The 2020 vintage at Fritz Haag is shaping up to be just as good, if not better, than the fantastic 2019’s. Oliver Haag believes the winter rains in early 2020 did a better job at topping up the soil moisture levels than in 2019. And that proved hugely important later in the season as things got warmer and drier. From April to June the weather was perfect, then a few more showers refreshed the vines perfectly. Then the warm, dry and sunny weather returned and persisted all the way through to mid-September, by which time most of the crop was already in the winery!

We believe that 2020 will be a modern classic. Rich, ripe flavour profiles, and tense, textured structures.

Mosel’s 2020 vintage was remarkable. Warm and dry conditions ushered in a record breaking early bud break and flowering. A repeat of 2018? Drought caused a level of stress in younger vines and heat and the lack of rain caused sugar levels to increase rapidly. Some producers decided to pick early, for some, the earliest in history. However, the hot and dry conditions, coupled with cool nights, meant that acidities were preserved and the increase in sugar levels slowed.