Pfalz vintage 2012

Lars asked me to provide a write-up for his site about the 2012 vintage in the Pfalz.

To add to what I wrote last week: Many producers believe it to be the best in the last Quarter-century (Hans-Günter Schwarz told me that it reminded him or 2001). As of today, basically everything has been harvested (we have one parcel of Riesling left to pick – probably take it next week, though I’d like to save a row or so for Eiswein.) Producers in the Südpfalz have also had an incredible year. Theo Minges says its his best ever, prompting him to produce a GG for the first time. I will get more news on Monday about Rebholz and Wehrheim.

Pfalz 2012

2012 has been an absolutely amazing season. The harvest in the Mittelhaardt is finally winding down after the longest growing season in many years. There are still a few parcels with bunches hanging –mostly in Forst and Wachenheim, but these will likely be harvested next week (with the odd parcel of BA or TBA left to hang). This week was notable for all of the caravans of tractors and pickers from Bassermann-Jordan, von Buhl, and Bürklin-Wolf driving up and down the Weinstraße from Deidesheim to Wachenheim and back. The leaves on the vines have been showing beautiful shades of red and yellow for a few weeks now, signifying the end of the growing cycle and the completion of physiological ripeness of the fruit. What sets 2012 apart from other recent vintages is that due to a long, cooler season, this physiological ripeness has been achieved before a significant drop in acidity. We have seen must weights for Riesling in the high 80s, low 90s this week with total acidity in the 10-12 g/l range and pH hovering around 3.0 or 3.1. Numbers of course, don’t tell the whole story, but when coupled with the amazing flavors and aromatic intensity of the grapes that are coming in, we can be reasonably assured of a classic vintage in the making…

Read the rest here:http://www.larscarlberg.com/pfalz-2012/

Cheers,
Bill

That's gratifying news, Bill . I've been sensing a lot of gloom and doom in NW Europe.

That's gratifying news, Bill . I've been sensing a lot of gloom and doom in NW Europe.

Thanks, Bill. I look forward to tasting some of the wines next year.

So far, the reports have been good in the Mosel region too. The main concern is low yields. In late October, Dorothee Zilliken of Geltz-Zilliken, who took a break from the harvest and chose an excellent bottle of 2011 Peter Lauer "Unterstenbersch" to share over dinner, said that it wasn't so low as in 2010. Gernot Kollmann of Immich-Batterieberg, however, said it's similar to 2010. Some grape-growers had problems with peronospora.

I heard today that many producers on the Rheinfront in Rheinhessen (Nackenheim, Nierstein, and Oppenheim and environs) also have had a wonderful season. In the Südpfalz, Rebholz had (no surprise) an excellent harvest and Wehrheim still has some grapes hanging in the Birkweiler Kastanienbusch (despite having vines bare of leaves.) Robert Weil had a good year, but needed to enrich some musts with sugar and to actually deacidify at times.

Cheers,
Bill

[David M. Bueker]

IRobert Weil had a good year, but needed to enrich some musts with sugar and to actually deacidify at times.

That seems very un-Weil.

IRobert Weil had a good year, but needed to enrich some musts with sugar and to actually deacidify at times.

That seems very un-Weil.

I thought the same. It seems unnecessary, but there is a lot of money and customers at stake by a large Weingut like Weil. I don't think that they've ever made any claims of non-intervention.

[David M. Bueker]

IRobert Weil had a good year, but needed to enrich some musts with sugar and to actually deacidify at times.

That seems very un-Weil.

I thought the same. It seems unnecessary, but there is a lot of money and customers at stake by a large Weingut like Weil. I don't think that they've ever made any claims of non-intervention.

And clearly on the sugar issue it will only be for lower level wines.

IRobert Weil had a good year, but needed to enrich some musts with sugar and to actually deacidify at times.

That seems very un-Weil.

It sounds Weil enough to me.

Mark Lipton