1997 Riesling Muenchberg Grand Cru

André Ostertag described 1997 and 1996 as two very clean, pure vintages with little or no botrytis. "Both were based on sun, but '96 featured the north wind, like the Mosel, while '97 was more like the Rhône Valley.There was a 600-kilometer difference in climate between the two years," he added.The result was a marked difference in aromas, in power, in acidity. "1998 was a harvest of extremes," says Ostertag, with the hottest August ever resulting in some problems with sunburn, extremely rare for the region.Then the first half of September was consistently wet. "The key was not to pick too early," Ostertag explained. "Early pickers would have had dilution from the rain.And the ripeness of aromas developed later than usual this year.But those who picked later needed to have clean grapes."Overall crop levels were average in '97, says Ostertag, and a bit lower in '98, especially for riesling.Acidity levels were generally average in '98, and on the low side in '97.