Arndorfer’s wines are the perfect catalyst for the oak debate in white wine, with its classic questions: Is oak makeup or does it add something to the right wines? If it does add something, what is the level of interference that is appropriate? Rather than directly answering these Arndorfer simply makes two lines of wines: the “Strass” line, made from grapes grown in a vineyard purchased in 2005 and vinified traditionally (mostly in steel, but with some shorter term barrique ageing), and the “die Leidenschaft” (or “passion”) line, in which Arndorfer explores his philosophy of sensitive use of oak to bring greatness and character to Austria’s traditional grapes.
Arndorfer is certainly young for a wine maker, being born in 1983 (yes that’s younger than me and probably most of my readers), but he seems to have absorbed a considerable amount of knowledge along with a sense of history and a vision for the future. This vision couples a respect for traditional methods of vinification along with a sense that a winemaker can coax a grape to its full expression with the assistance of fermentation in oak barriques. I’m not sure I agree that barriques are necessary to make Austrian wine great, but I do agree that they can add character and at least make some interesting wines when not overused.
Getting Beyond the Oak…?
My first impressions of this wine were, admittedly, obscured by my distraction from the intensity of the oak aromas in a wine I was expecting to be more classic. It turns out this was actually fermented in 100% barriques and had 10 months of elevage in oak. I think this may have ultimately muted the nose, which smells mostly of oak spice and subtle orchard fruits.
The palate again promulgated significant oak influence, but there was also white pepper, spice and an herbal finish. The wine’s acidity was far lower than I expected and the alcohol showed through in its lack of balance. I may have written this off as the result of youth, but the wine has been sitting in the bottle for 5 years already, and acidity does not diminish with age. The lack of acidity makes the wine feel wan and tired; luckily the flavour profile is interesting enough to make this tasty juice that works with the right kind of food. Nonetheless, if you don’t like an oaked style of Gruner, this will probably not be your bag.
Very Good
~$40 at Kits Wine Cellar
The enormous name of this wine needs some explanation. Kracher was one of Austria’s most famous names, and before he recently passed away from cancer he built a reputation for producing some of the most exciting dessert wines in the world. These wines are made with ugly duckling varieties (in this case welschriesling, which is unrelated to riesling), and in a wine making style that pushes the grapes to their limits. As a trockenbeerenauslese wine (the highest ripeness level), all of the grapes used in it are botrytized by the noble rot – a fungus that grows on grapes with extended hang time such that humidity is followed by dry sunny days that allows the fungus to form and prevents the bad grey rot. This is the same fungus that is used to produce the world famous Sauternes of Bordeaux. These unique conditions are made possible by the unique terroir of Kracher’s domaine, which is situated on Lake Neusiedl, resulting in morning mists and fog that burn off in the afternoon.
This is the antithesis to the Montes wine I wrote up below. Gruner Veltliner is Austria’s most famous grape and definitely one of its greatest. It is also indigenous to Austria and you won’t find Gruners made anywhere else in the world. Gruner produces wines with great acidity, and stark personality. These wines can provide a huge range of experiences, from nutty and oaky to clean, lean, and sharp. Gobelsburg is located in Lower Austria in the region of Kamptal, and this wine is as dry as you would expect of a classic Austrian white. It is also made with purchased fruit, but that doesn’t seem to matter in the hands of wine maker Michi Moosbrugger.
Isn’t Gruner a wonderful thing? So versatile, deep, and, importantly, acidic. And all for a fraction of the price of better known wines. Why would you ever pay $35 for a mediocre New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc when the same price can get you an exciting and challenging Gruner from Austria? I suppose that is a lesson in marketing.
