Harvest Report
The 1999 growing season has kept surprises in store for us, right to the very
end of the harvest. The omen of those vintages ending in 9 raised hopes for a
vintage of the century, thinking back to the great 1989, 1959 or 1949; but then
the 1899 was a flop!Why were hopes set so high? The mild winter months left the vines unscathed,
and plenty of rainfall with mild temperatures in March and April allowed for an
early bud-break before the end of April. The growth of the vines then exploded
between 17-30th May with temperatures around 25 C (72 F) which led to an early
flowering around mid June, very similar to 1998. A splendid summer followed with
warmth and sufficient rainfall. Expectations for a great quality? Our harvest
commenced 11th October, the grapes being perfectly healthy and fully ripened,
and by the 13th, we had over 20 Fuder with 82-84 Oechsle and a further 5 Fuder
for Spätlese! Botrytis (noble rot) had spread in our vineyards, and the
exhausting hand-picking with 25 pickers continued until 4th November with many
Fuder of Spätlese and Auslese up to 118 Oechsle from our Ockfener Bockstein -
over 20 days of excellent dry weather, with morning mist only occurring on 3
days, a truly golden autumn!
The high quality of the crop is reflected in our low average yield of only 39
hl/ha (in comparison, the average yield in Germany is around 130 hl/ha!), and
combined with ripe fruit acidity levels between 8.5 and 9.0 g/l, we can expect
wines with great concentration and fine flavours. At long last, a great textbook
Saar vintage, perhaps even the greatest since 1976!
The breakdown of our Riesling crop is as follows:
Kabinett 9% Spätlese 75% Auslese 16%
|
Weingut Dr. Fischer
Family documents show that the Fischers' ancestors were involved in viticulture
as far back as 1758. In 1950, Dr H.H.Fischer, a surgeon, inherited the estate
from his father, an appointed public notary in Ockfen. Due to his medical duties
in Frankfurt, Dr Fischer´s wife, Gunhild, managed the estate. The estate is
well-known for its Ockfener Bockstein wines, and in 1964 the former Lintz estate
in the nearby village of Wawern was purchased; property dating back to 1043,
which was formally owned by the cathedral seminary of Trier before
secularization in 1796.
Today, the next generation, Karin Fischer, manages the entire estate,
following the death of her husband Hans-Henning in 1999.
Saar wines are renowned for their steely character, their refreshing &
sizzling fruit acidity; super-light in alcohol, but great heavy-weights in
mineral extracts, proving to be excellent companions to today's fine cuisine.
The Saar valley is all too often hit by frost, damaging the young buds or
onsetting fruit, but when weather conditions permit, the microclimate can lead
to the production of truly great textbook Riesling wines; wines with excellent
maturing potential, if given a chance to mature in the bottle. If weather also
permits, and the wild boar can be kept out of the vineyard, Beerenauslese and
ice wines are produced in small quantities; wines with sheer immortal potential!
|