2023 vintage – in harmony from dry to fruity

The new vintage is bottled and ready for purchase.

The particularly harmonious 2023 vintage is waiting for you to tell its aromas and stories. Pinots and Rieslings from dry to fruity: We welcome the newest addition to the 2000-year-old viticultural history of Oberwesel!

How did the vegetational year of 2023 proceed? In short: Normal, warm and harmonious! The year 2023 was the warmest year since beginning of weather data recordings, and we felt that in Oberwesel as well. The course of the year brought varied weather, was quite normal and was ordinary and quite satisfactory. The mild and wet spring lead to normal budding times and the following blossoming of the grape flowers in June was normal. We had comparatively low disease pressure. In contrast to 2022, a very dry year, the amount of rainfall was enough to supply the vines with enough water for the year. Already in winter and early spring, the reservoirs lacking from the way too dry previous year would be filled again.

September and October were astonishingly warm and dry, which was advantageous for grape ripening and aroma development. The start of the harvest was the 19th of September in the warm late summer sun. The harvest was completed relatively fast about 5 weeks later. Rieslings and Pinots did all ripen at the same time, so we had to hurry up quite a bit! The amount of grapes we harvested was not as high as expected, yet we were able to harvest extraordinary high quality in the basis and the top of our wines. The high must weights and aromatic density of the vintage was completed by the perfect conditions for botrytis, so we could select a small batch of the grapes into Beerenauslese.

Here are some impressions from the harvest:

So how does the vintage influence the taste of the wines? The 2023 vintage shows a super high quality. The heat in late summer lead to a high production of sugar and aromatic compounds. At the same time, the cold nights preserved the fresh acidity in the grapes so the wines are expressing themselves harmoniously balanced, similar to the 2018. You can expect complex fruity aromas, which are complemented by a juicy acidity so hard to resist from taking the next sip. The perfect balance of the vintage may show a remarkably long aging ability of our Rieslings.

The new vintage is now bottled and ready for purchase. And there is a lot to taste! The highlights are traditionally, and this year as well our Rieslings, which show from estate to village to the vineyard-specific wines the whole spectrum of exotic or even tropical fruits. A good example is the Riesling “Unser Sommerwein” off-dry, which features the seducing aroma of citrus fruit in harmony with an animating freshness, which is harmoniously balanced with a summery sweetness. Chilled on the terrace with olives, or together with friends for a BBQ party, this wine is a joy to drink in summer!

Wine bundles:

Our wine bundles “Unser Sommerwein“ und „Testing bundles vintage 2023“ is ready for purchase. Please try the new 2023 vintage with a selection of different grape varieties, including our beloved Rieslings of course. World heritage for take-away! The bundles are a perfect gift for friends and family. We would be glad to receive an order – free of shipping costs! (Stock is limited for “Unser Sommerwein”).