October 1, 2015 | News | Wines of the Month | Auctions

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2014 Label

2014er Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett (Auction)

This first Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett by Fritz Haag since 2007 proved a stunning highlight of the 2015 VDP Mosel Auction. Oliver Haag provides some background on this wine.

Grosser Ring / VDP Auction 2015 | A tale of Records and Affordability

Every year, member Estates of the Grosser Ring / VDP sell some of their most prized wines via an Auction held in Trier. This year's Auction held on September 18, 2015 yielded some world record prices but also many affordable wines, among which the 2014er Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett by Weingut Fritz Haag.

Weingut Fritz Haag | Hall of Fame of Mosel Winemaking

Weingut Fritz Haag has been one of hall of Fame Estates in the Mosel since their ancestor, Peter Christian Conrad-Fehres, seemingly out of nowhere, took the world of Mosel winemaking by storm in the 1860s, selling his casks of Brauneberger at prices unheard for Mosel wines at the period.

Not much has changed since, and still today, the Fritz Haag Estate, which can look at over 10 ha on the Brauneberger hill, produces year-in year-out some classic wines with lightness, finesse and a ravishing touch of zesty whipped cream to fire the senses. Its wines can be perfection in the bottle, as for instance the 2001er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spätlese (Auction) was in our 10 Years-After Retrospective of the 2001 vintage.

Weingut Fritz Haag | 2014er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett

We have to admit to having been a bit sad when the Estate abandoned the production of their Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett in favor of a Brauneberger Kabinett when it embraced the VDP Erste Lage (now Grosse Lage) principles with the 2008 vintage. This is no critique to this new Kabinett, which comes from the whole hill, i.e. Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr. This wine can be outstanding: For instance the 2012er is developing stunningly well. But, now and then, nostalgia embraced us when tasting some of the old Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett and enjoying their deep yet light and racy finesse.

So you can imagine how happy we were when Oliver Haag presented us with a Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett last July! As he explained, the idea to this wine came to him when faced with a special cask of Spätlese level fruit: “This cask was made at 89° Oechsle out of prime parcels in the Falkenberg and Tornei / Thornay [Note: These are two of the best sections (dark red in the old taxation maps) on the Brauneberger hill] This wine was slightly light for my regular Spätlese but the quality so special that I decided to bottle it separately as a Kabinett and to bring it to the Auction.”

Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Vineyard | Falkenberg | Thornay

This Kabinett proved quite impressive when we tasted it at the Estate in July and its potential was superbly underlined when re-tasting it at the Auction a few days ago.

This little beauty went for €37 (excluding commission fees, shipping costs, import duties and sales tax). While not cheap, it is well worth the money for the quality and proved one of the most exciting wines on offer at the Auction (detailed tasting notes for all wines auctioned off can be found in our Guide to the Grosser Ring / VDP Auction 2015). We also hope that this is going to be the first of its kind and that Oliver Haag will produce many more light-footed Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Kabinett! The idea to only produce it in vintages in which the conditions are perfect (and hence make it an Auction wine) makes to us, a lot of sense.

A review of the excellent 2014 Fritz Haag wines will be included in Part II of the 2014 Vintage Report published in the upcoming Issue No 29 to be sent to our subscribers in October. Not yet a subscriber? You can become one, free of charge, by simply registering yourself here below.

Tasting Note | Extract from Guide to the 2015 Grosser Ring / VDP Auction

2014er

Fritz Haag

Braunbeberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett (Auction)

13 15

92+

This was harvested at 89° Oechsle out of the Estate’s prime parcels in the Gewann Falkenberg and auf Tornei as a light version of a Spätlese but the outstanding quality and lightness of the wine made Oliver Haag decide to bottle it separately as a Kabinett (under cork unlike the regular Kabinett at the Estate). This superb wine delivers a reduced and smoke infused nose of white minerals, greengage, spices and herbs. The wine made in the style of a light Spätlese seems to dance on the palate, being round, zesty and superbly easy to knock down. As Oliver mentions: “This is a wine made for aging” and there is still a touch of residual sugar in need of integration coming through in the beautifully long and nicely integrated finish. There is huge upside potential here and it could well turn into a hypothetical blend of the Estate’s 1996, 1994 and 1989 Spätlese. We cannot wait to taste this gorgeous wine at maturity. 2024-2044

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