April 9, 2013 · 11:47 am

Weingut Huber – 28/02/2012

Auxerrois 2010
Very light and crisp

Grauburgunder 2010
Slight pink-grey tinge to it and went much better with the food thanks to its texture and ripeness.

Alte Reben Spatburgunder 2002
Showing some dusty earthy cherry notes, some brightness and silkiness on the palate, and whilst light (possibly from age) was very long and deep.

Reserve Spatburgunder 2001
Mushroomy barnyard notes on the nose, was still very tight and fresh on the palate but was showing some developed game and pork rind complexity.

The Alte Reben Spatburgunder 2009
Very perfumed currants with herb and spice notes on the nose, and on the palate has very silky tannins with fresh acidity to keep things lively.

Bienenberg Grosses Gewachs Spatburgunder 2009
Aromas are more shy, but is much more expressive (and youthful) in the tannins, with a grainy dustiness to them.

Schlossberg Grosses Gewachs Spatburgunder 2009
Very spicy brambly nose which makes me think they used some stalks in the ferment, and whilst very sharp and tight in the tannins now, is very complex with some subtle caramel notes that will develop over time.

Wildenstein Spatburgunder >R< 2009
Made from fruit from a specific parcel within Bienenberg and is thus technically not a Grosses Gewachs wine. It is concentrated and dense yet very subtle and soft. It expresses dark berry fruits with toasty nutmeg and cinnamon, very fine and slightly salty tannins with serious minerality.

Muller Thurgau 2010
Surprised me, as it was not in the least bit thin or watery, but was ripe and full-flavoured with balance and a great tropical freshness.

Bienenberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2010
A great varietal example but really doesn’t compete with the wines of the north.

Bienenberg Grauburgunder Grosses Gewachs 2010
A wonderfully complex nose of toasty nutty pear puree, and although forward on the palate was not too crisp but was a little heavy and aggressive in the texture.

Bienenberg Grosses Gewachs Weissburgunder 2010
A little on the oaky side, expressing some creamy vanilla notes which were a little fat and clunky from too much malolactic fermentation.

Schlossberg Chardonnay 2009
Wonderfully toasty and flinty, with a very concentrated but subtle caramel and vanilla with citrus and stone fruit palate. This is by far the best (of the few) chardonnays I have tasted in Germany.

The Huber spatburgunder wines

The Huber spatburgunder wines

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April 9, 2013 · 11:30 am

Weingut Bercher – 28/02/2012

Weissburgunders Spatlese Trocken 2010
Slightly more texture and a green vegetal component.

Schlossgarten Grauburgunder Kabinett Trocken 2011
Very delicate and yet sharp and bright, and is more in the Italian pinot grigio style.

Feuerberg Grauburgunder Spatlese Trocken 2010
Bolder and fuller on the palate, with a little more texture but still fairly grigio in style.

Chardonnay 2010
Classically varietal in style; great peach and nectarine fruit, good acid and texture balance, light and fresh yet not simple.

Spatburgunder 2009
Typical light style of pinot noir, with fresh red fruits and acidity, god flavour but little longevity.

Barrique Spatburgunder 2008
Less is most definitely more in Baden, as for the second time the fruit was totally obscured by oak and appeared dull and lifeless.

Feuerberg Spatburgunder Grosses Gewachs 2009
Much denser and more concentrated, with fuller flavour and texture and much better balance, and a mellow silkiness to finish.

Next to some large casks in the cellars of Weingut Bercher

Next to some large casks in the cellars of Weingut Bercher

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April 9, 2013 · 11:17 am

Brundlmayer – 8/03/2012

Most of the wines we tried were from the 2011 vintage and were thus very young and shy.

There was great vibrancy and freshness, and often a natural spritz to the gruner veltliner and riesling wines.

The older vine wines tended to also have a natural fruit sweetness to them whilst remaining dry, and in some cases a nutty texture and complexity.

The major difference I found was with the age of the vines, as the Alte Reben 2011 Riesling was fuller, denser and had a very complex savoury white meat character.

The red wines were generally good but nothing too exciting apart from the Ladner St. Laurent 2008 which was both dense and spicy as well as being supple and mellow.

Some of the Brundlmayer wines

Some of the Brundlmayer wines

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April 9, 2013 · 11:12 am

Stadt Krems – 8/03/2012

Stadt Krems Kremstal Gruner Veltliner 2011
Ripe perfumed floral notes with a broad and opulent palate of fresh peach and generous acids.

Stadt Krems Wachtberg Erste Lage Gruner Veltliner 2010
Concentrated floral elderberry minerality, delicate and soft yet full-flavoured fruits, and focused yet exhilaratingly subtle acidity on the palate.

Stift Gottweig Gottsweiger Berg Gruner Veltliner 2011
Very bright but dense and rich, broad and soft on the palate with good drive and ripeness.

Stift Gottweig Silverbichl Reserve Erste Lage Riesling 2010
Quite bold in its aromatics and texture, and had nicely balanced fruit and savoury elements.

Stadt Krems wines

Stadt Krems wines

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April 9, 2013 · 11:07 am

Domäne Wachau – 8/03/2012

Loibenberg Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2011
Very delicate tropical notes and mid-palate depth

Kollmitz Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2011
Riper and more floral candied nose with softer and fuller fruit on the palate coupled with a nutty complexity.

Pichlpoint Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2011
Unique earthy ripe orchard fruit character, with some warmth and texture on the palate.

Achleiten Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2011
Sweet floral berry character with better balance and integration, but was really showing too much youth.

Kellerberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2000
Much richer deeper golden colour, was slightly oxidative and oily on the nose, a smoky and salty complexity on the palate and hints of ginger and spice.

Amphorae at Domaene Wachau

Amphorae at Domaene Wachau

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April 8, 2013 · 4:20 pm

Beeched as (Beechworth, Victoria – 5/04/2013)

Something that surprised me on my trip was when I met people who had been to Australia had not been to my hometown of Melbourne. Of course I am biased but I couldn’t understand why, considering it is consistently voted as the most livable city in the world, has a rich and diverse culture and history, is the home of sport, nightlife  parks, and most importantly cuisine. When I thought about it I realised that Melbourne doesn’t have astounding attractions like Sydney, beaches like Perth or the Gold Coast, opals like Cairns or Uluru. It is hard to know what to do in Melbourne if you aren’t familiar with it and you are unlikely to find those hidden gems that are the hallmark of Melbourne. It is also quite spread-out and not easy to get around without a car. The best thing to do is to know someone there. The real problem though is that the climate is very different this far south and the weather can be a bit disappointing and certainly not what you expect of Australia.

Beechworth post office

Beechworth post office

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April 8, 2013 · 3:52 pm

It’s good to be the King (King Valley, Victoria – 4/04/2013)

I think it’s time for an embarrassing confession. In spite of the fact that I have now travelled all around the world visiting almost 100 different regions I have actually been to very few regions in Australia, of which there are almost 50. What is possibly worse is that there are about a dozen regions within a few hours of Melbourne alone, only three of which I had visited outside of work. I have had the chance to visit the major wine regions in South Australia, thanks in some part to working in the trade previously and being invited, and also visiting some regions around Adelaide with my father before I left. There is now only one state in Australia that doesn’t produce wine, and that is the Northern Territory, so there are still four states I still haven’t visited wineries in. Returning home I was determined to remedy this and the first new region to visit (finally) was the King Valley.

Gorgeous view into the King Valley on a lovely day

Gorgeous view into the King Valley on a lovely day

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April 7, 2013 · 10:56 pm

Weingut Knoll – 9/03/2012

Ried Schutt Gruner Veltliner 2010
A very bright and juicy floral nose with high minerality but also delicacy. The palate is very textural and concentrated, showing a flinty element with great line and length.

Loibenberg Gruner Veltliner 2010
Much earthier and more brooding, with intense berry notes on the nose. There is more volume and depth of ripeness on the palate, with a more savoury texture but no less vibrant.

Loibenberg Riesling 2010
Very delicate nose of citrus blossom and a slightly sweet sap and toast complexity. It is opulent and rich on the palate, quite broad and yet bright and delicate at the same time.

Schutt Riesling 2010
A much zestier citrus spritz to it, coupled with that same reductive freshly boiled pasta nose I had seen previously. There is volume and texture in this wine, but it is all about the concentrated fresh tropical citrus fruits and bracing acidity. Wines of purity, elegance and depth, and well worth the investment in cellaring.

The remaining Weingut Knoll 2010 wines

The remaining Weingut Knoll 2010 wines

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April 7, 2013 · 10:51 pm

Sepp Moser – 9/03/2012

A mixture of 2011 and 2010 vintage wines were included in the white wine tasting, and again the 2010 wines stood out for their concentration of acidity and fruit, and yet their balance purity and elegance.

Comparing the Gebling Erste Lage Gruner Veltliner between the vintages showed that whilst the 2010 had a slightly smoky spicy nose with a slightly grassy tropical palate, the 2011 was more soft and broad with stone fruit approachability.

Gebling Reserve Riesling 2010
Very vibrant in the floral and tropical citrus aromatics, had wonderful length and minerality, and superb ageing potential.

Over lunch we tasted a few of the red wines which come from the Burgenland vineyards, and typical for Austria they were soft yet full with black fruits and delicate spice notes.

Sepp Moser cellars

Sepp Moser cellars

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April 7, 2013 · 10:41 pm

Weingut Nigl – 12/03/2012

The 2011 gruner veltliner wines all exhibit very green spicy fruit aromatics and great purity and freshness on the palate.

Alte Reben Gruner Veltliner 2010
Much more ripe tropical stone fruit nose, with more volume and fruit sweetness on the palate

Privat Sentfenberger Pelligren Erste Lage 2010
A bold nutty oily fruit concentration, and was actually closer to a riesling in style.

Dornleiten Riesling 2011
Very delicate with a nice floral and lime sherbert nose, but looking a little green at the moment.

Senftenberger Piri Riesling 2011
Had a lot in common with the GV from the same site, showing earthy minerality with a sharp berry and quince fruit character.

Privat Riesling 2010
A very heady and creamy honey aroma, wonderfully rich and ripe but still very fresh and mineralic.

Pinot Noir 2009
Very earthy, meaty and mushroomy, with depth and complexity, but it was very difficult to see any fruit and was a little clunky.

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