Whither the 2001 Germans?

I have heaps (for me) of 2001 German riesling (5-6 cases, I think). Most are spatlese or auslese. I open them like the precious nectar they are, in fact not enough to really know how they are developing in general. Any collective wisdom on the drinking window of this vintage? Are the best like the 1971, blessed with decades of age-ability? (Aside: 1971 is my birthyear, and I had a 71 Prum WS Auslese for the big day which was simply awesome. Definitely showing it's age with some oxidized notes, but still fully alive).

If needing an estate to be specific about, think Christoffel, Merkelback, and Kerpen.

I had a little 01 Kerpen W.S. Auslese. By 2010 it was getting soft.

The 01 Mosels I've had have generally been incredibly youthful, still showing a lot of primary fruit and in many cases, just the start of developing flavours with fantastic acidity and balance.

The couple I've had from Kerpen were less exciting. A Merkelbach Treppchen Auslese last fall was lovely, and all the 01 Christoffels I've had recently were amazing wines. The best I've had (Christoffel, Prum, Haart in the Mosel) still have a lot of time ahead though, and I don't imagine them fading for quite some time.

[David M. Bueker]

Well let's see...CellarTracker says I still have 25 cases of 2001 Germans left in the cellar, so I have made a huge dent (close to 50%) in what I originally purchased for my personal cellar back in fall 2002.

The 2001s are the slowest developing vintage of German Riesling back to perhaps 1996 (which is going who knows where). I've found a few duds in my sampling, but my hit rate has been close to 90% of outstanding bottles. This includes samples over the last 4 years from Donnhoff, Selbach-Oster, Rheinhold Haart, St. Urbans-Hof (a few of their wines are still very covered in SO2), J. J. Prum (kabinett only please at this stage), Leitz (Drachenstein and Klosterlay - 2 of the greatest QbA ever made), von Schubert (yes...the wines are delicious), J. J. Christoffel (fulfilling the high praise that was heaped on them in 2002), Vollenweider, Wittmann, Muller-Catoir (great - though just a jot behind 1998 there), Darting (Rieslaner Auslese - mmm), Haag (Fritz) and Karlsmuhle to name some, but not all of the producers I have sampled across. I have been disappointed in how the Hexamer and Strub 2001s developed to date, and so am targeting them for near term consumption.

I have not had 2001 Kerpen, and so cannot comment more than generally that Kerpen does not make the most vibrant style of Mosel Rieslig.

The upshot of all of this to me is that there are a ton of great bottles out there just waiting for the right moment. I don't believe that moment is here yet, though some wines (Christoffel's UW Auslese*, Donnhoff's Hermannshohle Spatlese to name 2) have shown beautifully, yet with bags of life left in them.

We're approaching the fall, and it will be 10 years post vintage. My consumption will pick up a bit, especially at the spatlese level. Much of my past consumption has been kabinett and lower level spatlese, with few forays (by percentage) into the gems.

Thanks for the helpful feedback. Hmmm, somewhere along the line I accumulated a lot more 2001 Germans than I realized-- I actually have 14 cases, not 5-6! I'd better get drinking, especially all of that Strub and Kerpen I have.

I haven't opened a Kerpen in a while, but I had a few bottles of his Auslese back in 2008/9 which were thrilling.

The 2001s I have 4 or more bottles of:
Strub Niersteiner Oelberg Spätlese 10
Kerpen Auslese Wehlener Sonnenuhr 8
Kerpen Spatlese* Wehlener Sonnenuhr (artist label) 8
Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Spatlese Goldkapsel 7
Dr. Deinhard Deidesheimer Kalkofen Riesling Spatlese 7
Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Halbtrocken Kabinett 7
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese 7
Strub Niersteiner Paterberg Spätlese 7
Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese 6
Weingart BHF Spatlese 6
Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Kabinett 5
Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Spatlese 4
Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Kabinett 4
Merkelbach U.W. Auslese #15 4
Merkelbach U.W. Auslese #16 4
Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Auslese #15 4
Richter Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese 4

Strub Niersteiner Oelberg Spätlese

Pretty much at peak. Start drinking.

Kerpen Auslese Wehlener Sonnenuhr

Getting soft. Start drinking.

Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Spatlese Goldkapsel

Don't think he designates GK (versus non-GK), it's excellent now but still ridiculously young. Leave it alone for at least another 4-5 years before you even think of checking into a bottle. Same for all other Christoffels at Spat or higher (Kabinetts are drinking well now, but don't feel rushed).

Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Halbtrocken Kabinett

Starting to show some development now, really nice. Don't imagine it'll get any better, but it'll certainly hold.

Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese

It's Prum. Give it another decade or two!

Weingart BHF Spatlese

Opening a Weingart Furstenburg Spat tonight. Will report back.

Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Auslese #15

It's complete crap, over the hill, fading and getting oxidative. Please sell me your bottles.
(Staggeringly great now, would still hold/develop over a lot more time but it's worth at least opening one bottle now to see just how amazing it is. Of course if you want to sell any I'm always looking out for 01 Meulenhofs )

Ok, got a Strub Spatlese and a Kerpen Auslese 2001 chilling in the fridge... tasting notes to follow...

I am curious to read your notes. I had very much liked the Kerpen when I tasted them on release at a Theise event.

Opening a Weingart Furstenburg Spat tonight. Will report back.

You have a 2001 Weingart Schloß Fürstenberg Spätlese? Nice! Weingart is one very good reason for Riesling of both persuasions (Trocken and otherwise.)

looking forward to your note. Love those guys!

Cheers,
Bill

The Weingart was excellent. Quite youthful, rich and honeyed enough to pass for a modern Auslese but very nicely balanced. I'm not touching my other bottle for some time yet.

Hi Patrick -

Sorry that I don't have much more to add, but I don't have any notes on any of the 2001s that you have in your cellar, and nothing at all on Christoffel or Merkelbach in 2001 so far. This is a vintage that I was late in getting to - it's only been the past four years or so that I have really gotten into German wines, and many of the 2001s were already gone from the local shelves by then.

As far as Kerpen, the only 2001 of his that I've tried was the WS Spätlese (not the artist label), and that was four years ago. (It was showing well then.) With regard to the maturation of Kerpen's wines, I did have a 1999 Kerpen Bernkasteler Bratenhöfchen Spätlese last year that was in a very good place then.

Anyway, I'll look forward to your notes on the Strub and the Kerpen.

Well let's see...CellarTracker says I still have 25 cases of 2001 Germans left in the cellar.

This makes my head spin. I have 5 cases of wine total.

[David M. Bueker]

Well let's see...CellarTracker says I still have 25 cases of 2001 Germans left in the cellar.

This makes my head spin. I have 5 cases of wine total.

My head will spin if I try to drink them all.

Well let's see...CellarTracker says I still have 25 cases of 2001 Germans left in the cellar.

This makes my head spin. I have 5 cases of wine total.

My head will spin if I try to drink them all.

I'm here to help.