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Julia Sevenich's
Uncorked in the Alps |
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To a layman, the
term "noble rot" may sound like another tabloid headline
about the decay of the royal family. Even when seen in the
vineyard, the heavy coat of mold covering shriveled grapes
that releases clouds of dark spores at the merest touch,
noble rot --- also called by its Latin name Botrytis cinerea,
doesn't look like it will ever amount to much. The vintner
must accept the high risk of total crop failure and invest
many hours of manual labor for an extremely diminished yield
of sticky, slimy, highly viscous fluid. The transformation
of this murky blackish-green ooze into lusciously sweet golden
nectar constitutes something quite nearly miraculous, even
to the winemaker himself.
Noble
wines made from botrytized grapes are the world's most prized
sweet wines. Botrytis cinerea is a cryptogrammic fungus which
occurs under warm and humid conditions. The spores attack
the skin of the grape rendering it porous, causing moisture
to evaporate and the grape to shrivel. The juice becomes
increasingly sweet and concentrated. In fact, the sugar content
is so high that the greedy little yeast cells that feed on
it, metabolizing the sugar into alcohol, heat, and carbon
dioxide, usually suffocate under osmosis before the alcohol
content reaches a level that would otherwise kill them off
anyway.
The
timing and conditions for Botrytis infection are not present
everywhere or every year for that matter. How it ever occurred
to someone to try to make wine out of such unappetizing-looking
rotten grapes is a mystery around which legends exist in
each of the four best regions for botrytized sweet wines.
What
is perhaps the most romantic legend took place at the Castle of Tokaji in Hungary which
belonged to the Transylvanian
Prince György Rákóczi I. (1600-1660).
The vintage of 1650 was delayed due to an anticipated attack
from the Turks and by the time the grapes could be picked
they had dried and shriveled on the vine. The Calvinist court
pastor Máté Szepsi-Laczkó decided to make wine from them
anyway and was so pleased with the results that he presented
it to the Princess Zsuzsanna Lorántffy as an Easter gift.
Despite the German's
meticulous documentation and claim to the discovery of wine
made from botrytized grapes at Schloss Johannisberg in the
Rhein valley in 1775, it is very probable that such wines
were made by accident or out of necessity much earlier. Documentation
of a famous vintage of Lutherwein in the form of a carved
inscription on a wine cask in the village of Donnerskirchen near Lake Neusiedl cites
the year 1526. And the city of Rust bought
its freedom from Kaiser Leopold I in 1681 for 60,000 gulden
and the entire vintage of 500 buckets (30,000 liters) of
Ausbruch wine.
I was fortunate
enough to be invited to taste several fabulous sweet wines
at the VieVinum 2004 international wine fair in Vienna from
four different regions, each region represented by its most
famed producer. The styles from each region are vastly different
as can be taken from my tasting notes below: |
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2002 Chateau Bela Kastiel (750 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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87
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This winery belongs to the Egon Mueller Estate
from Scharzhofer Saar. This wine shows a very pale, shiny,
transparent, green-yellow. The nose has a pronounced, clear
and brilliant Muscat blossom and peach aroma. Racy, perky
acidity balances a relatively discreet sweetness. This wine
is light-footed and playful. It's light body and delicacy
makes a fragile impression, but the wine will live long.
The finish lingers with pleasant minerality. Drink now to
2017.
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2002 Scharzhofberg Egon Mueller (750
ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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96
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This extremely pale wine has nearly no color,
only a very faint green-yellow. The nose is striking and
incredibly pure, defined by delicate peach fruit an apple
blossom. The palate is incredibly pure, like a freshly plucked
ripe and sweet, yet crunchy peach on a cool early summer
morning. Long fresh, finesse, fragility.... Drink now to
2032.
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1999 Scharzhofberg Egon Mueller (750
ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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97
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This very pale, brilliantly shiny green-yellow
wine has a delicate mineral nose of flint stone and fresh
spring rain. Exotic mango, papaya, apricot, and melon. Unbelievably
intense in purity remaining elegant, and light. Fascinating.
Drink now to 2034+.
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1976
Scharzhofberg Egon Mueller - Trockenbeerenauslese -
(750 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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99
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Brilliant amber-gold shines in the glass. Nectarines
and apple blossom honey are distinctly present in the nose.
The palate is simultaneously creamy and crunchy like crème
brulee, but still amazingly light and incredibly elegant.
Orange zest and zingy lime are invigorating, yet gentle.
The finish is eternal finish. This wine is simply finesse
pure. Lightness, pure transparency, and complexity are miraculously
combined with seemingly no effort. A wine that you want to
continue to drink your lifetime!
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1999 Istvan Szepsy (750 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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94
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This lemon yellow wine has shiny golden yellow
reflections. Fennel, dill, and green mango are distinct on
the nose. Medium-bodied with satiny, creamy mouth feel. The
luscious sweetness is perfectly balanced by vibrant acidity.
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1998 Istvan Szepsy - 6 petunias - (750
ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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93
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This brilliant golden yellow wine has a complex
nose with acacia honey, caramelized hazelnuts, and tarragon.
Grand and majestic body, baroque sweetness, but balanced
acidity. Labyrinthine complexity.
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1996 Istvan Szepsy - 6 puttonyos - (750
ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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94
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Clearer focused and creamier than the 1998.
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2001 Kracher, Weinlaubenhof - No. 5 Zwischen
den Seen Welschriesling - Neusiedlersee (375 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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90
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This wine still has a bright lemon yellow with
green-yellow glints. Brilliant and focused dried apricots
with spicy pine honey are found in a Ruebenesque stature.
The plump sweetness of this wine wavers close to the brink
but its structure is saved from papal decadence by cheeky
spice and lively and well-integrated acidity. Drink now to
2030+.
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2000 Kracher, Weinlaubenhof - Grand Cuvee
No. 6 Nouvelle Vague - Neusiedlersee (375 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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95
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This golden yellow wine has a fascinating nose
reminiscent of lavender honey, spiced pears, and candied
mangos. Layer upon layer of liquid exotic concentrated candied
fruit are balanced by zesty acidity. This full-bodied, viscous
wine will continue to gain in complexity over the next two
decades. Drink now to 2035.
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1999 Kracher, Weinlaubenhof - No. 8 Zwischen
den Seen Welschriesling - Neusiedlersee (375 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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96
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The deep golden yellow of this wine doesn't
just shine but seems to glow in the glass. The nose is reminiscent
of peach infused crème brulee on the nose with a twig of
lavender on the side. The palate has a rich and creamy consistency
and is beautifully balanced by a robust acidity. Spicy, nearly
peppery nuances come through apricot and golden delicious
apples drenched in meadow honey. Drink now to 2035.
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1995 Kracher, Weinlaubenhof - No. 15
Zwischen den Seen Welschriesling - Neusiedlersee (375
ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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97
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The golden yellow color is brilliant and inviting.
The nose is complex with a myriad of spices and herbs, but
dominated by stone fruits and yellow currants. On the palate
peach, apple blossom, and Gyokuro tea are combined in a ravishing
creaminess and voluptuous body that is kept firm and inviting
by a lively acidity. This is an incredible wine that transports
one miraculously from baroque to the advant garde in one
glass. Drink now to 2035.
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1993 Yquem, Ch. d' - Sauternes (750 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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90
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Crème Brulee and biscotti together with sweet
peach are more than pleasant, yet somehow lacking, not in
sweetness, but in depth in comparison to greater vintages.
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1985 Yquem, Ch. d' - Sauternes (750 ml)
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Monday,
June 07, 2004
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91
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This was a disastrous year for Sauterne. Botrytis
came late and hesitant, but those who waited and made draconian
selections in the vineyards, harvesting as late as December
19th were rewarded. The bouquet of this wine is complex with
peach, vanilla, vervain, and honey. The texture is oily and
together with the sweetness, voluptuous, yet smoky caramel
and botrytis spice of greater vintages is lacking.
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