amazing, and Max Ferd Richter made a Riesling Eiswein that was only the fifth wine of any sort ever rated 100 in Gault Millau's annual guide.

• Mosel: J.J. Prum and Reinhold Haart among many growers making superb traditional Spatleses
• Ruwer: Karthauserhof made three Ausleses Decanter calls amazing
• Max Ferd Richter Riesling Eiswein: only the fifth wine of any sort rated 100 in Gault Millau's annual guide
• First Grosses Gewachs vintage: Mossbacher, Christmann, Wittmann and Keller excelled