One of the Greats:
The 2011 vintage
The fact that the 2011 vintage was a good year in perspective* was already apparent during the harvest: more than 60% of the grapes were above 91° Oechsle** with perfect physiological ripeness and a basket full of ripe fruit flavors.
The year began with a relatively trouble-free and early flowering that produced a very good fruit set. The summer of 2011 was cool and moist enough, ideal conditions for wines with sufficient extract and minerality. The autumn was characterized by intense sunlight and cool nights, which led to an overall perfect grape aromatic.
The harvest of fully ripe, golden Riesling grapes began in late September alongside Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. At the end of October, we picked all the Riesling grapes from the top sites on the Mosel, the Saar, and the Ruwer. Up to 100 harvesters worked at the Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier and Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium to ensure a perfect selection for the various maturity levels.
* The 2011 vintage is similar to the great vintages of 1971, 1953, 1945, 1921, and 1911.
** Oechsle: The must weight is measured in degrees Oechsle and is a measurement of the dissolved solutes (mostly sugar) in the grape must (grape juice).