Basic Juice - the wine blog for my generation

Muscat Ottonel Gets a Bad Rap

Recently, Basic Juice received some Austrian wine samples from Winemonger. Since I’m a lover of all things sweet, I was ecstatic to find several dessert wines in my goodie box. I was instantly drawn to the two Muscat Ottonels in the bunch; while I’ve never met a muscat I haven’t liked, I couldn’t recall drinking a solo Ottonel, or at least one that was openly labeled as such. I needed a refresher on its place in the muscat family, so I heaved out the textbooks and looked it up.

Ottonel is apparently the most planted muscat variety in Austria and Alsace. It’s the palest in color of all the muscat varieties, it ripens the earliest, and has the least intense aroma. Jancis Robinson sure isn’t shy, calling the grape vapid and a relative parvenu. A parve-who? I looked that up too. It’s not a compliment.

Given Ottonel’s less-than-stellar reputation, I wondered if these wines could be any good. Both were late harvest: one a Beerenauslese, and one a Trockenbeerenauslese. Could there be enough acidity in these extra ripe grapes to support the sugar, or enough fruit and aromatics to make them interesting? I had to find out. Both wines were from Burgenland, and both listed at $29.99 (for 375 ml):

Pasler Muscat Ottonel Trockenbeerenauslese 2002 - I jumped to this right away because I’m a big TBA fan. Light to medium gold color, with a moderately-intense fruity, floral nose of apricot and honeysuckle. A good amount of acidity kept the sweetness in check. But while the palate was pleasant like the nose, it dropped away to a dried fruit finish that ended quickly, almost with a bitter citrus pith character. Overall, a decent wine for the price (a TBA for $30?!), but not my top pick.

Velich Muscat Ottonel Beerenauslese 2001 - This wine rocks. Amber gold color (a bit darker than the Pasler TBA). Intense, complex nose of caramel, honeysuckle, smoky apricot and tangerine. Velich's M.O. was aged 18 months in oak, and you sense it right away. The sweet, succulent palate matches the nose, with fresh acidity, and a looooong nutty, fruit-filled finish. Did I say I loved this wine? Hands down winner of the two. And for $30? You’ve got to be kidding.

Okay, if you know Austrian wines, you know that Burgenland is world-renowned for its amazing botrytized wines year after year. Muscat Ottonel need not feel bad for itself, because it's clearly a star in this region. Hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars on a bottle of d’Yquem or a German TBA when you can get treats like these for a fraction of the price!

Tags: austrian wine, wine, live austrian wine adventure, muscat, dessert wine

brown spice-accented peaches

Back in June, Beau snarked about wine words he hates.

I had to revisit that post yesterday when reading about Robert Parker’s Wine of the Day. Here’s some of his review:

“The 2004 Gruner Veltliner Weinzierlberg, harvested mid-November, offers ripe aromas of brown spice-accented peaches and plums as well as Veltliner-typical snap peas. The palate is sappy and fruit filled, with plenty of cut, clarity, and crisp vegetable, juicy pit fruit, and tart red raspberry character. The finish is long and refreshing, with subtly salty suggestions of minerality…”

Huh? Can someone tell me what the hell “brown spice-accented peaches” are? Would those be brown spices or brown peaches? Lots of the spices in my cabinet are brown (cinnamon and nutmeg, cumin and coriander, just to name a few), and the only brown peach I’ve ever seen is the one I found rotting behind my fruit bowl. How about the palate being “sappy”? Okay, if I let my imagination run wild, maybe. But having plenty of “cut, clarity, and crisp vegetable, juicy pit fruit”? Anyone??

Is this review really written to inform and describe a wine, or merely to flaunt his own absurd loquaciousness? I respect Parker’s intelligence and his contributions to the wine world. But unfortunately, many people are still intimidated by wine, and this esoteric crazy-speak certainly doesn’t help. Maybe Parker should take up poetry?

--WG

Pagani Ranch Zin

Fall is coming and that means bring out the red – red wine and red meat. But as much as I love red meat, I can’t go around eating rib eye and rack of lamb seven nights a week. Sadly, this means that a lot of my big tannic reds collect dust when it comes to mealtime. For example, last night was stir-fry chicken night, and although a crisp aromatic white probably would’ve sealed the deal, I wouldn’t have it. Football was on, and the leaves on the tree outside of my window were starting their annual fade to orange. I was in the mood for red, and a BIG one at that. So I looked passed all the cabs and found a bottle of 2000 Ridge Pagani Ranch Zinfandel.

Short review: yum. 

Colonia LL Bonarda

2003 Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda ($8)
Clear, opaque ruby fading to a pale, purple-ruby rim. Clean, youthful, pronounced nose of ripe plum, cassis, roasted meat and chocolate. Dry, with balanced acidity and medium-high tannins. Medium-full bodied, with an intense palate similar to the nose, with a marked absence of oak. Medium alcohol and medium length. A good value bonarda from Mendoza, this wine can be drunk now, but the will soften over the next 3 years.

Burgans Albarino

2003 Burgans Albarino ($14)   
Clear and bright, pale lemon yellow fading to a pale watery rim. Slight petillance detected in the glass and felt as a slight prickle on the tongue. Clean, youthful, pronounced nose of floral melon, citrus, apricots and minerals. Dry, with crisp acidity. Medium-bodied, with a pronounced palate like the nose. Medium alcohol and long length. A very good quality albarino from the Rias Baixas region.  Fresh and fruity, this wine should be consumed now and over the next 3 years.   

St. Henri Shiraz

1999 Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz ($40)   
Clear, deep ruby fading to a thin ruby rim. Clean, with an intense, developing nose of caramel, sweet dark fruits, chocolate, leather.  Dry, with medium acidity and medium, ripe tannins. Full bodied, with an intense palate of supple black fruits, chocolate and leather.  High alcohol, with long length and a slightly warm finish. A very good quality, lush shiraz from South Australia. It is drinkable and enjoyable now, but may be drunk over the next 10 years, as the ripe fruit will carry, and the tannins will soften a bit.   

Clos Apalta

2002 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta ($65)   
Clear, opaque ruby core fading to a dark pink rim. Clean, youthful and medium-high intense nose of oak, black plums, smoky oak and cinnamon. Dry, with medium acidity, and moderately high, ripe tannins. Full-bodied, with an intense palate of vanilla oak, spicy black plums and dark, almost raisined red fruits. High yet balanced alchohol, with long length.  Exellent quality merlot-based Chilean wine. Drinks well now, but could use some time - up to 10 more years of aging.   

Thelema Sauvignon Blanc

2002 Thelema Sauvignon Blanc ($14)
Clear, pale lemon fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, youthful, pronounced nose of a vegetal and mineral fruit character.  Dry, with crisp acidity. Medium-bodied, with a pronounced palate of green pepper, gooseberries, citrus peel and wet stone.  Medium alcohol with medium-long length.  Good quality sauvignon blanc from the Stellenbosch region. Drinks well now, but could develop complexity with another 2-3 years in bottle.

Northstar Merlot

1998 Northstar Merlot ($50)   
Clear, medium to deep, ruby core fading to a pale garnet-ruby rim. Clean, with an intense, developing nose of jammy black berries, plums, chocolate, leather and cassis. Dry, with a sweet attack from the ripe, concentrated fruit. Medium acid with medium, soft tannins. Full-bodied, with an intense palate layered with chocolate, toasty oak, blackberries, plums and leather. Medium alcohol and a long length. Smooth and silky, this merlot from the Columbia Valley drinks perfectly now, but could easily last another 5 years without losing too much fruit character and tannin structure.

95 St. Julien

1995 Chateau Lagrange St. Julien ($50)
Clear, deep garnet fading to a brick red rim. Some sediment in the wine indicating some age. Clean, with an intense, developing nose of cedar, earth, black currants, spice. Dry, with medium acidity and medium-high, still somewhat drying tannins. Full bodied, with an intense palate of black pepper, black currants, mint, cedar and earth. Medium alcohol and long length. An excellent quality cabernet-based Bordeaux showing maturity. As fruit is still persistent on the finish of this firm, structure-driven wine, it will age well and tannins will soften even more over the next 5-10 years.

Hugel Jubilee

2001 Hugel Riesling "Jubilee" ($38)   
Clear, pale lemon fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, youthful, medium intense (more closed than expected?) nose of quince, apple, earthy wet stones and floral peach. Dry, with crisp acidity and medium body. Palate is more intense than the nose, with flavors similar to the aromas - plenty of spicy stone fruits, earth, minerals, and flowers. Medium alcohol, with long length. Very good quality Alsatian style riesling, with a firm structure and a long life ahead of it. Can drink now, but will soften over the next 3 years, and will drink well for another 10.   

Fournier Pouilly Fumé

2002 Domaine Fournier "Vieilles Vignes" Pouilly Fumé ($28)
Clear, pale to medium lemon yellow, fading to a watery rim. Clean and youthful nose, with pronounced aromas of gooseberries, pineapple, grass and flinty minerals. Dry with crisp acidity. Medium-bodied, with with pronounced flavors of lime, pineapple, grass and minerals. Medium alcohol with a long finish. Very good quality sauvignon blanc, well-reflective of regional terroir, and showing finesse with good concentration of fruit. Drink now and over the next 2-3 years.

For more WG Reviews, click here.

Campolongo di Torbe

1998 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico "Campolongo di Torbe" ($55)   
Clear, deep garnet core fading to a thin paler garnet rim. Noticeable viscosity in the glass. Clean, intense, developing nose of raisined black and red fruits, licorice, chcolate and spice. There is some added complexity on the nose from partial botrytis. Dry, with meduim acidity and big ripe tannins. Full bodied, with a rich, intense palate of spiced black fruits, chocolate, almonds, minerals, anise, some leather. High, but balanced alcohol, long length, and complex flavors on the finish. An excellent quality Amarone made from a blend of dried corvina, rondinella and molinara grapes. While it is lush and drinkable now, it has intense fruit, tannin and acidity to evolve over another 10 years.   

A.Kracher No. 3

2001 Alois Kracher Chardonnay "Number 3" ($43)
Clear, medium gold with high viscosity. Clean, intense, youthful nose of ripe stone fruits, dried peaches and a honeyed quality indicative of botrytis. Sweet, with medium acidity and full body. Intense palate similar to the nose, with honeyed pears and peaches. Low-medium alcohol, with long length. An excellent quality TBA chardonnay from Burgenland, this elegant dessert wine drinks well now, but has enough concentration to age up to 20 years.

Scheurebe: An WBW#11 Editorial

(Editor's note -- From occasional Basic Juice author, the WineGoddess)

True off-dry wine is hard to come by. Common wine sense says that it comes right after dry, but then what is dry? I searched too many textbooks for an answer, and ended up with an off-dreadful headache. According to Jancis [Robinson], dry wine contains less than 10 g/L of residual sugar (the sugar left over after fermentation). However, wines with higher RS can still taste dry if there’s lots of acidity, and wines with less RS can taste sweet if there’s lots of alcohol. So I threw out the textbooks and resorted to my tongue’s test for off-dry: a little prickle of sweetness, but not enough for chocolate cake.

I immediately thought of Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and Muscat, all of which are dear to my heart and do well in slightly sweet styles. But then I remembered the Pfalz’s little secret: Scheurebe.

Scheu-who? Scheurebe (SHOY-ray-bah). Oh, how I love this grape! A crossing between Riesling and Silvaner, this fun-to-say grape makes racy wines similar in style to Riesling, but with a bit more fatness, and a little less longevity. It can achieve high ripeness levels and does best in the relatively warm Pfalz region of Germany, which is where today’s pick comes from:

Justin Isoceles

1999 Justin Isoceles ($48)
Clear, deep garnet-ruby fading to a pale garnet-ruby rim. Clean, with an intense, developing nose of cassis, blackberries, wood spice, and leather. Dry, with medium acid and medium, ripe tannin. Full-bodied, with an intense palate similar to the nose, with an herbal, anise flavor layered in with the rich fruit and oak. Medium-high alcohol and long length. Black fruit finish lingers throughout the palate.  An excellent quality Bordeaux-style blend from Paso Robles. Drinking nicely now, with great fruit concentration and a solid tannin/acid structure to last another 8-10 years.

Robola of Cephalonia

2003 Gentilini Robola of Cephalonia ($15)   
Clear, pale lemon core fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, medium-intense, youthful nose of creamy pear, citrus, and a zingy, floral note. No oak detectable. Dry, with crisp acidity, full body, and an intense palate of spicy citrus, creamy pear and minerals. Medium alcohol with medium-long length. A fresh, very good quality wine made from the Robola grape on the island of Cephalonia (Greece). Drink now and over the next 3 years.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Alamos Cab

2002 Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon ($10)   
Clear, opaque ruby fading to a pale ruby rim. Clean, youthful, pronounced nose of cassis, smoky oak, dark chocolate and a hint of leather spice. Dry, with balanced acidity and medium-high, slightly coarse tannins. Full-bodied, with an intense palate of ripe black fruits and toasty oak. Medium alcohol and a long length. Good quality Cabernet from Mendoza. Drink now and over the next 3 years.   

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

White Graves

2001 Chateau Graville-Lacoste Graves ($13)   
Clear and bright, with a medium straw core fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, medium intense, youthful nose of grass, minerals, honeydew melon and lemon peel. Dry, with crisp acidity and no tannins. Medium bodied, with intense flavors of tangy citrus, minerals and herbs. Medium alcohol, with a long finish. Good quality semillon-based white Graves.  A good value. Drink now, but has enough fruit and acidity to drink well over the next 5 years.   

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Tinta de Toro

2002 Numanthia Termes Tinta de Toro ($22)   
Clear, medium ruby fading to a pale pink rim. Clean, youthful, medium intense nose of black cherries and currants, herbs and spicy oak. Dry, with medium acidity and medium-high ripe tannins. Medium bodied with an intense palate of spicy black currant, tobacco, earth and cocoa. High alcohol with long length and a warm, complex finish. Very good quality wine made from 100% tempranillo. Enough fruit and tannins to age over the next 10 years.  From Spain's Toro D.O.

Riscal Rueda

2003 Marques de Riscal Rueda ($9)
Clear, pale lemon fading to a pale, greenish tinged watery rim. Clean, youthful, intense nose of creamy yellow apples, grapefruit and grass. Dry, with crisp acidity.  Medium to full-bodied, with a viscous mouthfeel. Intense flavors of creamy citrus, tart peach and marzipan. Medium-high alcohol, with medium length. A good quality, inexpensive Rueda from the verdejo grape, likely blended with viura and sauvignon blanc. Drink now and over the next few years to maintain freshness.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Cypriot Red

2001 Keo Heritage ($16)   
Clear, deep ruby core fading to a narrow, pale purplish-ruby rim. Clean, with a very intense, youthful nose of cassis, black raspberries, blackberries, and spicy, woodsy vanilla spice. Dry, with meduim acidity, high, ripe tannins, and full body. Intense palate of ripe black currants, blackberries and coconut, oak spice. Medium alcohol, with medium length, cut slightly short by tannins. Very good quality, fruit-forward, modern style Cyprus red from the Troodos Mountains.  Made from the maratheftiko grape. Drink now, but will soften and age well up to 5 years.   

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Ch. d'Aqueria Tavel

2003 Chateau d'Aqueria Tavel ($15)    
Clear, medium salmon color, fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, youthful, medium intense nose of melons, red berries, and a floral mineral note. Some alcohol detected on the nose. Dry, with crisp acidity and a small amount of drying tannins on the back palate.  Medium bodied, with an intense palate of wet stones, ripe strawberries and citrus peel. Medium to high alcohol, with medium length, cut slightly short by the alcohol. Made from the grenache grape, this is a good quality rose for its weight, fruit levels and freshness.  It is at its peak and should be drunk now and over the next 1-2 years.   

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

R. Pannier Muscadet Sevre et Maine

2003 Remy Pannier Muscadet Sevre et Maine ($9)
Clear, pale lemon fading to a pale watery rim. Slight petillance detected. Clean, youthful, medium intense nose of minerals, lemon peel, and a slight yeasty character. Dry, with medium acidity. Medium bodied, with light to medium intense flavors similar to the nose.  Medium alcohol with medium length and some lingering bitter acidity. Good quality, simple wine from the neutral Melon de Bourgogne grape, beefed up by the sur lie process. Wine is a bit fatter than average due to the warm vintage, and it should be drunk now and over the next 2-3 years to preserve its intended freshness and acidity.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Christoffel "Ürz Würz" Riesling

2003 Christoffel Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese ($32)   
Clear, with a pale lemon green core fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, youthful, intense nose of slate, mineral, apples, citrus and white flowers.    Dry to off-dry, with crisp acidity to balance the high ripeness levels. Medium bodied, with an intense, juicy palate similar to the nose - green apples, zesty citrus and slate. Medium alcohol, with long length. Very good quality riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, with zesty fruit from such a warm vintage. Flavors will integrate with a few more years, but tremendous ripeness and acidity will allow this wine to age for another 10-15 years.   

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Sebastiani Son. Coast Pinot

2002 Sebastiani Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($15)
Clear and bright, medium ruby fading to a pale ruby rim. Clean, intense, youthful nose of red cherries, wild strawberries, vanilla spice and lots of smoky oak. Dry, with medium-high acidity and medium, soft tannins. Medium-full bodied, with an intense fruity palate of red cherries, berries, vanilla and smoke. Medium-high alcohol and medium-long length. A very good quality, easy-drinking, fruit-forward style of pinot. Drink now and over the next 2-3 years.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Torres Tempranillo

2001 Torres "Coronas" Tempranillo ($11)
Clear, medium deep ruby fading to a pale rose rim. Clean, youthful, intense nose of nutmeg, black plums and cherries, tobacco and herbs. Dry with medium acid and medium-high but soft tannins. Medium body with a medium intense, fleshy palate similar to the nose. Medium-high alcohol with medium length. Good quality blend of 86% tempranillo and 14% cabernet sauvignon from Catalunya. A solid Torres red to be drunk now and over the next 4 years.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Brune & Blonde Côte Rôtie

1999 J. Vidal Fleury "Brune et Blonde" Côte Rôtie ($40)
Clear, deep garnet fading to a pale garnet rim. Clean, intense, developing nose of black licorice, bacon, minerals, cola, dark fruits leather and white pepper. Dry, with medium acidity and high, ripe tannins. Medium to full-bodied, with an intense palate of leathery red fruits, earth, licorice, and black plums. Medium alcohol with long length. A very good quality syrah from the Northern Rhône, this wine is mature, yet has enough fruit and acidity to age and let the tannins soften over the next 10 years.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Bolla Bardo'

2003 Bolla Bardolino ($8)
Clear, medium intense ruby core fading to a pale ruby rim. Clean, with medium intense, youthful nose of red cherries and berries.  Dry, with medium-crisp acidity and medium tannin. Medium intense palate of tart red cherries, white pepper and a steely bitterness.  Medium bodied, with medium alcohol and short length. An average quality Bardolino made mostly from corvina and rondinella grapes.  Made purely in stainless steel, this crisp fruity red is intended to be drunk young, and is ready now.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Tokaji, 5 Putts

#3 from the WG (#1, #2)

1995 Domaine Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos ($50)
Clear, deep gold fading to a very thin watery rim, and long legs. Clean, with a pronounced, slightly oxidative nose, and a spicy, floral, orange marmalade and honey quality. Botrytis is apparent. Sweet, but balanced by crisp acidity. Full-bodied, with a viscous mouthfeel and pronounced palate similar to the nose, with lots of apricot and orange fruit and spice. Medium alcohol, with a long length and finish. An excellent quality Tokaji Aszu from the traditional grapes - furmint and harslevelu. With such acidity and fruit concentration, this gem will age indefinitely.

Shafer "Red Shoulder Ranch"

#2 from the WG (#1 below)

2002 Shafer Vineyards Chardonnay "Red Shoulder Ranch" ($38)
Clear, with a medium lemon yellow core fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, youthful nose, with pronounced aromas of tropical fruits, toasty oak, ripe pear and smoke. Dry with a sweet attack. Intense flavors of toasty pineapple, honeysuckle, ctirus and ripe pears. Medium acidity, full-bodied, with high alcohol and long length. Very good quality Carneros chardonnay, made in a typical fruit-forward, New World style. Alcohol makes for a slightly warm finish, but wine is otherwise well-balanced and is best drunk now and over the next 3 years.

JM Brocard Chablis

(ed's note - this is the first in a series of tasting notes written by the WineGoddess.  The notes are written in Ye Olde British/Master of Wine Style.  I find them to be concise, descriptive, and a puff of fresh air to this blog)

2000 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Les Clos ($46)
"Clear, with a medium gold core fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, somewhat youthful but complex nose, with pronounced aromas of green apple, wet minerals, and a steely, floral character. Dry, with medium-high acid. Full-bodied, with medium alcohol and very long length. A clean, stainless steel style with a long minerally finish. An excellent quality Grand Cru Chablis for its focus and expression of terroir. Drink now, but will evolve and hold for another 10-15 years."