Peter Nicolay´s 2001 vintage report

 A „Golden October“

Bestows Top Quality!

 In the middle Mosel valley the spring rainfall was above normal in the vineyards, providing the earth with a good water supply for the subsequent budding on the vine, which took place at the end of April and the beginning of May and thus corresponded to the long-term average for the wine shoots. 

The further course of good weather led to rapid growth in the vineyards, so that the grape blossoms flowered in good locations earlier than normal. This advance development was nearly 10 days ahead of schedule by the months of July and August, raising expectations of a wine harvest with a „Hundred-Year Wine“. This hope was diminished, however, by the important month of September, which was disappointingly cool and wet.

The almost summery weather in the following „golden“ October then gave the grapes a new impetus and bestowed „top quality“ especially to the late-ripening Riesling.

 Fruit juice mustweight showed weekly increases of 7 to 10 degrees Oechsle in the vineyards of the Peter Nicolay estate with still largely green leaves and healthy grapes leading to an above average grape maturity.

 Mustweights of 90 to 100 degrees Oechsle were obtained for our top Riesling vineyards: Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg, Uerziger Wuerzgarten,  and 80 to 90 degrees Oechsle for the vineyards in medium locations with deeper soil, like our Bernkasteler Badstube and Graacher Himmelreich.

Nevertheless, the harvest yield this year is 20 to 30 per cent under that of the previous year and thus falls well below the long-term annual average yield.

 Through hand selection of grapes the Peter Nicolay wine-estate was able to harvest Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese(dry berries select picking) wines in the top quality vineyards of Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg, Uerziger Wuerzgarten and Uerziger Goldwingert.

On the morning of december 15, the drop in temperatures to 16 degree fahrenheit then permitted the harvest of 2001 Riesling icewines (Eiswein) in the vineyards of Bernkasteler Badstube, Graacher Himmelreich and Uerziger Wuerzgarten.

  The „top quality“ year 2001 thus came to end with all wishes fulfilled.