November 6, 2020 | News | Issue Highlights
Weingut Fritz Haag nailed the 2019 vintage like few others, also at Kabinett level.
We already wrote this in our sneak preview to our readers in the January Issue. Our tastings published in Part I of our detailed vintage report amply confirmed it: 2019 is an epic vintage at the top, and this thanks to not excessive Oechsle degrees, bright and ripe flavors, and impeccable sweetness-acidity balance.
Few Estates managed to nail the vintage as Weingut Fritz Haag. Its 2019er Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett epitomizes this success.
Weingut Fritz Haag is one of the great classic names of the region with roots going back centuries. Already in the 19th century, its ancestors (then called Conrad-Fehres) were producing wines from the Brauneberger hill at price levels almost second to none.
Readers will find a detailed account of the Fritz Haag Estate with an interview with Oliver Haag, its current owner, on this grand Estate in the Mosel Fine Wines Issue No 44 (January 2019).
Already in Spring, when Oliver Haag sent us his first bottled samples, it was already clear that the Estate was on course for a sensational 2019 vintage. The tasting of its 2019 collection in September then amply confirmed this.
Oliver was hugely satisfied when we talked about his 2019 vintage: “2018 and 2019 were both hot and dry in the spring and summer. 2018 was also dry and warm during the fall, 2019 was not. There was a touch of rain at the beginning of September which, combined to cooler weather, led to a further development of the grapes, and avoided that the acidity levels tumbled. As is now almost the norm, we started our harvest soon after mid-September, i.e. a full month earlier than only a decade ago, and were able to harvest beautiful grapes despite the odd showers. All in all, 2019 yielded an almost perfect combination of low yields, good acidity, and clean grapes. Even if we will only really know in 10-15 years, 2019 is clearly a top vintage at our Estate. The wines have a great kick of acidity, they are mineral and spicy, and, most importantly of all, they are animating one to drink more.”
We can only agree with Oliver’s assessment: His 2019 collection proves simply phenomenal, and this in all stylistic directions, as we shared with our subscribers in the Mosel Fine Wines Issue No 54 (October 2020).
The pride of the Weingut Fritz Haag has always been the Brauneberger hill, this wall of a vineyard, facing full-south. The soil is composed of a high proportion of blue-grey slate (60-80%) with some fine earth. Part of the soil is infused with some reddish compounds (iron oxide) and mineral elements, which give it its typical brown color. The hill extends over approx. 42 ha, Weingut Fritz Haag tends well over a quarter of it!
The lower central part of the hill forms the Juffer-Sonnenuhr (approx. 10 ha). The upper part as well as the western and eastern extremities of teh hill (here the eastern part on the picture below) form the Juffer (approx. 32 ha).
As Oliver Haag explained when we talked about his amazing 2019 Kabinett, “sometimes, if the vintage conditions are right, I can produce a Kabinett from my holdings in the Juffer-Sonnenuhr. But I can produce such wines more regularly in the cooler upper part of the hill which is legally part of the Juffer.”
He added: “In the hot 2019 vintage, much of the fruit for our Kabinett was picked early but not all. Kabinett is an art. You need freshness but also some depth so we also picked some fruit later in the harvest.”
As usual, the Kabinett wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. As always, fermentation happened naturally, without added yeasts.
The resulting 2019er rendition of Juffer Kabinett is simply brilliant. It offers a most stunning vibrancy and yet also a superb sense of engaging and subtle touch of whipped cream. The wine is citrusy, fresh, herbal, and simply impeccably balanced.
We cannot praise enough the collection dished up by Oliver Haag in 2019. Whatever your stylistic preference, be it dry, off-dry, fruity-styled, sweet, or noble-sweet, Weingut Fritz Haag delivered several vintage highlights worthy of any respectable cellar.
Happy hunting!
The stunning 2019 collection by Fritz Haag
was reviewed in the Mosel Fine Wines Issue No 54 (Oct 2020).
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2019er
Fritz Haag
Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett
03 20
95
The 2019er Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett was made from fruit picked at moderate Oechsle degrees, and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar. It offers a gorgeous nose made of white peach, red berry fruits, herbs, and fine spices. The wine is beautifully lively and delicately fruity on the palate, where a hint of whipped cream adds class to this beautifully racy wine. The finish is all about multi-layered flavors of lemon, whipped cream, floral elements, and mouthwatering acidity. This Kabinett is a modern-day fruity-styled classic in the making and one which bears more than a hint of resemblance with the stunning fruity-styled wines dished up by the Fritz Haag in the 1990s: What a success! 2029-2049
© Text by Mosel Fine Wines "The Independent Review of Mosel Riesling ... and beyond!"
Disclaimer: Mosel Fine Wines is an independent publication and has no commercial relationship with any Estate, association or organization featured in this article.
