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2009 vintage report - The last vintage of each decade is great

July 2009 was the most critical phase for the vines and the grapes. Up to then there had been healthy growth in vegetation, but huge downpours of rain, alternating with warm temperatures, threatened mildew, which would damage the potential crop. This led to a greatly reduced forecast of the volume produced of the 2009 vintage. Thanks to the sunny, warm and dry August and September, the threat was reduced and, in retrospective, we can promise that 2009 is a great vintage

2009 began with a record cold spell – 18° C [- 0,4° F] that started on the 7th of January. We were finally able to pick our 2008 Eiswein grapes in the Mülheimer Helenenkloster vineyard at a record must weight of 250° Oechsle (over twice the minimum Wine Law level). Dry and cold weather continued for two months and in the middle of March, helped by warm rainfall, the buds appeared. There was prolific growth of the vegetation running up to a sunny Easter and in both April and May. Although there was not enough rain, lots of sunshine helped the growing progress. The flowering (floraison) was expected at the beginning of June but it was delayed by a sudden spell of bitter frost; there was ice on the Mosel and cruise ships had to remain anchored. Fortunately, this delayed the important start of the flowering, which happened relatively late, between the 18th and the 25th of June. At that point we were optimistic and spoke of good preconditions for the vintage, but at the end of June and the beginning of July we suffered tremendous downpours of rain, which again threatened mildew and other problems.

On 12th October we started the grape harvest. Some light frost towards the end of the first picking week caused the leaves to wither, so that photosynthesis stopped and the vegetation slowly closed down. However, the grapes were very healthy and ripe, while the rotten ones had fallen to the ground. Subsequently, the picking of the grapes – we harvest entirely by hand – was quite rapid in the lovely warm and sunny weather and it finished on the 6th of November. Must weights reached record heights and we were able to pick botrytised berries for Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) for Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr and for Wehlener Sonnenuhr.

Since the end of World War II, each vintage at the end of a decade has been a special one and the previous vintage was often almost as fine. Thus, there is a kind of déjà - vu, as similar quality pairings we had 1948 and 1949, 1958 and the legendary 1959 vintage, 1968 and 1969, 1978 and 1979, 1988 and 1989, 1998 and 1999, and now 2008 and 2009.

2008 enjoys great appreciation among customers, because it is the typical racy, spicy Kabinett vintage and you can look forward to another great Mosel Riesling 2009 vintage, available from early summer next year.

With best wishes for happy holidays, a merry Christmas and a prosperous and successful New Year.

Yours,

Yours sincerely,

Dirk Richter

26th November 2009

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