Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 120

YEAR'S BEST AUSTRIAN WINES
WHITE BLENDS
276586

92 | Maria & Sepp Muster

$66

2017 Steirerland Erde ^ The clay bottle is the
first sign that this isn't your usual sauvignon
blanc-chardonnay blend. The Musters, who
have farmed their steep, rocky vineyards biodynamically since 2000, ferment the grapes
with the skins and a portion of the stems
for months, and let it rest in large oak casks
for nearly two years. Bottled with very little
sulfur, the wine emerges golden and smelling of spice cake, before air works its way in.
Then the golden apple flavors swell to fill
the tannic structure, unpacking complexity in savory notes of parsnips, turmeric and
chicken stock. It's clean and elegant, with
gum-tingling tannins that would appreciate
a braised chicken leg. § Jenny & François Selections, NY
276584

92 | Christian Tschida

$42

2018 Burgenland Himmel Auf Erden ^ A
whiff of cider puts the system on alert that
this is a low-intervention, low-sulfur white,
but the next sip puts to rest any worries that
it's of the super-cidery sort. A blend of weissburgunder and scheurebe, it's floral at first,
then grows deep and savory as the pear-blossom notes are joined by a chestnut richness.
Lemony acidity gives it an elegant line, which
it holds through a second day open. § Jenny &
François Selections, NY
276042

90 | Heinrich

$60

2017 Austria Graue Freyheit ^ This is more
rosé than white: The wine spent two weeks on
its skins, drawing out a wealth of color and
flavor. A blend of equal parts pinot grigio and
chardonnay with 20 percent pinot blanc, all
farmed biodynamically and fermented with
ambient yeasts in amphorae, this is spicy and
meaty, with fleshy flavors of strawberry and
red mango lined in fine grape-skin tannins.
Clean and firm, it's a cool-weather rosé, or a
white wine for red-meat dishes, like a pork
ragù. § Craft + Estate/Winebow Imports, NY
276144

90 | LichtenbergerGonzalez

$23

88 | Dürnberg

$17

2017 Burgenland Muschelkalk Weiss ^
Grüner veltliner, welschriesling and pinot
blanc join in this wine. The flavors are a study
of white on white-blanched almond, lemon
pith, apple flesh and salt-a gentle blanket
of flavor with a cashmere softness and loft. §
Winemonger Imports, San Anselmo, CA
276273
2018 Weinviertel Falko (Best Buy) ^ Half gelbermuskateller, the rest welschriesling and
120

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

sauvignon blanc, this is spicy and floral, with
sweet, grapey fruit flavors. Give it a chill to
pour as an aperitif. § Massanois Imports, NY

Z I E R FA N D L E R
276288

95 | Gebeshuber

$38

2013 Thermenregion Lage Modler Zierfandler ^ Johannes Gebeshuber has specialized in Thermenregion's little-known varieties since the late 1990s, when he began
vinifying some fruit from his family's vines
in his in-laws' cellar. Today, he's assembled 62
acres of vines, certified biodynamic by Demeter since 2017. Eighteen of those acres are
planted to zierfandler, a red-blushed variety
unique to the region. This one comes from
a single site of what he describes as brown
earth over fossil-rich limestone, the oldest
vines reaching 70 years of age. Facing southsoutheast, the slope gets ample sun, which
this wine has translated into opulent notes
of honeyed fruit and nougat. Age has turned
the variety's tropical fruit toward orange,
spice and nuts; one panelist remarked that
it recalls an old Rioja, only richer in texture,
with a beguiling limey spice. The wine lasts,
satin-textured and generous, ready to pour
with meaty fish or cream-sauced vegetables. §
Vignaioli Selection, NY
276297

94 | Gebeshuber

$25

2016 Thermenregion Vom Muschelkalk
Zierfandler ^ This is culled from biodynamically farmed vineyards on limestone soils, the
vines averaging 60 years old, the juice aged
for eight months in third- and fourth-use
casks. The wine brings together a fascinating array of flavors, from pineapple to green
tea and lavender. The texture holds it all
together, round and mouthfilling, combining density with loft. Show off that delicate
balance with sashimi. § Vignaioli Selection, NY
276781

90 | Stadlmann

$18

2018 Thermenregion Anning Zierfandler
(Best Buy) ^ Johann Stadlmann cultivates
some of the last remaining plots of zierfandler in Thermenregion, culling the fruit
for this wine from his younger vines on the
Anning hill. The 2018 is a particularly pretty
example, with honeysuckle scents and fresh,
crisp lemon acidity. The middle of the wine
has substance to it that one panelist compared to humidity, another to soft water; it's
an umami note that creates a sense of fullness without weight. § Monika Caha Selections/
Frederick Wildman & Sons, NY

ROSÉ
276583

92 | Christian Tschida

$42

90 | Esterházy Estates

$20

90 | Umanthum

$22

2018 Burgenland Himmel Auf Erden
Rosé ^ Since Christian Tschida makes wine
in a national park, he's acutely aware of his
responsibility to protect the land. To that
end, he uses no chemical inputs, and farms
as if the vines were part of the park, creating a wild diversity of grape varieties and
cover crops. He harvests cabernet franc to
make this foot-stomped, spontaneously fermented, barrel-aged rosé, and bottles it without any sulfur additions. A cloudy orangepink, the wine is as fresh and succulent as
it is complex, with notes of herbs and earth
circling the dusty red-fruit flavors. It has the
cool, humid feel of fresh-dug clay, with the
density and weight to pair with meaty dishes. §
Jenny & François Selections, NY
276697
2018 Burgenland Pinot Noir Rosé ^ Here's
a charming, pale-pink rosé with rose scents
over lacy flavors of lime and crisp red cherry.
It's firm and fresh, an inviting aperitif. § WeinBauer, Franklin Park, IL
276460
2018 Burgenland Rosa ^ There's nothing shy
about this rosé. A blend of blaufränkisch,
sankt laurent and zweigelt, it's bright red in
color and smoky and spicy in scent, those elements leading to a mouthful of meaty cherry
and raspberry flavor. The fruit-skin tannins
give the wine staying power, as well as the
strength to face off with a plate of sausages. §
Winemonger Imports, San Anselmo, CA

RED
BLAUER WILDBACHER
276588

91 | Franz Strohmeier

$63

2017 Steierland Trauben, Liebe und Zeit
Indigo No. 2 ^ Trauben, Liebe und Zeit is
Franz Strohmeier's line of skin-contact wines;
Indigo is made from blauer wildbacher, a
variety unique to Western Styria. The grapes
spend three weeks on their skins, their juice
drawing out wild aromatics-rose hips and
pomegranate, sandalwood and cinnamon
sticks-without taking away from the wine's
brisk, lean profile; the skin tannins, meanwhile, add a firmness and focus that blauer
wildbacher's plummy fruit sometimes lacks.
Mouthwatering and direct, this would make
a terrific companion to roast duck or goose. §
Jenny & François Selections, NY
Wine & Spirits - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2020
