Germany 2009: Everybody's Darling
It is not as if he were unsure about the quality of his rieslings: they are all first-class. It is merely that there are so many variables in play. Some originally lesser vintages have evolved beautifully in unexpected ways. Will a purportedly great vintage such as 2009, like a child prodigy, perhaps not live up to our expectations? I doubt it. This does look to be a great vintage for Germany: pure, rich and well-balanced.
Yes, the spring began cool, but it was followed by a mild summer and an almost perfect autumn that allowed all estates to harvest at leisure under ideal conditions. “Producers who were not able to make interesting wines in 2009 are beyond help,” noted Josef Leitz from Rüdesheim in the Rheingau. Indeed, the regularity of the vintage is what sets 2009 apart from 2008, which was excellent at its best, but with a large mass of boring, often bitter wines. Even second-rate estates bottled enticing wines in 2009.
If there is any criticism to raise, it would be that the rieslings, for which Germany is so well known abroad, may have a bit more alcohol and less acidity than the 2008s. However, this is a style that plays well in the market. If you prefer the more vibrant brilliance of the 2008s or 2004s, fine, but you’ll have to be more selective in your buying. On the other hand, 2009, like 2007, can be purchased blind, and is already being compared to other vintages that I admire today, like 2002 and 1997.
“The wines are perhaps not as brilliant today in their expression as the best 2008s,” explains Johannes Selbach from Zeltingen on the Mosel, “but they have more depth and greater potential. Unfortunately for the general impression during the first presentations, they were often quite closed over the summer when you tasted them. I think, though, that they will develop into some of the finest wines that Germany has produced in recent years.”
In the same vein, Hans Joachim Zilliken from Ockfen on the Saar compares the year with 1983, another vintage with high levels of ripeness but little botrytis. This is why many producers speak of an excellent spätlese vintage. Like the 1975s, which had a more lively backbone, the 1983s have aged gracefully. My bet is that the 2009s will throw off their baby fat and opulent fruit, with their inner balance allowing a complexity to evolve that is now only barely discernible in many of the wines.
South of the Mosel, Nahe and Rheingau, however, the picture becomes more confusing. In some regions acidity levels were so low that the legislators allowed the wines—more often pinot gris and pinot noir—to be “corrected.” My gut feeling is that truly great wines are not made in years that need to be acidified, and this may be an issue across much of southern Europe in 2009.
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Producers in this Article
- A. Christmann
- A. J. Adam
- August Kesseler
- Bassermann-Jordan
- Battenfeld-Spanier
- Clemens Busch
- Clüsserath-Weiler
- Dönnhoff
- Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
- Dr. Crusius
- Dreissigacker
- Dr. Loosen
- Dr. Wagner
- Dr. Wehrheim
- Egon Müller Scharzhof
- Emrich-Schönleber
- Erben von Beulwitz
- Florian Weingart
- Fritz Haag
- Georg Breuer
- Georg Mosbacher
- Grans-Fassian
- Gunderloch
- Haart
- Heymann-Löwenstein
- Jakob Jung
- Jakob Schneider
- Johannishof
- Joh. Jos. Christoffel
- Joh. Jos. Prüm
- Josef Spreitzer
- Justen -- Meulenhof
- Karthäuserhof
- Keller
- Knipser
- Koehler-Ruprecht
- Krüger-Rumpf
- Kühling-Gillot
- Künstler
- Leitz
- Markus Molitor
- Matthias Müller
- Max Ferd. Richter
- Maximin Grünhaus - von Schubert
- Müller-Catoir
- Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof
- Ökonomierat Rebholz
- Peter Lauer
- Pfeffingen
- Ratzenberger
- Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt
- Reichsrat von Buhl
- Reinhard & Beate Knebel
- Robert Weil
- Schäfer-Fröhlich
- Schlossgut Diel
- Schloss Johannisberg
- Schloss Lieser
- Schloss Reinhartshausen
- Schloss Saarstein
- Schloss Schönborn
- Selbach-Oster
- Theo Minges
- Toni Jost - Hahnenhof
- Van Volxem
- Vollenweider
- Von Hövel
- Von Othegraven
- Von Winning
- Wagner-Stempel
- Wegeler
- Weingut Friedrich Becker
- Weingut Philipp Kuhn
- Weingut Schloss Vollrads
- Weingut Siener
- Willi Schaefer
- Wittmann
- Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch – Erben Thanisch
- Zilliken Forstmeister Geltz