Blaufrankisch: Opinions?

originally posted by Tom Glasgow:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by maureen: I wanted to buy it to take to a friend's home because (1) it was a nice, bright, unoaked wine that (2) comes in burg shaped bottle - she starts groaning when she sees me pull out my german/alsace bottles - with this gruner I can drink a white I like and she'll think I've brought meursault.
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Tricky tricky. I guess it's going too far to buy a bottle of Meursault and decant all your German/Alsatian wine into it before going to her house?
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That would be unethical
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yes, one must draw the line somewhere!
 
Yeah, I heard that the Reihburg comes from very old vines, so I was expecting a lot of heft. I assumed the creaminess, or as I called it "smoothness," was from the oak. It definitely seemed more polished than the other wines, which is not necessarily a good thing (but of course, not necessarily bad either).

The gruner was a lot of fun too. Fresh, lithe, and peppery. Just tell your friend it tastes different from Meursault because of climate change. I blame climate change for everything.
 
At Blaue Ganz today I had the only Blaufrankisch available by the glass, a 2006 Blaufrankisch Heinrich Burgenland. Expectations were low (it was the cheapest on the list). Aromas were sour cherry and sundried tomato, with a charred note. Good acidity, no tannins to speak of, and a dark, roast coffee flavor that I didn't care much for. The strangest part was the sweetness, that felt separate, like acidity does when it's added. Probably chaptalized. This was my first, so no idea how it stacks up against the breed standard.
 
Which Heinrich was it? Red and black label or white and black label? There are two Heinrichs in Burgenland whose wines are imported into the USA. Gernot Heinrich and J.Heinrich.

I'm quite a fan of Gernot Heinrich's work, but there was a period earlier this decade when there seemed to be a bit of experimentation going on with the barrel regimen. Most are now pretty neutral and the high quality fruit from his biodynamic vineyards comes through loud and clear (his recent Pannobile releases still strike me as a little opulent to my palate, but maybe the oak will integrate with time).

From J. Heinrich I have only tasted the Goldberg Blaufrnkisch and it was impressive in its intentions, still showing a lot of fruit and heft. I'd like to try more of this producer's wines - the vines are relatively old (50+, IIRC). 1999 and 2006 Prielers tasted last year from Goldberg were tightly wound and reminded me a little of Roussillon reds. Ample fruit and acidity to ensure graceful aging.

Count me as someone who prefers Blaufrnkisch with a little age. A 1990 Umathum from magnum tasted last year was stunning, and I'm continually blown away by how much I like the Moric wines at all levels (particularly the Neckenmarkt Alte Reben).

It will be interesting to see which producers' Blaufrnkisch are available in the US over the next year or two. The Euro hasn't been kind to the higher-priced Blaus, and there's little reason to drink cheap Blaufrnkisch when you can buy good Zweigelt for the same money. There's also been a lot of changes in the Austrian importer scene, with many producers playing musical chairs last year, resulting in some new players entering the marketplace, working with some established labels.

-Eden (looking forward to attending VieVinum 2010 in Vienna next May)
 
Any second day notes, Cory?

Just wondering.

The bottles I sampled had been open a day. Perhaps the sulfur would have been more noticeable if the bottles had been freshly opened.
 
originally posted by Cory Cartwright:
I drank my 2007 Moric last night. There was way too much sulfur in the wine to be enjoyable and it reminded me of cheap VDP.
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interesting. are you drinking '07? i've been through 1/2 a case of the moric burgenland and haven't noticed any sulphur. nor on the '06 alte reben neckenmarkt.

i like the wines quite alot but don't understand the pricing.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:


i like the wines quite alot but don't understand the pricing.
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I agree. I saw the Crush special on these wines, and the pricing on the alte reben cuvees seemed a little rough.
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:

I agree. I saw the Crush special on these wines, and the pricing on the alte reben cuvees seemed a little rough.
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They used to be only moderately mulctifying (gyptacious? extortial?) but once Roland got a bazillion points from one (or all) of the points guys he decided he might as well make Hey! while the sun shined. Can't blame him...if he was in Burgundy or Bolinas and got big numbahs he'd have probably raised them more.

And Cory, if I'm not mistaken, drinking 07 Moric is a capital offense in Vienna, punishable by forced induction of Australian temperanillo.

WTF, I still like the Moric wines (alte reben and others) just fine, but I don't buy them much anymore, what with being downsized and being out of work and all.

-Eden (besides, I can just go down to Lou's place and hang around until all hours of the night drinking his Moric alte reben for cheap from the bag-in-box under the counter)(at least he told me it was Moric alte reben, but maybe he meant alter kacher instead?)
 
Thanks for the condolences Levi, but "downsized" is to "unemployed" as the use of oak in Burgenland Blaufrnkisches in 2006 was compared to its levels in 2004. Not a disaster by any means, just part of the learning process and opening up new opportunities.

-Eden (always open to education)
 
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