Riesling Brand Grand Cru 2022

In 2022, just like in 2020, the Brand enjoyed a good rainfall mid-August which was crucial for the ripeness of the grapes. The same storm that brought hail on the western part of the Brand vineyard as well as Sommerberg and Wineck-Schlossberg. Our vineyards are located in the central and eastern part of Brand (Brand, Steinglitz and Schneckelsburg). We were lucky to avoid the hail, but still got the rain that was so needed to avoid hydric stress. The grapes ripened quickly and without stress, the foliage was also able to preserve a good acidity. Brand means burning, hot, … the same origin as the word Brandy. This vineyard is looking the deep Munster valley and enjoys long hours of sunshine late in the evening. It is our most precocious Riesling vineyard. The biotite granite does alter quickly under the influence of the climate and micro-organisms. The resulting finer elements (clay and minerals) migrate deep into the mother rock, and it takes older vines to reach them. The difference between young and old vines is important, so is the difference between vineyards planted with bio-dynamic farming or conventional. Brand 2022 took a very long time to finish fermenting its rich grapes and the whole cellar team was amazed to see that eventually it went to the end!