TN: Tschida Himmel auf Erden, Cogno Vigna Elena

I got together yesterday with Otto to try a couple of wines of some geeky interest. His more detailed and lengthy notes will surely follow.

Tschida has quickly become a popular name in the natural wine circles and as such the demand for the wines is on the rise. This was (obviously) the white wine of the range, a blend of Pinot Blanc and Scheurebe. My overall take is positive, although this is by no means my preferred style when it comes to Austrian whites. There was a slight fizz at first and as it disappeared the wine got better, before starting to somehow decline towards the end. Not sure what to think of that kind of development - best to drink quickly after opening but not too quick to allow the fizz to disappear?

The Cogno Barolo is famously one of the few to be made 100% from Nebbiolo’s Rosé “clone”, which apparently is not related to the more commonly used Nebbiolo clones? That would make total sense, since this wine does not fit any kind of a Nebbiolo stereotype whatsoever. Some might dislike my Aussie comment but I really would not have questioned it if at a blind tasting someone said that it comes from the new world. I don’t find the value great at 70ish € at least at this stage but then it is clearly a young, structured wine and could evolve very nicely over the next ten years. It is a thoroughly interesting bottle of wine however and I am more than happy to have tried it.

  • 2018 Christian Tschida Himmel auf Erden - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee (16.4.2021)
    On the nose brightly fruity with prominent zesty citrus notes. Bottle brother says leather and I totally agree, no matter how strange that might sound for a white. While generally pleasant it has a volatile edge that is borderline questionable. There is quite a lot of body for the 12% ABV with not much weight really. Wonderfully juicy and chewy with appropriate bitter tones, sufficient acidity and slight tannic bite. Very much alive and joyful with a lingering finish. Tasty, interesting and gastronomic, although in all honesty somewhat outside of my comfort zone.
  • 2011 Azienda Agricola Elvio Cogno Barolo Riserva Vigna Elena - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (16.4.2021)
    Double decanted, enjoyed over 2.5 hours. The nose is surprisingly dark fruited and polished with very distinct cassis (Margaret River Cab, anyone?) at the forefront. Somewhat floral as well, but it is mostly a tarry note that hints at Piemonte. Generous and expressive with an attractive dark chocolate note, not one bit closed at this relatively youthful stage. On the palate fairly full bodied with rich, ripe and chewy dark fruit that is quite unlike that of any other Barolo. Sleek on the entry, midway through the tannins kick in powerfully but in a large-grained way without the typical tight grip. Lots of oomph with some warmth on the finish, although still not exactly screaming hot year. A very confusing wine - it’s not bad in any way but anyone hoping for a typical Barolo experience will be disappointed. However if you said this was from Australia I would probably respond saying it’s the best Aussie I’ve had.

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I guess it’s appropriate for me to include my notes here as well.

I guess I was left a bit unimpressed by these two wines. Sure, both of them were good, but in all honesty, I think they were not as good as one would expect from wines of their price point (although Ilkka had bought that Tschida wine from a restaurant list, which might’ve jacked its price up a little).

I had tasted that Himmel auf Erden before - 2015 vintage - and that was simply an outstanding wine. Wild, yes, but remarkably heady, complex and concentrated. This 2018 vintage, on the other hand, felt a bit too “natty” and volatile for my taste. Nothing excessive or undrinkable, as the wine was very enjoyable in its own way, but still a bit too acetic for me to say this was a truly great wine.

As Ilkka mentioned, the Cogno wine was unlike any Nebbiolo I had tasted. It is staunchly traditional in style, so there was nothing spoofy there, yet still it reminded me more of a Bordeaux or even new world Bordeaux blend rather than any Nebbiolo I’ve had before. It was a good wine, but was it a 70€ Barolo Riserva good? Not really. I’d say many a Barolo around 45-50€ would give much better run for the money. It was an interesting experience to taste a 100% Nebbiolo Rosè wine, but I must admit, the wine left me a bit unimpressed.

Furthermore, I had heard that Nebbiolo Rosè made wines that were lighter, less concentrated and more perfumed than normal Nebbiolo, with lower acidities, but this wine didn’t seem to fit that mold: the acidity here was as high as in any Nebbiolo, but while the nose was very expressive and heady, I’d say many Nebbiolo wines have been noticeably more floral than this wine. Even body-wise this didn’t feel one bit less rich or weighty as your typical Barolo or Barolo Riserva. A puzzling experience, at least to some degree.

  • 2018 Christian Tschida Himmel auf Erden - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee (16.4.2021)
    A blend of organically farmed Pinot Blanc and Scheurebe. The grapes are foot-crushed and the must is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in old 500-to-1500-liter oak barrels. Aged for a year in the same barrels with no racking. Bottled without any fining, filtration or sulfites. 12% alcohol.

Quite hazy lemon yellow color; the first glasses seem lighter in color and less hazy than the last drops. Sweet, wild and waxy nose with lifted aromas of ripe golden apples, peaches and zesty citrus fruits, some beeswax, light volatile aromas of ether and white vinegar, a little bit of leesy yeast, a bretty hint of leathery funk and a touch of crunchy gooseberry. The wine is quite light on its feet, yet shows obvious sense of ripeness and good deal of concentration that lends some tactile feel to the body of the wine. Somewhat wild and crunchy flavors of white peach and fresh red apples, some gooseberry, a little bit of lifted ethery character, light zesty notes of ripe pomelo, a hint of mineral water and a touch of leesy yeast. The overall feel is lively and balanced with moderately high acidity, although I must point out that some of the freshness comes from the subtly prickly CO2 that subsides after awhile, making the wine consequently lose some of its intensity and precision. The finish is lively, less volatile and more precise with a medium-to-moderately long aftertaste of fresh apples and zesty citrus fruits, some leesy tones, a little bit of crunchy gooseberry, light mineral notes of tangy salinity, a hint of acetic roughness in the throat and a touch of chalky bitterness.

A fresh, wild and quite idiosyncratic white that feels a bit more funky and “natty” than the 2015 vintage I had some years ago - this wine lacks the exuberance shown by the older vintage and comes across as slightly more volatile and generally higher-toned in character. However, despite its lifted qualities, the wine doesn’t come across as excessively volatile or too natty, just very obviously wild and “unmanipulated”. Good sense of freshness and balance, especially in how the wine is relatively light and low in ABV yet still relatively ripe, concentrated and substantial in style. Distinctive and very enjoyable, but truth be told, I’d like the wine more if it didn’t show that much VA - the other funky notes, on the other hand, are just fine. Doesn’t really reach the heights of the 2015 vintage, and perhaps ultimately a bit pricey for the quality at 27€. (88 pts.)

  • 2011 Azienda Agricola Elvio Cogno Barolo Riserva Vigna Elena - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (16.4.2021)
    The wine is produced only in good enough years with fruit from a subplot in the Ravera Cru planted exclusively to Nebbiolo Rosè - which has turned out to be not a clone of Nebbiolo, but actually an offspring of Nebbiolo, i.e. a distinct variety altogether. This is one of the very few Barolo wines - if not the only one - made exclusively from Nebbiolo Rosè. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, followed by a month of post-fermentative skin maceration using the submerged cap method. Aged for three years in old 5000-liter Slavonian oak botti, then for 2 years in bottles. 15% alcohol. Double decanted, enjoyed over 2.5 hours.

Dark, slightly translucent black cherry color with a deep, subtly evolved brick-red hue. Quite expressive and heady nose with aromas of particularly typical of Nebbiolo: notes of sweet cassis, juicy dark plums and some wizened figs, followed by notes of old leather, light fragrant nuances of exotic spices, a hint of tar and a touch of roasted meat. I had heard Nebbiolo Rosè was supposed to have a very floral nose, but while quite fragrant, the aromas here reminded me more of Bordeaux or Cabernet-driven Bordeaux blends rather than Barolo The wine is ripe, moderately full-bodied and slightly warm on the palate, but not particularly weighty or extracted in any way. Slightly sweet-toned flavors of wizened blackcurrants, licorice and dried figs, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of exotic spice, light strawberry tones, a hint of tar and a touch of subtly bitter cocoa nibs. Although the wine shows a good deal of ripeness, it also sports terrific freshness with its bright, high acidity - which stands in stark contrast to the description of Nebbiolo Rosè being a variety lower in acidity than Nebbiolo. The tannins feel sparse - less ample and powdery than feels typical for a Barolo - but also somewhat coarse with quite a bit of grip and grit to them. The finish is ripe, quite warm and quite grippy with a long aftertaste of ripe cassis, sour cherries, some meaty umami, a little bit of sweet plummy fruit, light licorice tones, savory hints of old leather, pepper and exotic spices and a sweeter touch of soft strawberry.

A somewhat weird experience for a Barolo. I knew this was going to be Nebbiolo Rosè and not Nebbiolo, but the wine was still quite distinctively unlike what I’ve grown to associate with a Barolo - the wine seemed to lack many typical qualities of a Nebbiolo, and with its somewhat blackcurrant-ish fruit character it reminded me at times more of a Bordeaux blend than a Barolo. Despite this atypical nature, this was unquestionably a great, balanced wine that was drinking really nicely at the moment and is probably going to improve for another 10 years or so. Nevertheless, this might not really be what I’d expect from a Barolo of this price point; at 71,90€ I feel the wine is simply a bit too pricey for its quality. (89 pts.)

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