Germany wine auctions 2020 - Trier live atm

Paul, I am a bit lost... I thought I had bought a 6 pack of Keller Sylvaner Feuervogel 2019 for 156£ (if I remember) and it is now on auction for 400€ a magnum. What is different apart you have twice more than in a bottle?

Antoine, the auction wine is a Feuervogel Reserve (from a special parcel). But yes, it does make the "regular" Feuervogel look very reasonable (a wine that was not oversubscribed on Sebastian's opening offer, btw, for those who complain about the impossibility of buying Keller).
 
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I was one of the lucky few who has been in Trier tasting the wine. I was the only Italian and I could not count many foreigners, 5/6 at most.


This is my 15th year in Trier and I feel privileged to have tasted through what IMHO is the best young vintage of the last 20 years. I tasted the vintage also the day before at the official presentation.


The vintage is exceptional at Kabinett and Spätlese level. It loses focus and precision at higher praedikats yet remaining an absolute charmer.


It is a vintage that combines effortlessly fruit, acidity and with a lot tang/salinity. Most wines smell of sea breeze.


Going back to the auction:

  • All the kabinetts were excellent and they were Kabinett not Spätlese in disguise. I liked a lot Grünhaus, Lieser, Lauer. Müller is always difficult to read as it comes across very stern. I believe it was not in top form. Von Othegraven has been making steady progress and Lieser was so intense, precise and full of energy. Too bad I lost it.
  • In the Spätlese camp Egon Müller was ahead of everyone by a mile. Well worth the GBP 220 per bottle (it was EUR 220 but you need to add hammer and VAT). Usually Egon has at least 1 Auslese but with none present, it was clear that the Spätlese was to be special. Lauer Fuder 23 was excellent whilst Lauer Fuder 24 flabby. Prüm was better than usual and much better than the regular release. The Doctor from Lieser was too broad (I don’t like the vineyard which is now good mostly in cold years) There was a lot of expectation on Willi Schaefer and Haag. I was a little disappointed. Schaefer lacked the energy of the non auction wine and Haag was a little too sweet. Disclaimer: even if I tasted the wines three times, the praises for Schaefer’s auction version are almost unanimous. I may be off with my notes. I lost the love for Haag a while ago when Oliver started vinifying with a lot more residual sugar in stark contrast with his Dad’s wines. These days I much prefer his brother’s however 2019s are his best vintage since the 2010s
  • the Auslese overall started to loose a bit of energy, they were less precise. Almost all, except Zilliken, without significant botrytis. However the Auslese from Prüm showed an amazing purity and balance. It was a spherical wines. Almost perfect. It did not shout loud but he didn’t need to. It was a wine it would make you happy. I believe what most people on this forum would be looking for. Grünhaus was also very enjoyable albeit a step back from Prüm. Haart too rich. Full stop. Zilliken was also too rich
  • The Auslese GK lineup was a bit blurry. Willi Schaefer was the clear winner but Prüm was right up there with a more reserved and elegant style. (I believe Katharina produced the best overall line up of wines for this auction. A WS Auction Kabinett would have been a perfect addition but I can’t recall any Auction Kabinett from the estate). Lieser was a distant third (too flabby) and all the rest were IMHO forgettable wines. Kennel was okish.

I believe there is little point of getting into this kind of auctions. It is a lot better to buy the regular wines from the producer who did well in Trier. You may clearly miss a spectacular wine but the prices are now crazy. To give perspective, Egon Müller’s Spätlese was EUR 50 for the 2005 vintage.
 
I was one of the lucky few who has been in Trier tasting the wine. I was the only Italian and I could not count many foreigners, 5/6 at most.


This is my 15th year in Trier and I feel privileged to have tasted through what IMHO is the best young vintage of the last 20 years. I tasted the vintage also the day before at the official presentation.


The vintage is exceptional at Kabinett and Spätlese level. It loses focus and precision at higher praedikats yet remaining an absolute charmer.


It is a vintage that combines effortlessly fruit, acidity and with a lot tang/salinity. Most wines smell of sea breeze.


Going back to the auction:

  • All the kabinetts were excellent and they were Kabinett not Spätlese in disguise. I liked a lot Grünhaus, Lieser, Lauer. Müller is always difficult to read as it comes across very stern. I believe it was not in top form. Von Othegraven has been making steady progress and Lieser was so intense, precise and full of energy. Too bad I lost it.
  • In the Spätlese camp Egon Müller was ahead of everyone by a mile. Well worth the GBP 220 per bottle (it was EUR 220 but you need to add hammer and VAT). Usually Egon has at least 1 Auslese but with none present, it was clear that the Spätlese was to be special. Lauer Fuder 23 was excellent whilst Lauer Fuder 24 flabby. Prüm was better than usual and much better than the regular release. The Doctor from Lieser was too broad (I don’t like the vineyard which is now good mostly in cold years) There was a lot of expectation on Willi Schaefer and Haag. I was a little disappointed. Schaefer lacked the energy of the non auction wine and Haag was a little too sweet. Disclaimer: even if I tasted the wines three times, the praises for Schaefer’s auction version are almost unanimous. I may be off with my notes. I lost the love for Haag a while ago when Oliver started vinifying with a lot more residual sugar in stark contrast with his Dad’s wines. These days I much prefer his brother’s however 2019s are his best vintage since the 2010s
  • the Auslese overall started to loose a bit of energy, they were less precise. Almost all, except Zilliken, without significant botrytis. However the Auslese from Prüm showed an amazing purity and balance. It was a spherical wines. Almost perfect. It did not shout loud but he didn’t need to. It was a wine it would make you happy. I believe what most people on this forum would be looking for. Grünhaus was also very enjoyable albeit a step back from Prüm. Haart too rich. Full stop. Zilliken was also too rich
  • The Auslese GK lineup was a bit blurry. Willi Schaefer was the clear winner but Prüm was right up there with a more reserved and elegant style. (I believe Katharina produced the best overall line up of wines for this auction. A WS Auction Kabinett would have been a perfect addition but I can’t recall any Auction Kabinett from the estate). Lieser was a distant third (too flabby) and all the rest were IMHO forgettable wines. Kennel was okish.

I believe there is little point of getting into this kind of auctions. It is a lot better to buy the regular wines from the producer who did well in Trier. You may clearly miss a spectacular wine but the prices are now crazy. To give perspective, Egon Müller’s Spätlese was EUR 50 for the 2005 vintage.

Many thanks Filippo! Very interesting report.
 
I was one of the lucky few who has been in Trier tasting the wine. I was the only Italian and I could not count many foreigners, 5/6 at most.


This is my 15th year in Trier and I feel privileged to have tasted through what IMHO is the best young vintage of the last 20 years. I tasted the vintage also the day before at the official presentation.


The vintage is exceptional at Kabinett and Spätlese level. It loses focus and precision at higher praedikats yet remaining an absolute charmer.


It is a vintage that combines effortlessly fruit, acidity and with a lot tang/salinity. Most wines smell of sea breeze.


Going back to the auction:

  • All the kabinetts were excellent and they were Kabinett not Spätlese in disguise. I liked a lot Grünhaus, Lieser, Lauer. Müller is always difficult to read as it comes across very stern. I believe it was not in top form. Von Othegraven has been making steady progress and Lieser was so intense, precise and full of energy. Too bad I lost it.
  • In the Spätlese camp Egon Müller was ahead of everyone by a mile. Well worth the GBP 220 per bottle (it was EUR 220 but you need to add hammer and VAT). Usually Egon has at least 1 Auslese but with none present, it was clear that the Spätlese was to be special. Lauer Fuder 23 was excellent whilst Lauer Fuder 24 flabby. Prüm was better than usual and much better than the regular release. The Doctor from Lieser was too broad (I don’t like the vineyard which is now good mostly in cold years) There was a lot of expectation on Willi Schaefer and Haag. I was a little disappointed. Schaefer lacked the energy of the non auction wine and Haag was a little too sweet. Disclaimer: even if I tasted the wines three times, the praises for Schaefer’s auction version are almost unanimous. I may be off with my notes. I lost the love for Haag a while ago when Oliver started vinifying with a lot more residual sugar in stark contrast with his Dad’s wines. These days I much prefer his brother’s however 2019s are his best vintage since the 2010s
  • the Auslese overall started to loose a bit of energy, they were less precise. Almost all, except Zilliken, without significant botrytis. However the Auslese from Prüm showed an amazing purity and balance. It was a spherical wines. Almost perfect. It did not shout loud but he didn’t need to. It was a wine it would make you happy. I believe what most people on this forum would be looking for. Grünhaus was also very enjoyable albeit a step back from Prüm. Haart too rich. Full stop. Zilliken was also too rich
  • The Auslese GK lineup was a bit blurry. Willi Schaefer was the clear winner but Prüm was right up there with a more reserved and elegant style. (I believe Katharina produced the best overall line up of wines for this auction. A WS Auction Kabinett would have been a perfect addition but I can’t recall any Auction Kabinett from the estate). Lieser was a distant third (too flabby) and all the rest were IMHO forgettable wines. Kennel was okish.

I believe there is little point of getting into this kind of auctions. It is a lot better to buy the regular wines from the producer who did well in Trier. You may clearly miss a spectacular wine but the prices are now crazy. To give perspective, Egon Müller’s Spätlese was EUR 50 for the 2005 vintage.
Really appreciate your report from the front, Filippo, thank you for helpful insights.
 
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