MORE AUSTRIAN WINES

WEINGUT PAUL LEHRNER

Located in the Mittelburgenland town of Horitschon, Paul Lehrner has about 18 hectares of vineyards, cultivating mostly red varieties.  He has but a few rows of Chardonnay and Grüner Veltliner.  The normal varieties include Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and St. Laurent.  The abnormal variety would be Cabernet Sauvignon. 




From 2002 we tasted a marvelous reserve bottling of Blaufränkisch called "Steineiche."  The importer claims this was in something like 80% new oak barrels.  I do get a bit of wood here, but there is so much wine here, the wood does not dominate.  It is very fine now, while the wood still shows a bit of cedar and vanilla, but with time this will recede.  Tops.

Currently in stock:
2002 "Steineiche" Blaufränkisch $29.99


The cellar full of French oak at Paul Lehner's.

But they also have larger wooden cooperage for maturing their wines.



Many producers are going back to wooden fermentation tanks, finding the wines have more depth when fermented in something other than stainless steel.  Lehrner is one of several producers in the Burgenland where we noticed new "old-fashioned" tanks.

SCHLOSS GOBELSBURG

This estate came up for sale some years ago and Herr Bründlmayer found a buyer, a young wine enthusiast/wine geek who had little experience in wine.

What a daunting task this must have been for Michael Moosbrugger!  Willi Bründlmayer helped get things going here and the wines, from what I've seen, have steadily improved.

The estate is in the Kamptal.  
I've tasted their wines for a few vintages and can happily report the quality is increasing.  In fact, I was so knocked out by one of their Gruner Veltliners, I had to get some!

The wine is called "Gobelsburger" and it's their entry level bottling.  I was simply knocked out by the 200 and the 2007.  It's fresh and bright, capturing the zesty, almost spicy nature of Grüner Veltliner.   Even tasting this alongside Gobelsburg's other, estate-grown and more costly wines, I still found this to be amazingly good.  Grapefruit, dill, white pepper spice...think of something like Gewürztraminer-meets-Sauvignon.  You simply have to try a bottle.

Don't miss this, especially while the weather is warm.  It's got a screw-cap stopper, too.

Owner Michael Moosbrugger was honored two years ago as Falstaff magazine (Austria's top wine publication) "winemaker of the year."  Not surprised...if the guy can make wine like this little gem and sell it here for $15.99, he's a magician!

 

Currently in stock:  2007 Schloss Gobelsburg GRÜNER VELTLINER "Gobelsburger"  $15.99

JOHANN DIEM

Young Ewald Diem thinks he runs this family winery, but I can see Mom and Dad are firmly in control!  They're located about a 40 minute ride (or so) north of Vienna in the Weinvertel region.  This is a marvelous area, the wines having good quality and the prices being less than the more famous regions which are often full of tourists.

We're especially please with Diem's "Breitenlus" bottlings of Grüner Veltliner.  It comes from a special place and they manage to really capture the grapefruity and pepper spice notes of this grape.  No oak.  Delicious as a cocktail white and perfect with Asian cuisine.  

Ewald and Dad.

 

They have some great underground cellars, too.



Though they are relatively well known in the Austrian wine market, I was amused to note the Diem's do not have a sign in front of their place.  You have to "know" they're there!


And people do know where they are!  The day of my visit there was a bus-load of tasters from the Burgenland!  People from another wine region were visiting the Diem's because they were well aware of the good quality wines this family makes.


Mom, who's the chief financial officer of the Diem organization, also cares for the vineyards.
And how!
She has a lovely garden by the winery and you can see she lavishes the same care and attention to the nine hectares of vines owned by the family.
They strive, by the way, to implement organic farming practices.


Johann explains that after a long day in the keller, a good, cold bier and a Weinvertel Schnitzel are required.

Michaela and Ewald dig into some fine Hohenruppersdorf cooking.

 

Currently in stock:  2002 Grüner Veltliner "Breitenlus"  Sold Out...
We're hoping to taste some new vintages from this crew...

 

ERICH SALOMON (Undhof Salomon)

I have tasted Erich Salomon's wines a few times over the past several years and have always found this to be exceptional.  He made a 1990 vintage Riesling that is simply outrageous.  I can't imagine any of the world's great Riesling producers not finding it to be extraordinary.
If that wine didn't arrive on these shores at such a premium price, I'd consider owning some.

The property comprises about 20 hectares of vines, about half devoted to  Grner Veltliner and half to Riesling.  Salomon's brother Bert had been working with the Austrian Wine Marketing Board until deciding to come work at the winery.  Erich, it seems, thinks he's "old" and it's time to retire!  Ha!  He's far too young to retire, in our view.  


Salomon's 2000 "Steinterrassen" seems to be close on the heels of its 1990 vintage cousin, despite the ten years of age differential.  The fragrance is fresh, floral and with an underlying stony/minerally note.  On the palate you'll find it to be stone, bone dry.  A hint of citrus completes the package, making a good case, once again, that it is Riesling, not Chardonnay, which is the world's most noble white grape.

Salomon's 2003 Grner Veltliner is a delight and the work of an "old timer."  Having years of experience in growing grapes and making wine, he saw it would be imperative to pick rather early, which the acidity was still good, rather than wait.  The meister did a splendid job, for the 2003 Hochterrassen Grner is a delight!  Spicy and grapefruity.  Dry.  Fresh and perfect for immediate drinking.

Currently in stock:  2000 Riesling "Steinterrassen" $15.99
2003 Grüner Veltliner "Hochterassen" Sold Out

Salomon's brother Bert makes some great wines in Australia (of all places).  These are most impressive.  We currently have a Shiraz blended with Petit Verdot which is all of $9.99 (on sale).  





MARKOWITSCH

The Markowitsch name is well-regarded in Austrian wine circles, there is no doubt.

There are several wine families with this name and one of the top, if not the top is that of Gerhard Markowitsch.  The winery and vineyards are located near Vienna in the Carnuntum wine region.  This is about a 30 minute ride east of the city in a wonderful little wine village chock full of wineries!

This fellow is a believer in the vineyards accounting for the quality of the wines.  He has a very modern cellar with wooden fermentation tanks for reds and stainless steel for the whites.  Markowitsch is one who strives to make "international quality" but retaining the originality of the Gttlesbrunn terroir.  He finds the conveniences of technology to be tools to be used to "retain" the quality of the wine which starts, of course, in the vineyard.


I was introduced to this family by the famous Burgenland winemaker, Alois Kracher.  "You don't know the Markowitsch's?" he cried, "Then let me introduce you to them!"  

I was especially pleased to meet these folks, since my mother's family is of the same name!  My grandparents, though, came to the U.S. when they were babies, so we don't know precisely where the family started in Europe.

The wines I tasted from this property all had distinct character.  All were delightful, particularly the red wines, but they are capable of making a good white wine, too, of course.

We currently have a 2005 Grüner Veltliner which comes from 30 year old vines on gravelly soil.  The wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks and left, briefly, on its spent yeast sediment.  It's nice to find a wine of modest alcohol level (this is just around 12%) and one that's dry.  No oak.  There's a nice, fresh aspect to this wine and it's a terrific aperitif.  You'll find it also pairs nicely with seafood...a saffron rice dish with shrimp is an outstanding pairing.

Currently in stock:  2005 Markowitsch RIED SCHANZCKER Grüner Veltliner  $11.99

KARTÄUSERHOF

Owned by the Stierschneider (you can see why they call their wine something simple and easy to pronounce, like, uh, Karthauserhof) family since the 1860s, this Wachau estate comprises some 7 hectares of vines.  Some of the holdings are located in prime, famous sites: Achleiten, Klaus, Weitenberg, Hinterkirchen, Steinriegl and Pichl-Point.

Stainless steel fermentation at cool temps helps them preserve the wonderfully spicy character of the Grüner Veltliner.  We tasted a delicious, spot-on version from the 2003 vintage, "Smaragd" level of quality which is very attractively priced.    It displays a shade less of the typical spice (white pepper) and grapefruit of the 2002.  It's a delicious wine, however.   We recommend this highly for both its quality and honest pricing, not to mention aromas and flavors!

The importer sold us their last cases recently...delicious wine.

Currently in stock:  2003 Grüner Veltliner  "Smaragd"  $19.99

 

 

 

 

ALOIS KRACHER

Kracher is the king of Austrian dessert wines and his reputation amongst winemakers is held in high regard.
Alois Jr. took over for Dad in the 1980s and was certain his region would one day be famous for luxurious sweet wines.  The neighbors all thought Alois had fallen on his head with such a crazy notion, but he had seen the Neusiedlersee (the large lake near his village of Illmitz) and other small lakes in the region helped create a lot of fog.  These conditions are ideal for the "noble rot," Botrytis cinerea, to take up residence on the grapes and concentrate sugar levels.  
He made a wide range of wines, but it's the late-harvested wines that attract the most attention. 

Sadly, Alois passed away at an early age in 2008.  He was a real pioneer and a legendary figure in the Austrian wine industry.


The "normal" style of wines are tagged as "Zwischen den Seen," translating to "between the seas (or lakes)."  These are, generally, lower alcohol wines, somewhat along the lines of late-harvest German wines.

The other wines are "Nouvelle Vague," or "new wave."  These are more reminiscent of a Sauternes-styled wine, being higher in alcohol and having seen French oak.  Kracher then labels these wines with a number corresponding to the level of sweetness that particular wine achieved in a given vintage.  The higher the number, the sooner you'll need to see a dentist.   But the greater number is not a qualitative assessment.

We were amused to hear Kracher speaking about his wines.  He was obviously quite passionate.  The subject turned to Eiswein and Kracher, who makes one, seemed to dismiss this as somehow lacking the artistry or majesty of botrytis-affected wines.  

For eiswein, of course, one need to have reasonably healthy fruit remaining on the vine in the cold of winter.  No brainer.  

For botrytis affected wines, a grower must manage the fruit, watch the weather report and be very selective in what grapes are allowed into the press and what juice is allowed to ferment.

We typically have a few bottles of his wines in the shop.  Almost nobody that is perusing the dessert wine section has even a (nouvelle) vague clue as to these wines.  Since some wine writers tend to gush over these wines (Kracher has been named "Winemaker of the Year" more times than Barry Bonds has been named "Most Valuable Player"), someone periodically brings one of these to the counter in an effort to add to their credit card debt.  

Kracher is also collaborating on a sweet wine project with Jorge Ordoez, importer of some delicious Spanish wines.  These are being made in Malaga...stay tuned!

The bottles are all "half bottles."

Currently in stock:  2002 Beerenauslese Cuvée $26.99
(this is his "entry level" sweet wine and it's damned good!)
2001 Eiswein $35.99
1998 Zwischen den Seen #5 (Muskat Ottonel) TBA Sale $59.99
2000 Nouvelle Vague #1 (Traminer) TBA List $70 Sale $54.99
1999 Nouvelle Vague #2 (Traminer) TBA $49.99
2000 Zwischen den Seen #10 (Welschriesling) TBA List $96 SALE 79.99
MR. K (California Collaboration)

WEINGUT MARTIN NIGL

The Nigl family used to deliver their grapes to the local cooperative.  They started making their owns wines only as recently as 1986.  Located in the Kremstal, the family cultivates a fair bit of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, along with  a tiny bit of Zweigelt and Neuberger, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and something called Chardonnay.  

The estate comprises some 25 hectares and Nigl's wines are considered amongst the top in Austria.  We've tasted a number of vintages and always find the wines to embody "finesse."  Sometimes the wines are, perhaps, too fine for my tastes or I am viewing them alongside wines which offer more/bigger/flashier elements and these tend to blind me to the elegance of Nigl's offerings.

If you're on the same wavelength as Nigl's wines, you're in for a treat, though.

Nigl is one of those winemakers who seems to consider his work more as a "custodian" than as an artist.  He understands crop management and viticulture as his primary work, with winemaking more as guiding the fruit through vinification and into the bottle.  Nigl prefers to use the wild yeasts for fermenting the juice.  No enhancing the juice with sugar...he farms the grapes properly.    Gravity is used to clarify the wines, as Nigl doesn't "fine" them.  

We have his 2006 Kremser Freiheit Grüner Veltliner in stock.  This is a marvelous wine which seems to have an underlying power, without being really flashy or too strong.  You'll find notes of  Grüner spice and the wine is dry.  I found it to be one of the more enchanting Austrian wines in my most recent survey.

 

Currently in stock:  2006 Kremser Freiheit Grüner Veltliner  $16.99

NEUMEISTER

The Steiermark is home to the Neumeister family and their excellent compound in the town of Straden.

Here you'll find a lovely wine cellar, but also a terrific, small hotel and a noteworthy dining establishment which showcases the Neumeister wines.

We've been fans of Neumeister's Sauvignon Blanc wines.  This region excels with the Sauvignon grape.

 

 

 

 

 

They have 26 hectares of their own, renting another 15.  Grandpa Neumeister got started in 1961 in bottling wine.  Dad's first vintage was 1979.  Now young Christophe runs the cellar and is doing a really fine job.

 

 

We tasted numerous delicious whites.  The Pinot Blanc wines, labeled as Weissburgunder, were especially good.  The 2003 "Klausen" shows wonderful woodsy, brown spice notes.   I also found an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc designated "Klausen." This offers herbal tones and a bit of citrus, along with a hint of pepper spice.  A 2003 Pinot Gris, called Grauburgunder "Saziani" was exceptional.  It has nice woodsy spices, too.  A Roter Traminer from the 2004 vintage was very fine.  They also do a nice job with sweet wines.  

We have their famous Moarfeitl Sauvignon in stock.  This is an intense, deep Sauvignon with nice citrus and herb tones.  

The 2003 Klassik Sauvignon is a fresh, crisp, mildly citrusy, dry white.  Very fine.  

 

Currently in stock:  2001 Sauvignon Blanc "Moarfeitl"  Sold Out
2003 Sauvignon Blanc "Klassik"  Sold Out

Our Buschenschank dinner with Rachel & Christoph at Neubauer.

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Last modified: August 15, 2008