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Münzenrieder Chardonnay TBA 1998

Patience pays

With two excuses – the awful aftertaste of the sweet Gambellaras I reported on here, and my ongoing Austrian mini-series – I opened this old(ish) bottle of Austrian dessert wine from the cellar.

The Münzenrieder name may not enjoy the galactic reputation of Kracher or Triebaumer but I have always enjoyed their range of sweet wines, especially the Beerenauslesen and Trockenbeerenauslesen which are both affordable and reliable. 1998 was a great vintage for Austrian sweet wines, and at age 10 these wines are now providing a lot of excitement while also showing where Austria really stands in the sweet wine league.

The Trockenbeerenauslese Chardonnay 1998 (9.5% alcohol and some 220+ g residual sugar, I’m guessing) is fully mature now. A very deep amber-brown colour, and a nose of a caramelised-mature botrytis wine with not much complexity at first. Palate shows burnt brown sugar and a touch of bacon-like oakiness. While initially this TBA lacks personality and freshness, time in the glass is bringing quite some sensual bliss: a seriously rich, concentrated wine with generous botrytis. Very good indeed.

Polz Sauvignon Therese 2003

Classy slate

Let’s look at another top estate from Austria: Erich & Walter Polz. Based in Southern Styria, the Polz family has been in the forefront of the winemaking revolution in this once incurably rural, and now cutting-edge-modern wine region.

Styria’s major advantage is its geological richness and variety of wine terroirs. Across a limited area, you can find marl, sandstone, volcanic basalt (brilliant soil for Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, two of the region’s best-performing varieties), opok (a compressed grey sandstone giving some stupendously mineral wines) and limestone. The latter is dominating in the top Styrian crus such as Grassnitzberg, Hochgrassnitzberg and Zieregg, on the border with Slovenia; these sites are yielding some very exciting wines from Sauvignon Blancs, perhaps the grape’s most interesting renditions outside the Upper Loire and Marlborough.

The wine I am drinking today – Sauvignon Blanc Therese 2003 (another older vintage unearthed in the cellar) – is from a different type of soil, however. Pure slate is most readily associated with the Rhine and Moselle Rieslings, and is a rather rare soil to grow Sauvignon on. The vineyard itself – Theresienhöhe – is also one of Styria’s highest at 450 meters. Grapes ripen well giving a very structured wine that is aged in wooden barrels. Oak-aged Sauvignon can often be clumsy, sacrificing the grape variety’s inherent freshness and exuberance for no apparent advantage. This wine is a different story.

Tasted last year while in Austria, the newly bottled 2007 was very terroir-driven, with impressive concentration for Sauvignon, and good acidic poise: just waiting to build proper complexity over five or six years in the bottle. It was markedly deeper and more mineral in expression than the Hochgrassnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc 2006, from a limestone vineyard: the latter is giving a more flowery, vegetal, expressive rendition of the grape. The Sauvignon Therese 2005 (from a pretty difficult vintage in Styria) was still showing quite young, but with a more rustic, meaty, grassy edge to it.

And here is this bottle of 2003. Could a Sauvignon from this torrid vintage have survived five years in the cellar? At the beginning there are some burnt rubber reductive aromas but with time, good gooseberry-scented freshness is showing up. Really a powerful wine in mouth, with substance and focus and a firm bitterish finish still. There is also an almost biting mineral charge: I think the acid-giving energy of slate has considerably helped this wine to survive and improve.

All in all, this was a fairly instructive bottle of wine. On paper, I would have dismissed it, looking at my tasting note from release when I remarked on the New-Worldish style of the wine (nettle and kiwi fruit), moderate substance and little complexity. Over half a decade, it has not only stood the test of time but developed good depth and improved its terroir references. This is a valid confirmation of the excellent job done by the Polz family in this uneasy vintage and of the sheer class of the Theresienhöhe slate. (I also very much recommend the Morillon Moth 2007, coming from the very same vineyard: a brilliantly fleshy, terroir-driven, unobese take on Chardonnay).

Two reds from Austria

Hit and miss

Continuing my Austrian thread I am drinking two top reds tonight. They are made with the leading Austrian varieties – Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt – and represent a key area for red wine production, Middle Burgenland, and South-Eastern Styria which is more renowned for its whites but has quite some potential for reds too.

As I wrote in my earlier post on Austrian wines, reds from this country tend to be a mixed bag. While global warming has made Austria’s climate favourable for growing almost any dark-skinned variety (there are even patches of Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Tannat), the quality is still uneven. At the bottom end, where in the past many wines were unripe and diluted, the rise in quality has been obvious: a 7€ bottle of Zweigelt today usually represents good value for money and offers a healthy portion of fresh berry fruit and vinosity. The medium range is where some of Austria’s most exciting wines are to be found, with a growing understanding of the local terroirs and a moderate use of oak. Here, Blaufränkisch is the king, being a more refined and mineral variety than Zweigelt; many cru bottlings from the Burgenland can be had for 12–15€, and are really exciting in a balanced, crisp, Central European, vaguely Burgundian style. Another grape to look for at this price range is Pinot Noir.

In the past, red Austria’s biggest problem has perhaps been its top shelf. With a lot of ambitious estates coming into the game in the mid-1990s, there was a proliferation of expensive bottlings – usually blends with a strong emphasis on French varieties, often Merlot – that were marred by excessive extraction and overenthusiastic use of oak. With some vintages still on the unripe side of ripe, there was also an unpleasant green character to many wines. Harsh tannins, buttery oak and herby greenness combined to create a very Germanic cocktail that made many wines seem a bit ridiculous when compared to top-scoring red wines from Italy, France or even Spain. Of tonight’s wines, the Weninger Blaufränkisch Reserve 2001 belongs to that category. Made in Middle Burgenland on the border with Hungary (the Weninger family actually owns a separate estate on the Hungarian side, in the town of Sopron: see map on their website), this wine was released in 2004. Mild evolution to colour. Nose is not bad, but definitely has a bretty, barnyardy reductive character masking the fruit. Palate has a pleasant fruity attack (some Blaufränkisch cherry) but gradually tastes less and less exciting as the overoaking and overextraction become evident. Finishes with exaggerated, harsh tannins and no fruit. Highish acidity not adding to the experience. This shows how intellectually limited was that ‘Millennium’ style in Burgenland, and also how ill-suited to Blaufränkisch, which comes out heavy-handed, anonymous and uninteresting. While this TN sounds harsh, I want to say that recent Weninger productions are in a quite different league, with more balance and fruit. I particularly like the Blaufränkisch Hochäcker and the very mineral Blaufränkisch Dürrau (very promising in 2007), as well as the Blaufränkisch-Zweigelt-Merlot blend Veratina. At the end of the day, I’ve had more fun with Winkler-Hermaden Olivin 2002, although it doesn’t enjoy the reputation of Weninger. Made with 100% Zweigelt from brown volcanic soils in South-Eastern Styria and aged in local oak, this wine elevates the tricky Zweigelt grape to a new level. Colour of the 2002 vintage is surely not very dense today. Nose is not very rich and rather lacks definition: some pepper, some meat, some ripe red fruit. Palate is definitely better, medium-bodied, with a good amount of sweet fruit (cherries perhaps), spiced up by some Speck saltiness and the usual Zweigelt creamy, almost gluey texture. Not a lot of structure or acidity with tannins totally integrated now, but also no signs of decline and no tertiary character. A pleasant wine for sure, consistent with my early TN of the 2002 upon release. Here again, the recent vintages (especially 2005) are superior by a large margin.

Bründlmayer Spiegel 2002

An antique mirror

As promised in an earlier post I brought a mixed case of Austrian wines from the cellar to sample through in the coming weeks. This particular wine is an old acquaintance – Bründlmayer was one of the first quality estates from Austria I was introduced to, and I remember going crazy about the 2000 Langenloiser Spiegel upon release (it remains one of the very best matches with cabbage in my memory).

The 75 hectares (organically grown) of the Bründlmayer estate in the region of Kamptal are located on some of the most coveted locations of all Austria. Among them is Spiegel, a dramatic sun-exposed hill with very warm microclimate (hence the name, ‘Mirror’, presumably) allowing for high ripeness. In recent years, with global warming making a difference, this vineyard has perhaps become a little too hot for Grüner Veltliner (this one, for example). But Bründlmayer has dedicated Spiegel to Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder (Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc), both late-ripening, with the latter providing crucial acidity to the blend. This aspect, together with a good minerality from the limestone & loess soil, also ensures a long aging potential to this bottling.

Here’s evidence of that with the Langenloiser Spiegel 2002, cellared by yours truly since release in 2004. At first this is tasting a little banal and one-dimensional but shows very good evolution in the glass. Nose is mildly maturing and elegantly oaky (high-grade butter and cream; in fact there is only partial aging in Austrian casks). I think Weissburgunder is having the upper hand in the blend at this stage, offering crispness, mineral transparency, and a lighter aromatic register (citrus). But the key to success has surely been the low alcohol (12.5% only): the wine has remained refreshing and alive instead of tiresome and sticky.

It is interesting to note that back in 2002, this wine was a roughly 55–45% blend of Pinot Gris and Blanc; now with some new parcels coming into production, Pinot Blanc has been reduced to a mere 10%. I am a big fan of Pinot Blanc and usually find its refreshing, flowery, crisp profile a beneficial addition to Pinot Gris, but tasting Bründlmayer’s Spiegel 2005 and 2006 recently I must say it is still a remarkably fresh and balanced wine. Highly recommended – not only with cabbage.

Austrian trade tasting

My top picks from the annual Austrian trade tasting in Warsaw, including some delicious whites from the lesser-known Wagram region.

Austrian dining

Springtime wine

Tomorrow is the Austrian trade tasting here in Warsaw; one of Poland’s most important events throughout the year. And tonight I met up with Willi Klinger and Christian Dworan of the Austrian Wine Marketing. At the C.K. Oboźnia wine bar & restaurant, we drank through some nice wines and discussed some exciting projects for the future, including a Polish food & Austrian wine matching campaign.

We ate well (asparagus risotto and spicy duck breast), drinking a mixed bunch of wines, including two reds, a very spicy (white pepper and caraway) Kirnbauer [K+K] Mittelburgenland DAC Classic 2006 that was a little green and tart, and a Heinrich Hartl Pinot Noir Classic 2007 that started as an oaky disaster and finished generous and tasty but banal. More luck with the whites: from Matthias Hager in the Kamptal came the Urgestein Grüner Veltliner 2007 that was a big, spicy animal with lots of phenolic ripeness and correspondingly little minerality (I would have preferred it the other way around), and the Schmelz Pichl Point Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2007 which also very ripe but with better depth and poise.

Strangely enough, the most memorable wine of the evening came at the very beginning: fresh from the fermentation tank (well, almost), the Schmelz Buschenberg Grüner Veltliner Steinfeder 2008 was light (11.5% alc.), exuberantly fresh, zesty, green and positive. I never drink Steinfeder (the lightest style of wine from the region of Wachau, which by law needs not exceed 11.5%) and generally dislike drinking Austrian whites this young, but this was a good example of how youthful and invigorating these newborns can be.

I’ll be on the lookout for more of the same during the tasting tomorrow.

C.K. Oboźnia ‘wine lounge’ in Warsaw.

Fred Loimer Spiegel Veltliner 2003

Final call

Went to a friends’ house for a dinner today. And had the tricky task of providing a wine for salmon in a Mornay-like sauce. The natural choice would have been a white Burgundy or dry Chenin but I picked up the Fred Loimer Spiegel Grüner Veltliner 2003 instead. Expected this to be mature and nicely rich for this classic French butter & cream sauce.

2003 is a vintage I was heavily stocked with, and am only now finishing the last bottles of the whites. European readers surely remember the excruciating heatwave that nurtured Europe throughout August that year, and made for a fairly appalling collection of flabby, alcoholic, burned-fruity whites wines from Savennières through Alto Adige down to Danubian Austria. (Only the limit zones for dry whites wines, such as Champagne, the Mosel and Tokaj, seem to have produced decent wines in any quantity).

In their early youth these 2003 Rieslings, Sauvignons, Veltliners and Pinots were surely one-dimensional but with a certain fruity charm. With years passing, the fruit deteriorated, leaving unbalanced structure heavy on C2H5OH and low in life-giving acidity. Few have been the wines that have stood the test of 4–5 years, and 2003 has turned out to be the true ‘vintage of the devil’ as I have nicknamed it (for the white wines). To a lesser extent, I have similar feelings about 2006 in such regions as Austria, the Palatinate, or Chablis.

The Loimer Spiegel confirmed all what was wrong about 2003. Clearly it is the last urgent call for cru Veltliners from this vintage. This wine shows no minerality, no freshness, although a vestige of former green citrus pithiness perhaps. Palate is broad, alcoholic, vague. Alcohol is noticeable though perhaps not outrageous (13.5% on label; I can’t help thinking of a recently tasted F.X. Pichler ‘M’ Veltliner from 2006 which was 15+%), but it doesn’t really help the overall balance. This wine is not exactly unpleasant but has clearly lost most of its qualities.

Surely Veltliner, with its natural richness, earlier ripening, and moderate acidity was handicapped in 2003. Austrian Rieslings overall have fared better, and some are still alive. For example, the Schloss Gobelsburg Gaisberg Riesling 2003. There is no denying the devilish imprint of 2003, showing in a pervasive alcoholic warmth (despite there being only 12.5% on the label) but there is also some good substance and a whiff of acidity for nominal freshness. About recognisably Riesling, although the notes of butterscotch, honey, peach jam are really quite pushy. Don’t decant or leave sitting open for too long: chill well and enjoy with rich foods. And get rid of any 2003s you might still be sitting on.

Beethovenian wine

What wines did Beethoven enjoy?

Karl Lagler Steinborz Riesling 2002

Revisiting an old favourite

Early in my tasting career I loved the wines of Karl Lagler, thinking (and even writing: here are some tasting notes from a forgotten age) he was one of the top producers in the Austrian region of Wachau. I was particularly keen on his Smaragd wines – both Grüner Veltliner and Riesling – from the Steinborz vineyard in Spitz. I remember stocking up heavily on the 1997s and 1998s, and enjoying them tremendously for over a half-decade.

Then I as sampled more regularly through the ranges of Knoll, F.X. Pichler, Prager or Alzinger, I began to put Lagler’s output in context. I still think he is much underrated (Peter Moser’s latest 2008/2009 Ultimate Austrian Wine Guide omits him altogether), but somehow I have never found the emotion of my early tastings in his latest vintages. (As a side note, 2003 and 2006 have been particularly tricky here, producing overtly alcoholic wines without the mineral drive Wachau can deliver – but this has been a problem of the entire region).

Today, I opened a bottle that confirmed my thoughts about Lagler. The 2002 Steinborz Riesling Smaragd shows a dark plate gold of mature Riesling, and the nose is a bit advanced too: there is a whiff of Firne agedness, with notes of wax, honey, mushrooms (but not petrol). But the evolution is balanced by excellent minerality: first saline, later increasingly stony. Medium complexity: this doesn’t seem to have a lot of aromatic stuffing, but shows noble and terroir-driven. Palate is rather full, with little sugar, firm acidity and a firm minerality throughout, and quite some power on the finish: seemingly this could still age; it drinks very well an evening later and a day later, showing more sweet, less crisp. But I am happy to have opened it today when it is near its highest point.

While surely not disappointing for 20€, this excellent wine misses the train to greatness. Why? My answer would be: simplicity. We are not at the level of complexity of a Wachstum Bodenstein, nor the compelling texture of Pichler’s Kellerberg. It is rather a sonata than a symphony; rather a duo than a quartet. As every music lover will confirm, a good duo is perfectly fine six days a week.