[Sorry it took me a week to post these notes, Emily]

Last Tuesday, two young Austrian winemakers (imported by afw's own
winemonger) Johann Donnabaum and Franz-Josef Gritsch stopped in at a
wine bar in SF (VinoVenue) for a tasting of their wines. They both make
wine in the lovely town of Spitz in the Wachau. By design or
coincidence, Johann tasted 3 Grüner Veltliners of differing
concentration and age, whereas Franz-Josef tasted three wines from the
2003 vintage, each made from a different grape. The two young men were
great spokesmen for their country and industry and just happened to have
some very nice wine, too! ;-)

2004 Kalmuck
color: pale yellow, almost colorless
nose: floral entry, followed by pepper and minerals
palate: light-to-medium body, moderately fruity with a slightly tart finish

This wine is a collaboration of the two and was described by Johann as
being an attempt to demonstrate the potential of Grüner Veltliner from
the Wachau. It has not yet been released, so I don't know the price,
but I expect that it'll be priced in the $10-15 range and intended for
early consumption.

2002 Donnabaum Loibnergarten Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
c: golden yellow
n: pepper, apricot and honey
p: rich, deep, honey, clean finish

What a contrast to the Kalmuck! I am continually amazed at the number
of Austrian winemakers who managed to produce first-class wine during
the deluge of 2002. This is yet another example and a very impressive
wine. I asked Johann how long he thought one should keep this wine, and
he replied that it could keep easily for 10 years, though I doubt that
we will have the self-control to keep any that long. This is a wine
that would go splendidly with spicy Asian fare.

2001 Donnabaum Grüner Veltliner Spitzer Point Reserve ($25)
c: deep gold
n: toasty, pepper, slightly hot
p: rich entry, apricot, melon, honey, crisp finish

Wow! As much as I liked the Smaragd, this wine was even more
impressive. It had complexity, balance and length with potential for
improvement with age. Jean, OTOH, detected a hint of oxidation in this
wine which she finds very offputting (reason#1 in why most white wines
aren't aged very long in our household).

2003 Gritsch Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Federspiel ($10)
c: greenish yellow
n: minerals, flowers and apple
p: medium body, creamy, light apple fruit

A very light example of GV (which is what Federspiel is all about), but
also a bit atypical based on our previous experiences with Grüner
Veltliner. A pleasant wine that showed no flabbiness from the heat of '03.

2003 Gritsch Riesling Eimerberg Smaragd ($25)
c: pale yellow
n: citrus, peaches, floral
p: crisp entry, mineral and citrus notes

Not likely to be confused with a German (or an Alsatian) Riesling, this
wine has more in common with the Rieslings of NZ and Oregon. This was
Jean's favorite wine of the evening. It exhibited lovely citrusy
character and would make a great complement to a variety of fish dishes.

2003 Gritsch Neuberger Select Eimerberg ($19)
c: pale yellow
n: floral, minerals
p: off-dry, pineapple

A simpler wine than the two preceeding it, and made from a grape I knew
nothing about. Hilarious bilingual discussion with Franz-Josef ensued,
in which I tried to ascertain what Neuberger's near relations might be.
In the end, F-J (I think) said that it's a relative of Chardonnay. A
little post-tasting research turns up that Neuberger = Sylvaner x
Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), which may or may not mean the same thing ;-)

All in all, a very enjoyable tasting with two delightful characters
(three, if one includes their traveling companion Johannes Thiery of the
Hotel Schloss Dürnstein, a well-reputed at an interesting venue
(VinoVenue dispenses wine from argon-atmosphere cabinets -- you buy a
card that you insert into the cabinet to get your wine) Many thanks to
Emily (winemonger) for the tip.

Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton > wrote:

> What a contrast to the Kalmuck! I am continually amazed at the
> number of Austrian winemakers who managed to produce first-class
> wine during the deluge of 2002.

Only 4% of the total wine growing area was flooded, and - except for
a fortnight of rain in the summer - the weather through the growing
season was not bad at all.

> 2003 Gritsch Riesling Eimerberg Smaragd ($25)
> ^^^^^^^^^
> 2003 Gritsch Neuberger Select Eimerberg ($19)
^^^^^^^^^

Note that it's not "Eimerberg" (bucket hill), but
"Tausendeimerberg" or "1000-Eimer-Berg", ("1000 buckets hill").
The name of this hill in Spitz (also called "Burgberg", castle
hill, beacuse of the castle ruins on top) refers to the fact that
it used to yield 1000 buckets of wine (1 Wiener Eimer, Vienna
Bucket, eqalling 56 liters) in good years.

[Neuburger]

> A simpler wine than the two preceeding it, and made from a grape
> I knew nothing about. Hilarious bilingual discussion with
> Franz-Josef ensued, in which I tried to ascertain what
> Neuberger's near relations might be.
> In the end, F-J (I think) said that it's a relative of
> Chardonnay. A little post-tasting research turns up that
> Neuberger > = Sylvaner x Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), which may
> or may not mean the same thing ;-)

Note that the name of the grape variety is Neuburger, not
Neuberger, and that it's not related to chardonnay. In fact it's a
Roter Veltliner x Sylvaner crossing, as research of Franz Regener
from Klosterneuburg viticutural school has found out (sorry, site
in German):

<http://www.agrarverlag.at/wein/142102.html>

M.

Mark-
Those notes were WELL worth the wait!
I know that Johann lurks these pages from time to time; I think he will
be pleased at how his wines came across.

Regarding the Kalmuck- we plan to bring it over in our next container,
and you're right, it's going to be a "value" priced wine for easy,
early drinking. Depending upon the euro/dollar at the moment we pay up,
we'll try to keep the price even under $10. Will have to see.

Thanks again for coming out, and for these great notes.
Emily

Michael Pronay wrote:
> Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
>
>>What a contrast to the Kalmuck! I am continually amazed at the
>>number of Austrian winemakers who managed to produce first-class
>>wine during the deluge of 2002.
>
>
> Only 4% of the total wine growing area was flooded, and - except for
> a fortnight of rain in the summer - the weather through the growing
> season was not bad at all.

Aha. From the reports I had read, it sounded more dire than that.

> Note that the name of the grape variety is Neuburger, not
> Neuberger, and that it's not related to chardonnay. In fact it's a
> Roter Veltliner x Sylvaner crossing, as research of Franz Regener
> from Klosterneuburg viticutural school has found out (sorry, site
> in German):

Thanks for the clarifications, Michael.

Mark Lipton

And if anyone is ever visiting the area, Fohringer's vinoteque is a
great stop. During the warmer season, I have sat at the table of his
upstairs tasting room and watched the Danube rush by. The best part is
that people "float" down the Danube, but all you see going past are
their heads above the water.

Or was it all the good wine I was tasting?
e.

wrote:

> The best part is that people "float" down the Danube, but all
> you see going past are their heads above the water.
>
> Or was it all the good wine I was tasting?

No.

M.