2004 Germany & Mosel Riesling Vintage
Decanter rated Germany's 2004 a 4 out of 5: a season always warm enough, timely showers, and a sunny "golden October" to finish.
Decanter's guide to Germany's 2004 vintage describes excellent weather, always warm enough with a welcome shower when needed, and a truly "golden October" of sunshine at the end of ripening. Healthy grapes let growers pick in their own time despite occasional autumn rain and storms, and in several top sites in the Rhine, Mosel and Main valleys, grapes hung until well into November for sweet dessert wines, particularly Riesling. The magazine rated the vintage 4 out of 5 and counted Mosel-Saar-Ruwer among the regions that excelled.
Growing season
Decanter's 2004 guide for Germany describes excellent weather: always warm enough, with a welcome shower now and then just when needed but never too much. It adds that a truly "golden October" brought sunshine at the final stage of ripening. According to Decanter, the swing between warm days and cool nights fostered the development of the grapes' aromas. The grapes were in an overall healthy state, so growers could take their time choosing when to pick, despite occasional autumn rain and storms. "One could literally taste the increasing sweetness of the grapes from day to day," Armin Goring, managing director of the German Wine Institute in Mainz, told Decanter. In several top sites in the Rhine, Mosel and Main river valleys, Decanter reports, grapes were left on the vine until well into November to make lusciously sweet dessert wines, particularly Riesling.
- Always warm enough, with a welcome shower now and then but never too much, per Decanter
- A truly "golden October" of sunshine at the final stage of ripening
- Healthy grapes; occasional autumn rain and storms did not force growers' hands
- Top sites in the Rhine, Mosel and Main valleys picked well into November for sweet Riesling
- Decanter rated Germany's 2004 vintage 4 out of 5, with the verdict "Keep"
- Decanter describes the weather as always warm enough, with a welcome shower now and then, and a sunny "golden October" at the final stage of ripening
- Warm days and cool nights fostered aroma development in the grapes, according to Decanter
- Healthy grapes let growers take their time over picking, despite occasional autumn rain and storms (Decanter)
- In several top sites in the Rhine, Mosel and Main valleys, grapes stayed on the vine until well into November for sweet dessert wines, particularly Riesling (Decanter)
- Armin Goring of the German Wine Institute told Decanter the vintage was on a par with the excellent vintages of the past three years
- Decanter listed Mosel-Saar-Ruwer among the German regions that all excelled in 2004
The wines
Decanter rated Germany's 2004 vintage 4 out of 5 with a verdict of "Keep", describing fresh, fruity white wines with pronounced aromas, and good colour and density in the reds. It listed Mosel-Saar-Ruwer among the regions it said all excelled that year, alongside the Nahe, Pfalz, Rheingau, Rheinhessen and others. Armin Goring of the German Wine Institute told the magazine: "Our expectations with regard to the quality of the 2004 vintage have been more than fulfilled. It is on a par with the excellent vintages of the past three years and an ideal complement to the exceptional 2003 vintage." Decanter's best producers named were Wittmann, Heyl zu Herrnsheim and Georg Mosbacher.
- Decanter: 4 out of 5, "Keep" (Germany)
- Fresh, fruity whites with pronounced aromas, per Decanter
- Mosel-Saar-Ruwer among the regions Decanter said all excelled
- German Wine Institute: an ideal complement to the exceptional 2003 vintage
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- Weather per Decanter: always warm enough, a welcome shower now and then, and a sunny "golden October" at the end of ripening.
- Warm days and cool nights fostered aroma development; healthy grapes let growers pick in their own time despite occasional autumn rain and storms.
- In several top sites in the Rhine, Mosel and Main valleys, grapes hung until well into November for sweet dessert wines, particularly Riesling.
- Armin Goring (German Wine Institute) called 2004 on a par with the excellent vintages of the past three years and an ideal complement to 2003.
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