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Austrian
wines part 7
Fred
Loimer, Langenlois, Kamptal
From an early age, Fred
Loimer knew wine was going to be his business. Lucky him. An education
at the oenological school in Klosterneuberg was followed by stints in
Germany’s Nahe region and training at the Schug winery in
California’s Carneros. He came back to the Langenlois to work in his
family vineyard, and soon quality was on the up and he was building a
name for himself.
Fred is now in control of
some 30 hectares of vineyards in many of the best sites of the
Langenlois (which is a part of the larger Kamptal region). In the
vineyard he opts for a high planting density (6000 vines per hectare)
which enables him to keep the yield per vine low yet still stay in
business. The vines are trained low and the canopies allowed to grow
high.
The Kamptal is 70 km north
of Vienna near the Danube. It’s neighbouring the Wachau and Kremstal,
but the difference is that the Kamptal has the influence of rivers,
and therefore enjoys very hot days and cool nights. The wines are
typically more fruit driven than those of the Wachau, and have a bit
more acidity.
I asked Fred about his
philosophy: is he a traditionalist or a modernist? ‘I try to work
traditionally’, he says, ‘but I don’t really
know what this means.’ In practice, he doesn’t do too much in the
cellar – for example, he’s not too worried about working with
clear musts – and he relies on spontaneous fermentation rather than
adding yeast. ‘Things start slower’, he explains, ‘with lots
going on at the beginning of fermentation.’ For some wines he uses
new oak, and he tends not to move the wines too much, allowing them to
rest on their lees for several months. ‘I don’t have a standard
winemaking recipe’, says Loimer: ‘I decide from year to year, and
from grape to grape.’
I tried his wines at dinner
in the restaurant of the Palais Coburg, along with those of Peter
Malberg (Graff Hardegg). It’s a fantastic setting and the food was
very good, complementing the wines well.
First three 2003 Rieslings
from three very different sites: terroir in action.
Loimer Loiserberg
Riesling 2003
Precise and tight with a fresh minerally nose. The palate is
crisp, minerally and acidic. Fresh with a limey edge. Very good+
89/100
Loimer Seeberg Riesling
2003
Crisp, fresh nose is almost floral with a spicy edge. Very spicy,
minerally palate with lovely weight. Full and quite exciting, with
good acidity. A fantastic, focused Riesling. This one has been
fermented in oak casks. Very good/excellent 93/100
Loimer Steinmassl
Riesling 2003
Quite a full, rich nose with a good depth of limey fruit. The
palate is quite rich and full with lots of fruit, good balance and
nice weight. Almost a peppery edge to this. It’s richer than the
first two, yet still quite delicate. Fermented and aged in oak casks.
Very good/excellent 92/100
Next, two Grüner Veltliners
from different sites, both fermented and aged in oak casks.
Loimer Käferberg Grüner
Veltliner 2003
Quite a tight minerally nose – a bit shy. The palate is fresh,
bright and acidic with hints of pepper and mineralic spiciness. Some
delicacy to the pure fruit. Very good/excellent 90/100
Loimer Spiegel Grüner
Veltliner 2003
A bit of richness on the nose. Lovely peppery, spicy definition to
the deep fruit. Fantastic palate: it is quite rich and fat but with
good acid and spicy definition. Delicious. A bit of the oak here is
new. Very good/excellent 92/100
Then a mini vertical of
Steinmassl Riesling
 Loimer Steinmassl
Riesling 1998
Rich and full with bright lemon and melon fruit notes. Good weight
and texture with nice balance and some spicy complexity. A rich style
and a fantastic food wine. Very good/excellent 92/100
Loimer Steinmassl
Riesling 2000
Focused, lemony slightly spicy nose. Some savouriness. The palate
is quite dense and savoury with rich but bright lemony fruit. A lovely
open, expressive wine that’s drinking brilliantly now. Very
good/excellent 92/100
Loimer Steinmassl
Riesling 2002
Complex taut limey nose with some richness. The palate is savoury
yet still quite rich, with a minerally core. Good concentration. Very
good/excellent 90/100
And a vertical of Spiegel
Grüner Veltliner
Loimer Spiegel Grüner
Veltliner 1998
Fresh, bright and peppery. Concentrated but very expressive. Nice
balance here: good potential. Very good/excellent 91/100
Loimer Spiegel Grüner
Veltliner 1999
Fresh, spicy and full with an elegant, rounded texture. Some
richness on the palate. Very smooth and pure: quite powerful. Very
good/excellent 90/100
Loimer Spiegel Grüner
Veltliner 2001
Forward, slightly herby ripe nose, which is delicate and
expressive. The palate shows herby, peppery notes: it’s very
expressive and appealing. Very good/excellent 93/100
Some sweeties to finish
Loimer Grüner Veltliner
Beerenauslese 2003
Lovely forward varietally true nose with lovely ripe, peppery,
spicy fruit. The palate is sweet, smooth and viscous. Very
good/excellent 92/100
Loimer Chardonnay
Trockenbeerenauslese 1998
Very rich, ripe, spicy and intense. Good acidity and lovely
apricotty, melony fruit. Viscous, sweet and yet still in balance. Very
good/excellent 93/100
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