– Vintage 2014 –

A vintage year with a great deal of rainfall but also blessed with a satisfying amount of sunshine allowed us to hope for a good and abundant harvest until the end of August. But shortly before we were to begin picking the rains fell, which led to the development of rot in the early-ripening varieties Zweigelt, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The painstaking selection process that became necessary in the vineyard cost us a great deal of time, and the yield was dramatically reduced. As the harvest progressed, the weather improved steadily, so we were able to pick gorgeous Chardonnay, Blaufränkisch and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

A week of delicate by-the-berry selection also yielded small quantities of nobly sweet wines. All this taken together shows the 2014 vintage – from external conditions so difficult – in a much brighter light than we could reasonably have expected at the beginning of September. However, there are two wines that will remain absent from the portfolio this year. All of our Sauvignon Blanc from the Methusalem vines went into the Sauvignon Blanc Steinmühle, and because we could harvest no top-quality Zweigelt, there will be no Steinzeiler from the 2014 vintage.