Fritz Haag Brauneberger Riesling Kabinett 2008 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Riesling Kabinett 2008

From TheWineDoctor.com

Examine any label from the Fritz Haag estate and you will see that Wilhelm (right) and Oliver Haag appear to reside in Dusemonder Hof, despite the fact that we all know they are based in Brauneberg, a small village on the Mosel, downriver from Trier. Indeed, the pair can trace their ancestry as far back as 1605, the Haag family having tended vines on these banks of the Middle-Mosel for over four centuries now.

The key to this apparent confusion is a simple change of name. Brauneberg was once known as Dusemond, from dulcis mons, latin for 'sweet mountain', suggesting that even centuries ago the wines of the hill - the Dusemonder Hof - that faces this village from the opposite bank of the Mosel had a reputation for ripe and toothsome wines. Indeed, in 1806 a classification of the vineyards of the Mosel ranked the Juffer Sonnenuhr vineyard, directly opposite the village, above all others here and above most along the Mosel. Napoleon agreed, rating the wines highly indeed, and if prices at annual Der Grosse Ring auctions are anything to judge by, the wines remain highly prized today. The most obvious difference today is on the label; since 1925 the village has been known as Brauneberg (from brown mountain - rather less romantic, I feel).

The south-facing 32 hectare Juffer vineyard, and the jewel-like central portion known as Juffer Sonnenuhr, is the most prized of Brauneberger sites. The name originates from early 18th Century, when the site was owned by a chamberlain named Wunderlich who had three daughters. These three sisters devoted themselves to this particular vineyard and, against their parents wishes, never married, and so locals christened the vineyard juffer, which is derived from jungfrau but which translates directly as 'old maid' or 'spinster'. The Juffer Sonnenuhr portion, accounting for about 10.5 hectares, runs steeply up the hillside to about the 200m mark, at a breathtaking gradient of up to 80%, as far up as the sundial (sonnenuhr) from which the vineyard takes its name. This section features deep, well-weathered slatey, stony soils and a concave depression in the hillside, two factors which help with the acquisition and retention of heat, no doubt both factors in the ripe, full-flavoured wines which are made here. The Juffer vineyard which flanks this central portion has heavier soils and less slate, and although the wines are also of very good quality they do not match those from Juffer Sonnenuhr. These sites are where the Haag family have tended their vines for the past four centuries, with 12.2 hectares of vines in their ownership. The most significant change during this time was perhaps the division of the original Ferdinand Haag estate between two sons, Fritz and Willi Haag. Weingut Fritz Haag is the larger of the two, thanks to some astute purchasing of vineyard plots, and it has been managed until very recently by Wilhelm Haag. He took the reins in 1957, at the age of just 20 years, when his father Fritz fell ill. Breaking off his education abroad in order to return to Germany his initial intention was to manage the harvest before he returned to his studies. That, however, never happened; he became a permanent fixture on the estate, and he handed control to his eldest son, Oliver, in 2005. Meanwhile, Wilhelm's other son, Thomas, runs the nearby Schloss Lieser estate.

It seems that the future of the estate is secure in the hands of Oliver and his wife Jessica Haag. Oliver studied oenology at Geisenheim, with apprenticeships at Dönnhoff and Karthäuserhof, before gaining experience at Mont du Toit in South Africa and Wegeler in Oestrich-Winkel. He enjoyed the success of the 2005 vintage, but really made his mark with the 2006, which led Armin Diel and Joel Payne of Gault Millau to award bestow their 'Collection of the Year' award on the entire Haag range that vintage. Such a short time after taking on full responsibility for the estate, this must have been a hugely reassuring endorsement.

The Fritz Haag range of wines runs the gamut, from generic estate Rieslings through the Prädikat; at all levels, up to Auslese and beyond, these wines are, in my opinion, fabulous. What makes these wines special is their combination of ripeness, flavour and yet good Riesling purity. These are not the most delicate of wines made on the Mosel, but they are not meant to be. The particular mesoclimate afforded by these special sites confer a specific character to the wines. Vintage after vintage, they have a sense of place. I adore them, and confidently rank Wilhelm Haag - and from what little I have tasted so far, also his son, Oliver - among the leading winemakers in Germany. (5/2/02, last updated 14/11/08)

Contact details:
Address: Dusemonder Hof, 54472 Brauneberg
Telephone: +49 (0) 6534 410
Fax: +49 (0) 6534 1347
Internet: www.weingut-fritz-haag.de