I had a phone conversation with Klaus Peter Keller today, and did a quick tour of the Saar. The picture is mixed. KPK was quite positive about the quality. He has picked most of the fruit, including the grand cru Rieslings from Westhoven, and is very happy with the results. The vintage reminds him stylistically of 96 and 04, so acids will be quite marked. He is using extended skin contact to buffer them better. He still has not picked Hubacker, whoich is about 2 wekks behind in ripeness. There is some bortytis, which is clean, and he wants it to dry off. The Saar presents a bleaker picture. The bortytis has been on the march for some weks, and the wet conditions - much wetter than in Rheinhessen - have not allowed the grapes to dry off and concentrate despite the noble rot. Zilliken has finished the harvest about 2 weeks ago, and I saw very few patches of vines with the fruit still hanging. One was the center piece of the Scharzhofberg, where Egon Müller is trying to turn an Auslese into a GKA, it seems. Zilliken harvested mostly Kabinett and Spl - highrest must weigt was 96 Oechsle. He has a small patch still out for Eiswein. I tasted the grapes there, and found the acids fairly soft, in contrast to tha acids in the Piesporter Goldtröpchen 10 days ago, where the grapes seems still a bit underripe to me (harvest was in full swing there). The grapes at Müller tasted great, esp. the healthy ones, with thrilling acidity (ripe but intense). Looks like a mixed bad, and those who could wait probably will produce some excellent wines. But an 07 it will not be.
Peter
