Had an Austrian wine dinner with some friends Sunday night. 4 out of the 5 of us had very little experience with Austrian wine, so we wanted to build a fairly wide representation of styles and varieties. My tasting notes seemed to want to compare most of the wines to things I’m more familiar with, I guess that’s how I deal with the unknown. All-in-all a fun night with great wine, food, and company. I just wish Austrian stuff was easier to find in my market so follow-ups to really get into the wines would be easier.
2015 Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Réserve
Very high acid. Lemon, thyme, very light yeastyness. Elegant. Would believe it was Champagne if tasted blind.
Paired with smoked carrot puree drizzled with pumpkin seed oil
2013 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Loiser Berg
Pear and honeydew on the nose. Pear again, peaches, tangerine. Almost reminiscent of an unoaked Chard from a cool climate. Really beautiful wine.
Paired with raw, purple asparagus salad in a lemon parmesan vinaigrette and Jamon Serrano.
2012 Hiedler Riesling Gaisberg
Definitely Riesling with all that petrol on the nose. Very floral, violets, rose petals, and apricots. Ginger dominates the palate, with some citrus and stone fruit.
Served blind with the Hirsch and paired with cold smoked mackerel and hot smoked rock fish.
2013 Weingut Hirsch Riesling Reserve Gaisberg
No petrol, and much richer. Very floral as well, peaches, honeysuckle. Richer on the palate too, with a viscosity that coats the mouth. Candied orange peel, sharp acidity, some minerality on the finish. Both Rieslings are 13% but 2013 was a warmer year, leading me to think there is a little RS in the Hirsch. Great wine, my WOTN.
Served blind with the Hiedler and paired with cold smoked mackerel and hot smoked rock fish.
Most of us managed to correctly guess the Hirsch vs the Hiedler due to the richness and body the Hirsch showed.
2013 Heidi Schröck Weissburgunder
Green apples on the nose. Lemon on the palate - the entire lemon. Peel, pith, pulp, evolving all the way down. Some slatey minerality on the finish. Enjoyable, but not a “wow.”
Paired with fried potato crustinis topped with Harissa creme and green olives.
2014 Sattler St. Laurent
Dead ringer for a Beaujolais village. Light red fruit and spices (coriander, pepper) up front. Has a finish like strawberry yogurt. Again, enjoyable but no wow.
Both reds were paired with lamb and pork belly sausage stuffed savoy cabbage over rutabaga puree.
2008 Wallner Blaufränkisch Reserve
Great nose. Ripe berries, plums, dried leaves. The fruit is there on the palate as well, with some forest floor earthiness and graphite. Very well integrated tannins. Seems like a cool year Bordeaux. Love this wine, my runner up for the night.