2018 Riesling H

Christian Hermann observed that only his few young vineyards really suffered from the dry, hot summer of 2018. But even if that meant vines that metabolically speaking didn’t shut down but instead charged ahead, he still only began picking on September 24, which while early by historic standards is hardly early by those of the generally precocious 2018 growing season. The vintage’s typical bounty, when compounded by the vine acreage that Hermann added in 2017 (as discussed in my previous report), meant that there were a lot of grapes to pick, and it took exactly five weeks – a record at this address – even though Hermann claimed that he didn’t let his crew take even one day off. Surprisingly, although in aggregate his crop registered 92 Oechsle, Hermann managed to pick Kabinett – three, in fact (only one of which I was able to taste) – at his desired low-80s Oechsle, even as he began selecting desiccated berries for what turned out to be an amazing array of nobly sweet bottlings. Overall, Hermann characterized 2018 as “a very consumer-friendly vintage,” adding that “only a handful of acid freaks will be disappointed.”

The vintage’s bounty is also reflected in the extent of total bottlings, although to say that these were weighted toward tiny volumes at the nobly sweet end of the stylistic spectrum would be an understatement. In addition to the two Trockenbeerenauslesen reviewed below, Hermann informed me of no fewer than three others: a Treppchen Lange Goldkapsel Alte Reben, a Kinheimer Hubertuslay and a Prälat, all sold solely as part of a mixed case. Further omissions from my tasting include a second Treppchen Auslese Goldkapsel (possibly to be released as Lange Goldkapsel); a tiny lot of Erdener Treppchen Spätlese trocken; an Erdener Treppchen Grosses Gewächs that was still on its lees when I visited with Hermann in late November 2019; an off-dry Kinheimer Hubertuslay; an Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett; and the ostensibly lesser of two Treppchen Kabinetts. (For more about this estate, consult especially the introductions to my reports on their 2014s, 2015s and 2017s. Note that I have moved coverage of Hermann’s exciting legally distinct joint project with Stefan Steinmetz – which currently encompasses two wines – to a separate section that will appear in my next report under the heading “Steinmetz und Hermann.”)