2022

Record temperatures and Mediterranean levels of sunshine,

with almost no summer rain

and challenging harvest conditions

This year’s winegrowing journey was shaped by a summer of high temperatures and little rain.

2022 started with a very warm winter and rains that helped replenish water reserves in the soil.

Yet, at that point, we were little aware just how crucial those early rains would prove in securing

the later survival of several of our vineyards.

A cold snap in April slowed things down again, leading to bud break on April 20, right in line with

the historical average. And nature soon showed her pleasure with the high temperatures, plentiful

sunshine, and abundant water in the soil, accelerating growth through flowering in the early days

of June, about a week ahead of historical expectation.

As drought set in, the vineyards slowed things down again, despite the record temperatures

and Mediterranean levels of sunshine. As such, the pace of development in the vineyards remained

moderate throughout the summer. And when the ripeness threshold was passed on a reference

parcel on August 6, harvest began on September 20 — nine and ten days ahead of the historical

average, respectively.

This natural brake on assimilation is likely to grow in importance for the quality of our grapes

and the wine we make from them. As global warming dictates a growing scarcity of water; we

must continue to focus our work on preparing the vines to be thirsty, but never quite drying out.

Our Kiedrich hillsides help us maintain certain enviable advantages as they can draw on water

reserves from the forestland above during increasingly dry and hot years.

By mid-September, the grapes looked fantastic and tasted even better. And then the rains came —

although to our great relief, the Kiedrich hillsides once again showed the amazing drainage quality

of the phyllite soils. The water drained naturally, and thanks to the meticulous work by our team

throughout the year, which set the foundation for loose clusters and strong air circulation in the

vineyards, we kept the fruit completely healthy and on the vine until physiological ripeness was

achieved.

Both the grape quality and the sensory analysis of the must and young wines point towards

an outstanding vintage, from the estate-level Gutsriesling to the village-level Ortsriesling and the

single-site Erste and Grosse Lagen wines.

It took courage, patience, and hard manual labor, but we also brought in fruit for exceptional

naturally sweet Spätlese and Auslese wines, and in late October even a small quantity of the coveted

raisin-like berries needed for a Trockenbeerenauslese. As such, we proudly produced wines in all

quality categories for the 34th year in a row.