Extended
tasting note 14
Muhr–van
der Niepoort Spitzerberg 2004 Carnuntum, Austria
This is a really interesting wine that was consumed in
two sittings. It’s a Blaufrankisch from the relatively untrendy
Austrian region of Carnuntum, but what sets it apart is that it’s
made by husband and wife team Dorli Muhr (who heads Austrian PR firm
Wine & Partners) and Dirk Niepoort (the famed wine grower from
Portugal’s Douro). For
the first sitting, I had
this wine with Dirk and Dorli at Comptoir Gascon the night before the
New Douro 2004 tasting in May 2006. I took the remaining half-bottle
or so home with me that night and tried it again the next day in more
controlled conditions.
Dirk explains that this was made ‘with a strong focus
on not giving a shit about the colour’. He adds that ‘80% of
winemaking decisions are usually based on colour’. Half of the wine
was made in a similar way to the way he makes his Douro wine Charme,
which is by fermenting whole bunches with the stems, and then pressing
off at just the right time to get the extraction right. Timing is
everything. The other half is made with an extended maceration on the
skins of three months.
The two lots have combined well to create a smooth,
focused red that’s quite elegant, showing dark fruits and a
chocolatey richness. The palate is smooth with elegant tannins and a
nice freshness to the fruit. Stylistically it's hard not to draw some
sort of comparison with Pinot Noir and Burgundy.
The next day I revisit the wine. It has picked up some
structure. It has a smooth, dark cherry and spice nose with a fine
dusty spiciness in the background—could this be from the stems? The
palate is smooth with lovely purity of fruit and some fine, spicy
tannins. There’s lovely serious structure here but it is never
awkward: a really fine effort that has the potential to develop really
well. Very good/excellent 93/100
Austrian retail price is around €30, which is very
fair for the quality.
Other
ETNs:
Grünhaus;
Roc des Anges; Gaillard;
Veratina; Arturo;
Wynns; Drystone;
Foundry and Columella; Meruge;
Foillard Morgon; Clonakilla;
Latour 1934; Thevenet
Bongran
see
also: Austrian wines
tasted
05/06
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