It's not easy being green... an Austrian Red

D

drssouth

Stephen South
I am usually a fan of Austrian reds..especially blaufrnkisch..

2006 Paul Achs Edelgrund Blaufrnkisch, Burgenland, alc 12.5%, $35
Stewed tomatoes and leaves on the nose... dry sour fruit on the palate that is quickly covered up by bell pepper, green beans and even pea flavors...followed by a green stem note..One of the most green wines I have ever encounted... I can take a little of these flavors but this is not pleasant... it would appear that either this was picked "too early" or perhaps I have lost my taste for this grape.
Caveat (not consumed with food)
 
originally posted by drssouth:
it would appear that either this was picked "too early" or perhaps I have lost my taste for this grape.
Caveat (not consumed with food)
Click to expand...

Or perhaps it was just an off bottle. My general recollection of the Achs 06s is that they've got bright fruit, plenty of acidity, and that he dialed the new oak regimen way back and that the wines are across the board the best he's made. I marginally prefer his Ungerberg Blafrankisch to the Edelgrund, but you might also want to see your mortgage broker and investigate the possibility of getting some of the Achs Pinot Noir and maybe even some of his Pannobile. They're both worth the effort to track down.

Speaking of wines that didn't taste as they should, last night I opened a 2004 Luneau Papin that seemed a little lacking in the aromatic presence I've come to expect in this wine. There were no overt signs of problems until I tasted it and thats' when I noticed TCA on the palate. Opting to head in another direction I opened my last bottle of 1999 Vajra Ky. It had the requisite funk on the nose (but good funk, like mid-era Sylvester Stewart) but after a few minutes it became apparent that this too had TCA issues on the palate and had chosen to emulate Sly Stone toward the end of his career (I don't count his many subsequent comeback efforts as being part of his main body of work because they aren't very good - I'm talking here about the druggie days of taking years to do an album, not showing up for gigs, etc).

What's disconcerting is that I've always been more sensitive to the aroma (odor? stench?) of TCA than I am to it on the palate. Was it just these two bottles that were wacky in this regard or is it my ability to perceive wine flaws changing? What is the meaning of all of this?

-Eden (I wound up opening a bottle of Bonny Doon Albario that was quite good- and stelvinized)
 
originally posted by Eden Mylunsch:

What's disconcerting is that I've always been more sensitive to the aroma (odor? stench?) of TCA than I am to it on the palate. Was it just these two bottles that were wacky in this regard or is it my ability to perceive wine flaws changing? What is the meaning of all of this?
Click to expand...

Low TCA contamination can manifest itself as a lack of fruit rather than the tell-tale mustiness. That could account for your inability to detect it on the nose. However, it's also true that TCA contamination gets more pronounced the longer the wine's been open (TCA is so non-volatile that it accumulates as all the more volatile elements evaporate), so with time it could become apparent to you on the palate.

Just my devalued 2,
Mark Lipton
 
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