2017 Germany & Mosel Riesling Vintage

Across Germany, a dry winter and mild temperatures put the vines well ahead, with the first shoot tips opening in the first half of April, about 3 to 4 weeks earlier than normal. In the Mosel, bud break came well ahead of the long-term average, so the young shoots were exposed when frost hit around 20 April, hurting the finest vineyards most. "The frost night of April 20 caused noticeable damage, even in the vineyards [where] we had never in my life experienced frost damage," said Johannes Selbach of Selbach-Oster. The April frosts touched almost a third of the Mosel's vineyard area, and even steep sites suffered, which very rarely happens because cold air normally drains downhill. The rest of the spring was dry and warm, giving a perfect, early flowering and disease-free growth. July and August were quite wet, and the Mosel summer brought heavy rain and isolated hailstorms as well as warm, dry weather; a devastating hailstorm hit Graach and Traben-Trarbach hard. September was wet but cool, and botrytis, and sometimes rot, developed fast and early before cooler weather limited it and gave growers time to select. The Mosel harvest began in mid-September, ten days earlier than the previous record start of 2011, and many estates began their Riesling harvest in September, a first for many growers. Nik Weis of St. Urbans-Hof called picking very early a bad decision, with many berries short of physiological ripeness while it was still raining, and acidity too high. Katharina Prum of Joh. Jos. Prum started on 25 September, in a sunny, dry October. The Mosel crop was 600,000 hectoliters against a long-term average of 800,000, the smallest in half a century. Mosel Fine Wines put yields down 30 to 40 percent, if not more, the highest losses since 1991, while VDP growers on the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer averaged losses of 20 to 30 percent.

• Bud break well ahead of normal; frost around 20 April hit almost a third of the Mosel vineyard area, steep sites included
• Dry, warm late spring and an early flowering; July and August quite wet
• Hail hit Graach and Traben-Trarbach; September wet and cool, with early botrytis and some rot
• Harvest from mid-September, ten days ahead of the 2011 record; crop 600,000 hectoliters vs an 800,000 average

In the second half of April nearly the whole country was hit by heavy frosts, with only Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen spared; Mittelrhein and Franken were hit but recovered. In the Nahe, the frost night of 20 April did considerable damage, in part even in top and steep sites, with yields 30 to 80 percent below usual. The Pfalz came in 19 percent below average and Rheinhessen 20 percent below, and Rheingau estates were hit hard by frost and hail on the plains while their steeper sites were mostly untouched. Late summer brought dry, warm weather to most regions, though local storms with hail and heavy rain caused severe damage and crop losses in some. The national crop was forecast at about 7.5 million hectoliters, 18 percent below the previous year and the ten-year average of 9 million, with the April frosts the main reason.

Good Mosel must weights reached up to 200 degrees Oechsle for noble-sweet grapes, with harmonious acidity, and quality ranged broadly up to Trockenbeerenauslese, especially on the Saar and Middle Mosel. Pleasing quantities of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese were picked on the Middle Mosel and Saar, and the Rieslings showed very good acid potential and, from the low yield, were very rich in extract. The musts came in with rather high sugar and high acidity, with plenty of botrytized selections at Auslese, BA and TBA level. Botrytis came early and then late, which opened the door to some high-end botrytized selections. Clemens Busch's estate began its negative selection quite early to protect the healthy grapes. With low yields and botrytis selections on hand, there was little incentive to gamble on Eiswein, and none was produced. There are few light Kabinett wines.

• Up to 200 degrees Oechsle for noble-sweet grapes in the Mosel
• Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese especially on the Saar and Middle Mosel
• High sugar and high acidity in the musts, with plenty of Auslese, BA and TBA
• No Mosel Eiswein, and few light Kabinett wines

The DWI expected the 2017 Mosel wines to be delicate, playful and mineral (translated from the German). Mosel Fine Wines wrote that many 2017 wines combine the ripe delicacy of 2011 with the zesty presence of 2015, with quite some concentration from the low yields that gives them an imposing side, and counted some among the finest it had tasted in 25 years of Mosel visits. Mosel Fine Wines found the Saar and Ruwer wines fresher and more playful than the Mosel, with many stunning exceptions. Quality is not uniform, with some heavy declassification, so tasting or following advice is critical. Second-tier growers did outstandingly well, leaving many bargains and discoveries. Some truly great dry and dry-tasting Riesling was possible for growers who mastered the power and acidity of the vintage. "Keeping the crisp acidity has become the task of today, versus reaching physiological ripeness that used to be the task of our grandparents," said Selbach.

• Delicate, playful and mineral wines expected, many with the ripe delicacy of 2011 and the zesty presence of 2015
• Saar and Ruwer fresher and more playful than the Mosel, with many exceptions
• Uneven quality and some heavy declassification; second-tier growers did outstandingly well