BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

ST. LAURENT
91
Johanneshof Reinisch 2007 Ried Holzspur
Grande Reserve St. Laurent (Thermenregion).
Judging by the success of this wine, St.
Laurent seems to be this winery’s signature grape. It
is big, bold and packed with tannins as well as dense
fruit. It’s a solid- and dark-textured wine. Not yet ready
to drink, this is worth aging for a few more years. Circo
Vino. Cellar Selection. —R.V.
abv: 13.5% Price: $90
89
Johanneshof Reinisch 2009 St. Laurent
(Thermenregion). This is a structured wine,
with a dry character, ripe fruit and firm acidity. It has a
dry core that needs more aging to bring out its potential
richness. Circo Vino. —R.V.
abv: 13% Price: $20
87
Gernot and Heike Heinrich 2009 St. Laurent
(Burgenland). Warm and juicy, this has
a typical rustic edge. It’s packed with plum and dark
prune flavors, with a rounded and soft mouthfeel that’s
layered with attractive acidity. Glass stopper. Winebow.
—R.V.
abv: 12.5% Price: $37
ZWEIGELT
89
Gernot and Heike Heinrich 2009 Zweigelt
(Burgenland). This is a fruity and ripe wine,
with delicious, forward flavors of blackberry and sweet
plum. It has a mineral texture, with balanced acidity
that gives it a very accessible and ripe finish. Winebow.
—R.V.
abv: 12.5% Price: $25
88
Johanneshof Reinisch 2010 Zweigelt
(Thermenregion). Fruity and juicy, with all of
the black fruit flavors of Zweigelt. It’s soft, ripe and attractively
forward. With its acidity, the wine could age,
but its fruitiness makes it ready to drink now. Screwcap.
Circo Vino. —R.V.
abv: 13% Price: $18
86
Forstreiter 2009 Zvy-Gelt Zweigelt (Niederösterreich).
This is light, fruity and spicy,
with a crisp edge of acidity as well as a soft texture.
Ready to drink. Screwcap. Frederick Wildman & Sons,
Ltd. —R.V.
abv: 13% Price: $NA
85
Winzer Krems 2011 Kellermeister Privat
Zweigelt (Niederösterreich). This is a coolclimate
Zweigelt, with a spicy, juicy fruit character and
light tannins. The red fruit and green herb flavors are
layered with acidity. Total Wine & More. —R.V.
abv: 13.5% Price: $18
OTHER RED WINES
92
Gernot and Heike Heinrich 2009 Pannobile
(Burgenland). At this stage, the wine
shows its wood aging. But with the rich black-currant
flavor, the oak will eventually integrate to make a serious,
dark-fruited wine. It’s textured, dry and concentrat-
ed. This will need aging over five years. Glass stopper.
Winebow. Cellar Selection. —R.V.
abv: 13% Price: $55
91
Gunter Triebaumer 2009 Weite Welt (Burgenland).
Initially wood dominated, this then
reveals mint, dark chocolate and black currant flavors.
An impressive Bordeaux-style blend that’s concentrated
while retaining the correct sense of structure and acidity.
It needs aging. Screwcap. Magellan Wine Imports.
—R.V.
abv: 14% Price: $NA
90
Wieninger 2009 Wiener Trilogie (Vienna).
This is a rich success. It has concentration, spice
and juicy fruits as well as layered tannins, acidity and a
dark, brooding structure. For aging over several years.
Screwcap. Winebow. —R.V.
abv: 13% Price: $30
89
Gunter Triebaumer 2009 Red (Burgenland).
This is a firm blend that brings out
more the black currant flavor and tannic structure of
the Cabernet, more so than the spice of Blaufränkisch.
The wine has an austere edge, with a mineral character
and a taut aftertaste. Screwcap. Magellan Wine Imports.
—R.V.
abv: 13.5% Price: $NA
87
Johanneshof Reinisch 2010 Pinot Noir
(Thermenregion). Soft and raspberry-flavored,
this has an earthy note and jammy texture. It
has tannins that are buried firmly in the sweet fruit and
acidity. Screwcap. Circo Vino. —R.V.
abv: 13% Price: $20
85
Gernot and Heike Heinrich 2010 Red
(Austria). A blend of Austrian red varieties,
this is soft, light and fruity. It has flavors of red fruit and
spice from wood aging. With its attractive acidity, this is
ready to drink. Screwcap. Winebow. —R.V.
abv: 12.5% Price: $17
85
Höpler 2009 Rosenberg Pinot Noir (Burgenland).
With a combination of jammy red
plums, berry fruits and a farmyard edginess, this is ripe,
warm-climate Pinot Noir. Its texture has some tannin,
but it’s mostly soft and rounded. For aging over 3–5
years. USA Wine Imports. —R.V.
abv: 14.5% Price: $NA
DESSERT WINES
92
Gunter Triebaumer 2009 Ruster Ausbruch
Welschriesling (Burgenland). This
is full of botrytis influence, yet is it lighter and fresher
than some other Burgenland sweet wines. It leaves
a feeling of lemon acidity to go with the honey- and
flower-scented finish. Screwcap. Magellan Wine Imports.
—R.V.
abv: 12.5% Price: $NA/375 ml
91
Domäne Wachau 2010 Kellerberg Riesling
Trockenbeerenauslese (Wachau).
Fully-botrytized grapes were harvested in December
for this liquorous, smooth wine. Aromas of orange peel
and wild-flower honey come together with the intense
acidity. This opulent wine should age for many years.
Screwcap. Vin Divino. —R.V.
abv: 6% Price: $NA/375 ml
90
Türk 2010 Grüner Veltliner Eiswein (Niederösterreich).
Harvested in December, this
marries opulent flavors of honey and orange marmalade
with intense acidity. Ready to drink in its youth, but it’s
likely to age for many years. Screwcap. Niche Import
Company. —R.V.
abv: 9.5% Price: $46/375 ml
88
Pratsch 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Ice
Wine (Niederösterreich). Icewine from
Cabernet Sauvignon is pretty rare. The grape’s dark pigment
lends the wine no more than a hint of pink in the
gold color. On the palate, the tannins do show, along
with a note of honey and acidity. It’s unusual, but it
works. Screwcap Winesellers Ltd. —R.V.
abv: 10.5% Price: $50/375 ml
87
Gernot and Heike Heinrich 2010 Beerenauslese
(Burgenland). Tawny in color, this
is a blend of Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch. It is rich with
intense acidity and a fruity character. With its orange
peel flavor, it is both sweet and very crisp. Screwcap.
Winebow. —R.V.
abv: 13% Price: $17/375 ml
86
Johanneshof Reinisch 2011 Rotgipfler
Auslese (Thermenregion). Brown sugar and
dark treacle flavors dominate this rich, sweet wine. With
its opulent texture, this is for sipping. Screwcap. Circo
Vino. —R.V.
abv: 7.5% Price: $NA/375 ml
SOUTH AFRICA
CHENIN BLANC
92
Beaumont 2010 Hope Marguerite Chenin
Blanc (Bot River). This is a stunning and
cellar-worthy Chenin that exhibits superb balance and
layers of flavor. At first it’s nutty and toasty on the nose,
with notes of grilled red apple, orange rind and honeydew
providing a solid fruit core. Threads of mineral and
a soft fynbos character weave through the palate. Peach
pit and sweet spice flavors grace the long, evolving finish.
wine@34south. —L.B.
abv: 13% Price: $28
92
DeMorgenzon 2010 Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch).
A beautifully balanced and attractive
wine that’s delicious now but should hold well for
another five years. Herbal fynbos aromas infuse the
peach, melon and ripe fig core while accents of soft
toast and nuttiness add depth. The medium-weight
mouth, framed by sweet, tropical-fruit flavored acidity,
leads seamlessly onto the long and evolving finish. Cape
Classics. —L.B.
abv: 13.5% Price: $30
92
Jean Daneel 2010 Signature Chenin
Blanc (Western Cape). For full review see
page 6.
abv: 14% Price: $28
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