Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 122

YEAR'S BEST AUSTRIAN WINES
90 | Schloss Gobelsburg

$17

2017 Niederösterreich Zweigelt (Best Buy) ^
Dr. Zweigelt was from Langenlois, where
Schloss Gobelsburg is based; his eponymous
grape is now Austria's most planted red-wine
variety. Gobelsburg turns out one of the most
elegant versions, culling the fruit from vines
on well-drained crushed-gravel soils: The
2017 has the intensity of tiny blueberries,
right down to the herbal edge of their skins.
For venison roasted with cherries. § Terry
Theise Selections/Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
276771

87 | Anita & Hans Nittnaus $18

2017 Burgenland Blauer Zweigelt (Best
Buy) ^ This is light and leafy, almost pinotlike in its red cherry flavor and dill accents. §
Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman
& Sons, NY
276606

86 | Ecker

$15/L

2017 Weinland Zweigelt (Best Buy) ^ With
its tangy cranberry flavors and light spice,
this is a refreshing summertime red. § Terry
Theise Selections/Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

DES S E RT
273296

96 | Kracher

$40/375ml

2017 Burgenland Cuvée Beerenauslese ^
In the short 2017 vintage, Gerard Kracher
declassified some "Collection" range fruit to
include in this BA. The botrytis was especially
good, he says, and he moved quickly to pick
the grapes while the acidity was still high. The
result is honey-smooth and concentrated, a
blend of chardonnay's green-apple flavors

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Wine&Spirits
122

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

and welschriesling's bright herbal notes preserved with clarity and precision. The sweetness acts like amber, capturing a moment of
perfect ripeness in perpetuity. (W&S 10/19) §
Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
273295

95 | Kracher

$110/375ml

2015 Burgenland Grande Cuvée Nouvelle
Vague Nummer 6 Trockenbeerenauslese ^
Ripeness came easily in 2015, a hot year,
and the botrytis was abundant and clean.
Kracher made a dozen sweet wines that
vintage, including his flagship, Nummer 6.
It's a blend of chardonnay and welschriesling, two varieties that have been growing in
the region since the 12th century. And it's
insanely sweet, with 238.8 grams per liter
of residual sugar. But once the sugar-shock
wears off, a calm warmth floods the palate, a
plush, humid texture carrying notes of pineapple, orange and sweet pumpkin preserves.
It feels like sunshine in liquid form, a radiant
wine to serve alone or with an apricot tart.
(W&S 10/19) § Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
275999

95 | Sattlerhof

$65

2017 Südsteiermark Sauvignon Blanc
Trockenbeerenauslese ^ The Sattlers-
Andreas and Alexander, with their father,
Will-grow sauvignon blanc under organics
on the steep, calcareous slopes around Gamlitz. In 2017, they let some of it hang late into
the season, until it shriveled with botrytis;
the resulting wine, fermented and aged in
stainless steel, is a deep golden hue, with a
rich, satiny texture. For all that concentration, the wine is exceptionally pure and lively,
the candied-lemon flavors revved up by zesty
acidity and scents of springtime herbs. It's
so fresh that it's invigorating; one taster suggested serving it chilled, in place of a greenapple sorbet, as a palate refresher. § Craft +
Estate/Winebow Imports, NY
273293

94 | Kracher

$45/375ml

2016 Burgenland Zweigelt Beerenauslese ^ Frosts wiped out 85 percent of Kracher's zweigelt in 2016. But the fruit that survived was particularly concentrated. Left on
the skins for nearly a week, the wine took on
some spicy tannins and a ruddy purple hue, a
complement to the wine's flavors. This offers
a sweet-savory balance that brings to mind
strawberries and baked winter squash, caramelized onions and pumpkin pie. Try it with
Peking duck, or at Thanksgiving dinner, with
dark-meat turkey and all the fixings. (W&S
10/19) § Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
273292

94 | Kracher

$100/375ml

2015 Burgenland Zwischen Den Seen
Nummer 2 Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese ^ Nearly half of Kracher's vineyards
are planted to welschriesling, a small-berried
massal selection from vines his grandfather
planted in 1959. This TBA, vinified entirely
in stainless-steel tanks, clocks in at 251 grams
of residual sugar per liter and yet manages
to feel bright and fresh, shining in its golden
marmalade flavors. A pleasant bitterness
comes through in notes of dried flowers, saffron and gingery spice while a hint of smoky
botrytis rounds the wine. Those savory notes
balance this for a not-too-sweet dessert, like
apple pie served with blue cheese. (W&S
10/19) § Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
276160

94 | Zantho

$35

2016 Burgenland Eiswein ^ This label is a
collaboration between Joseph Umathum
and Wolfgang Peck, of the Andau winegrowers' cooperative. In 2016, they hit it out
of the park with their eiswein: Made from
grüner veltliner picked once the temperature
plunged to 19˚F and the grapes froze on the
vine, it's star-bright in color and heady in its
pineapple fragrance. A sense of purity carries through the rich, gingery flavors, giving
them a piercing intensity. The wine is long
and satin-textured, a dessert all on its own. §
Winemonger Imports, San Anselmo, CA
273294

93 | Kracher

$28/375ml

2017 Burgenland Auslese Cuvée (Best
Buy) ^ This straddles the space between dry
wine and sweet, with honeyed flavors of
pineapple and quince countered by savory
herbs, like gentian. A blend of chardonnay
and welschriesling vinified in stainless-steel
tanks, it's clean and precise, lean enough to
chill as an aperitif, and rich enough to serve
after dinner with fresh fruit or goat cheeses.
(W&S 10/19) § Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
275997

92 | Sattlerhof

$55

2013 Südsteiermark Gamlitz Morillon
Trockenbeerenauslese ^ This is an intensely
sweet take on morillon. Vinified entirely in
stainless steel, it tastes of pure fruit robed in
clear caramel, like the apples in a tarte tatin.
The spice of the grape skins adds a relieving
touch of savor to the sweetness, and the acidity brings the wine to a clean finish. At 211
grams per liter of residual sugar, it's intense
stuff but not cloying, ready for a cheese plate. §
Craft + Estate/Winebow Imports, NY ■

https://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/wine/tasting-notes

Wine & Spirits - April 2020

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