Mother Nature at Work!
September 06, 2006
For those of you following
along, in my July 26th newsletter "Chill Out" - > http://www.thewineconsultant.com/newsletter/243 , I promised to offer you a series of just released 2005 wines
from the most prominent producers in the Wachua region of Austria. The
2005 vintage was the vintage that almost never happened....cold and rain plagued
the region for much of the growing season: bunch rot reduced an already
modest fruit set and retarded ripening stressed the vintners more than the
vines. And then it happened! Mother Nature waved her wand and six
weeks of glorious warm fall sunshine magically brought everything back to
balance by harvest!
Franz Hirtzberger is one of my very favorite
producers from the Wachua. Hirtzberger's wines are amongst the very
best, highly sought after, and deservingly so, albeit on the
expensive side of the ledger..... which is usually enough to deter
experimentation by those not acquainted with the idigenous white
Gruner Veltliner (GREW-ner Felt-LEE-ner) grape. I treasure the
irreplaceable 3 remaining bottles of his 2002 Hirtzberger Riesling
"Singerriedel" - Smaragd I have in my personal cellar. This wine cost
about $75 a bottle 3 years ago..... His Gruner Veltliner follow the
same suit, especially those from his Singerriedl
vineyard.
Franz Hirtzberger and family reside in a 600 year old house at the
base of the famed Singerriedl vineyard. The winery is located in hilly Spitz, at
the western end of the Wachau, where the Danube snakes down from the
mountains. The cool air of this area reinforces the minerality and delicacy of
Hirtzberger's wines. The family is a pillar of the Vinea Wachau Nobilis
Districtus organization that preserves the quality of the region's wine
zone. Franz's father was a founder, and today Franz is the President. The
Hirtzberger winemaking philosophy is simple: closely managed vineyards, natural
yeasts, fermentation in stainless steel, aging in large oak for Gruner Veltliner
and acacia for Riesling.
Of all the wines I will offer in this series, the
'05 Hirtzberger Gruner Veltliner Federspiel,
Rotes Tor will give you the most bang for the
buck! The west coast distributor is receiving just fifty
cases, and I have been able to procure ten of them (arriving Friday).
If you have never experienced why more Americans are quickly being
attracted to this complex and racy dry white wine, here is an affordable
opportunity to taste one of the very best!
The "Rotes Tor" vineyard is a natural
amphitheatre located on the Singerriedl mountain and named after the gated
entryway at its top. "Federspiel" is a measure of ripeness at harvest
and is the equivalent of the German "Kabinett".
"Harvest of the 2005
Hirtzberger Gruner Veltliner Federspiel Rotes Tor was
spread between the 13th of October and the 10th of November. It offers a lovely,
subtle aroma of herbs, flowers, lentil, and yellow split pea. On the palate,
this feels imposingly glossy yet buoyant, and delivers a steady, effortless flow
of fruit, herb, and mineral, culminating in a strikingly long finish that leaves
one's tongue quivering in anticipation of the next sip. This wine of 12% alcohol
is a model of balance and intricate complexity and proof, if some still need it,
that the category Federspiel is by no means incapable of heavenly profundity
even as it delivers on its more mundane promises of refreshment and adaptability
at table. As such it, needless to say, represents an outstanding value." -
93 points, Wine Advocate (Issue 166)
2005 Hirtzberger Gruner Veltliner
Federspiel Rotes - $29.50 a bottle or $26.55 a bottle if six
or more bottles are purchased. ORDER NOW
BY REPLYING TO THIS E-MAIL.
Mt. Akum has cut me off! That's
correct! No more of the '04 Petite Sirah. According to ownership,
the winery needs the remaining inventory for its tasting room where it sells for
$26 a bottle. Instead, still in shock, but much to my surprise....and
delight....I was presented with a bottle of the 2004 Mt.
Aukum RESERVE Petite Sirah from Sierra Moon Vineyard in Fair Play, El
Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills. I had no idea
this ANIMAL existed! I tried it for the first time when I poured
it for the Saturday tasting bar patrons. We were all flabbergasted!
The regular bottling was BIG....I nick named it the "Black
Hummer". For comparison purposes, let's redefine this description
and think of the regular Petite Sirah as the sleeker new "Hummer
H-3" at 5,850 pounds. The Mt. Aukum RESERVE Petite Sirah is
simply more gargantuan and should be appropriately nicknamed
the "H1-Alpha", after the Hummer H1-Alpha weighing in at 10,300
pounds!! Honestly, this is a wine all fun seeking or serious winos must
try even for just the novelty of it!! Its opapue midnight black color is
an immediate tooth stainer. If you dislike your dental hygienist or
dentist.....just take a few swigs before your appointment.
LIMITED! $31.95 A
BOTTLE!
There's still time and still
space! Join Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers and some great wine at
Monarch Mine Vineyard, near Auburn, on Saturday, September 23 and benefit Dr.
Ernie Bodai's Cure Breast Cancer Inc. For the details go to www.monarchminevineyard.com
and click on September 23. For info on the beneficiary go to www.curebreastcancer.com. See
you there!
PLEASE NOTE: The Wine
Consultant's store at 8039 Greenback Lane will be closed on Tuesday, September
12th., so we may attend an import tasting in San Francisco. Restaurant
reviews will follow!
HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE AT THE TASTING BAR
THIS SATURDAY > CHECK OUT THE "VIRTUAL TASTING
BAR" PAGE UNDER "FEATURES" EVERY FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE COMPLETE
LINEUP!
Eric Stumpf
The Wine Consultant
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