Barrel No. 9 Hardtberg, from the Lost Barrels series, was found by fellow winemaker Marc Adeneuer in Dernau, at 50°32’40.1”N 7°06’29.8”E, on a parking lot in front of his winery. A fateful day in July 2021 changed the tranquil Ahr Valley forever. What began as torrential rainfall ended in an unprecedented flood that swept through the narrow, winding river valley. Unimaginable volumes of water surged through the villages beneath the steep vineyard slopes, carrying away almost everything in their path. Among the many victims was the winery of Meike and Dörte Näkel, who only narrowly managed to escape their flooded cellar. In the context of this once-in-a-century tragedy, a stroke of luck amid disaster may sound almost inadequate. Yet that is precisely what happened when nine barrels, believed to have been lost from the otherwise completely devastated winery, resurfaced several villages downstream and were recovered completely intact. They are the only remaining treasures from Meyer-Näkel’s otherwise entirely lost 2020 vintage — an exceptional year for Spätburgunder. Nine precious barriques, each yielding just 280 bottles, containing outstanding Spätburgunder from some of the estate’s finest vineyards. As relics that survived the catastrophe, these nine barrels symbolically represent the winery’s new beginning under the two sisters. The exclusive Lost Barrels 2020 editions are both a unique bottled memory and homage to the “old” Ahr Valley and Meyer-Näkel winery as we once knew them, and a powerful statement that the estate is now moving dynamically forward — embracing the opportunity to reinvent itself while remaining one of the region’s finest and most deeply rooted estates. The highly exclusive Lost Barrels editions are reserved for a select number of private collectors and some of the country’s finest restaurants.