The Jaunegg Experience
You want wine from a small producer? How about a unique take on a very familiar grape variety? Or perhaps you’re interested in sampling wine from someplace off the beaten path. Maybe you would be interested in finding a wine country getaway that isn’t crawling with other oeno-tourists. Now, how do you feel about putting your tastebuds in the hands of a 23-year old wundervintner?
If one or more of these items intrigues you; I’ve got one word to say,
Small production
Familie Jaunegg’s vineyard occupies just 15 acres in the idyllic Styrian countryside of southern Austria.
Unique take
Jaunegg’s ‘Knily’ Sauvignon Blanc is one of the more original expressions of this grape (see below).
Sample wine from off the beaten path
Austria is hot & trendy at the moment with all its Groovy offerings. However, wine from the country’s south is still iconoclastic and wonderfully weird.
Wanna wine getaway?
The Jauneggs offer a B&B experience on their property. And I guarantee you won’t be taking elbow shots from other wine tourists in the tasting room.
What does some punk kid know about wine?
Young Daniel Jaunegg is co-cellarmaster with his papa Johann. Fittingly, Daniel offers a young wine bearing his name - Cuvée Daniel. This whippersnapper’s got skills.
The Skinny
Jaunegg ‘Knily’ Sauvignon Blanc 2003 ($25) [available at Winemonger]
Sauvignon Blanc from the 500-meter high Knily vineyard in Austria’s Steiermark (AKA Styria)
- Light yellow-gold in color with ever-so-subtle green undertones
- Scents of white pepper, lemongrass, nutmeg, and grapefruit
- Fairly full-bodied for a SauviBlanc. The wine is slightly viscous in the mouth (almost like a Viognier) with pear, citrus & pepper flavors. The coating mouthfeel caused me to initially question the wine’s acidity. However, it becomes noticeably crisp on the finish. After 30+ minutes in the glass, Knily revealed additional flavors of almond & wood
***.5 (3.5 stars out of 5)
This Sauvignon Blanc is completely different from any other S.B. I’ve sampled. It’s not nearly as pungent as many New Zealand versions. It’s also much richer than Sancerre, the Sauvignon Blanc paradigm for many wine lovers. This wine is more about texture than flavor. It plays an interesting game of zesty/smooth cat & mouse on the tongue. With the help of vacu-vin, I enjoyed Knily over three days. It held up well, and was tasty & engaging each day.
Austria, wow. I have to say that my wine life changed when I drank Riesling and Gruner from Prager in the Wachau. I remember drinking a 1999 Prager Riesling during an 8-course tasting menu and the wine worked with everything...even dessert.
The reds are pretty decent, too! But I think Riesling in Austria is criminally underappreciated like:
Chablis
Cru Beaujolais
Soave
Dolcetto
Posted by: Jameson | 02 December 2005 at 11:35 PM
Good work .I too have a great collection of recipes .I am from kerala india . our ethnic recipes are based on ayurveda ,let me know how i can publish my recipes with in your site
Posted by: Kerala Recipes | 03 December 2005 at 06:27 AM