A brief report on RAW Fair Berlin 2021, which went ahead despite the odds stacked against it. A small crisis with a missing shipment of Georgian wine was also resolved swiftly on the day.
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Grafenegg single vineyard summit 2021 – Part 1: Lower Austria
Simon reports back from this year’s Austrian single vineyard summit – a massive tasting at Grafenegg castle which provides a unique opportunity to survey the current vintage and many of the region’s top wineries.
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Frauwallner – Straden Privat Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Reductive with a pickled note on the nose, the citrus notes here are very muted. The wine has a kind of savoury character, but there are no strong defining notes. It feels like perhaps oak ageing or extended battonage may have dampened the wine’s energy quite considerably. I’m curious if more fruit will emerge given
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Frauwallner – Ried Buch Sauvignon Blanc 2019
This is the full on Sauv blanc stink, you either love it or hate it. To me it’s enjoyable, and here the feeling is of essential oils of citrus – concentrated lemon, pink grapefruit and passion fruit. The palate feels fresh and lively with a nice mineral interplay on the finish, with the fruit acids.
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Frauwallner – Ried Buch Sauvignon Blanc 2018
An interesting comparison with the same wine in 2019, this 2018 feels muted and very over oaked. It has lost all of the exuberant aromatics and the fruit feels a bit dried out. There is a decent sensation of acidity, but otherwise not much fun to be had here.
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Frauwallner – Ried Buch Weissburgunder 2019
A fresh and fairly open style, which sadly has been over oaked. Cinnamon and sawdust dominate the nose. Ripe pear and white peach power the palate, and there is a delicate saltiness. The alcohol seems to stick out a little on the finish, as does a cloying sweetness from the wood.
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Gross – Ried Nussberg “Pretschnigg” Morillon 2015
Although still a bit marked by new oak on the nose, this 6 year old Morillon is a delight on the palate, with tangy citrus notes and a subtle spicy lift. It’s filled with lemon and grapefruit zest, and then extends to a long and very refined finish, showing just a little candided note on
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Wohlmuth – Ried Edelschuh 2018
A rather oaky cuvée, which has a nice tangy freshness but no really strong fruit character. And no clear reason why this cuvee was created. The slate soils, at a guess, ought to deliver a well defined stony, mineral character, but this is not present. Instead the wine is rounded and harmonious, but a bit
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Gross – Ried Nussberg Sauvignon Blanc 2017
What’s wonderful about this delicately oak matured wine is that the nose explodes with zesty citrus, but doesn’t go into OTT Kiwi Sauv territory. There’s nothing stinky or sweaty here, just pure fruit. The palate is exciting, with notes of guava and mango that round out the energetic citrus core. Very long with a delicate
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Gross – Ried Nussberg Sauvignon Blanc 2015
A wonderfully evolved style, with a ripe and quite concentrated core of passion fruit, citrus and mango that glistens with fine acidity and delicate mineral salts. The nose has subtle hints of Sauvignon’s lifted aromatics, but also touches of crushed oregano or thyme. The wine has aged effortlessly, retaining all its freshness but also rounding