Donnerstag, 19. Februar 2009

Annual winemakers tasting

Yesterday I attended the annual winemakers tasting of the new vintage in my hometown Halbturn. The tasting was hosted by the vintners association and headed by the regional government consultant for viticulture and enology.

All wines were grouped by variety and tasted blind. Everybody had a scorecard (20 points rating system, the one and only tasting each year where I am being forced to rate wines with points) and the wines were discussed afterwards by the viticultural consultant. The ranking has no market relevance but it is important within the village and I strongly believe that´s the same in every winemaking country.

tasting notes legend
variety/winery/word rating/my points/consultants points/tasting notes

Note: all wines were from 2008!

1. Welschriesling Heinz Thury - ok - 11/17
doesn´t smell fresh, no CO2 visible, ripe yellow apples, acid ok.

2. WR Josef Grösz - good - 13/18
CO2, rather broad and mellow, some residual sugar.

3. WR Josef Unger - good/very good - 14,5/18,5
CO2, fresh and fruity, lemon/lime flavors, shows nice fruit on the palate, good acid structure.

4. WR Harald Kiss - yech - -/16
dark golden hue (fresh wine??), unclean, strong smell of peanuts, moldy.

5. WR Heinz Thury - good - 13,5/17,5
CO2, hay and apple flavors, good acid structure.

6. WR Franz Schneider, EF Straße - good/very good - 14,5/17,5
CO2, fruity and fresh, Granny Smith apples, good acid structure.

7. WR Franz Tischler - ok - 11/16,5
ripe,  bit CO2 visible, some phenolic compounds on the palate.

8. WR Josef Stadler - ok/good - 12,5/16,5
quite ripe flavors, much color, broad and some parts RS.

9. WR Josef Etl - ok - 11/18
cloudy, quite neutral on the nose, residual sugar.

10. Rhine Riesling Alois Schuster - ok - 11/18
peach, high in acidity, short, unbalanced.

11. Cuvée White Josef Etl - ok - 12/16,5
white bread, hints of Muscat, residual sugar.

12. Yellow Muscatel Alois Schuster - ok/good - 12,5/17
quite neutral, bouquet improves with O2, fruity on the palate, good acid structure.

13. Sparkling wine Harald Kiss - ok - 11/17
hints of unlcean flavors, sweet, bit undefined.

14. Chardonnay Josef Unger - good - 14/17
buttery, melon, exotic fruit cocktail, smooth, good acid structure.

15. CH Heinz Thury - good - 13/17,5
restrained,  CO2, cold fermentation flavors, balanced, good acid structure.

16. CH Franz Tischler - ok/good - 12,5/16,5
highly colored, honey, bees wax, some green unripe flavors on the palate, acid ok, decreases with O2.

17. CH Franz Schneider, Budapester Str. - yech - -/15
unclean, very reductive, rotten egg, mercaptane.

18. CH Alois Schuster - ok - 12/18
bit buttery, exotic fruits, good acid, short.

19. CH Josef Etl - ok/good - 12,5/17
bit reductive but blows of very quickly, flinty, some exotic notes, acid ok.

20. CH Josef Stadler - ok - 11/17
bit reductive, CO2, ripe flavors, phenolic, short.

21. CH Bernhard Lang - ox - -/16,5
very ripe yellow apples, aldehydic, oxidative.

22. CH Josef Etl - ok - 11,5/16,5
pure butter, very oaky, just wood on the palate, very smooth, overpowered, nearly oxidative.

23. Pinot Blanc Josef Unger - good/very good - 14,5/18
strong scents of pear, bit buttery, flinty, good acid structure, lingering.

24. Sauvignon Blanc Hein Thury - ok - 11 /16
cotton candy, cold fermentation flavors, atypical, phenolic on the palate, unripe notes.

25. SB Franz Schneider, EF Str. - good - 14/16,5
CO2, fresh, fruity, asparagus, canned peas, good acid.

26. SB Alois Schuster - good - 13/17,5
some green hints, box hedge, canned peas.

27. Sb Josef Stadler - ok - 11/15
bit reductive, atypical, rather phenolic on the palate.

28. Rosé Heinz Thury - ok - 11,5/16,5
very pale red, hints of strawberries, cotton candy, bit phenolic.

29. Rosé Franz Tischler - ok - 11/16,5
quite pink, strawberries, bit MLF flavors, not fruity on the palate, phenolic, definitely drained.

30. Zweigelt Josef Stadler - ok - 11/18
restrained fruit, purple, nearly black color, MLF notes, bit cloudy, on the threshold to oxidation.

31. ZW Alois Schuster - ok/good - 12,5/17,5
sour cherries, MLF notes, fruity but with some green edges on the palate.

32. ZW Heinz Thury - ok - 12/17,5
fruity, cherries, soft but very thin.

33. ZW Franz Tischler - ok - 11,5/ 17
just MLF aroma, smooth palate, tannin structure ok.

34. ZW Josef Etl - ok/good - 12,5/18
sour cherries, quite dense tannin structure, fruity on the palate but on the threshold to oxidation.

35. ZW Lehendorf Alois Schuster - good - 14/18
dark red color, MLF notes, extract sweetness, maybe a bit RS too, acid structure good, bit alcoholic.

36. ZW Josef Grösz - very good - 16/17
fruity, Cassis, extract sweetness, lingering.

37. ZW Josef Stadler - ok - 12/17,5
brownish color, bell pepper, CS touch, quite green on the palate, atypical.

38. ZW Josef Unger - good - 13,5/18
toasted oak, ways too young, mocca, very structured, lingering.

39. ZW Josef Grösz - ok/good - 12,5/17,5
cherries and sour cherries, simple but ok on the palate.

40. Pinot Noir Franz Tischler - ok - 11/17
stinky, bit reductive, strawberry touch.

41. Saint Laurent Josef Grösz - still ok - 10,5/17,5
just MLF aroma, Pinot-like color, bit dull.

42. SL Franz Schneider, Budapester Str. - ok - 11/-
sour cherries, iodine, soft but thin, pronounced acid.

43. Blaufränkisch Franz Tischler - still ok - 10,5/17,5
iodine, bit reductive, hints of sour cherries, very simple, decreases rapidly with O2.

44. BF Alois Schuster - ok - 11,5/16,5
brownish color, rather atypical, some spices on the palate, tannin structure ok.

45. BF Heinz Thury - ok - 11/17,5
perfumed, overripe flavors, dried fruits, fruits in rum, bit acetone.

46. BF Alois Schuster - ok - 11/18,5
MLF on the nose, yoghurt, acid driven.

47. Merlot Josef Stadler - yech/ox - -/18
deep purple color, acetone, bit Brett, plasticine, very low sulfur, soft.

48. ME Josef Unger - ok/good - 12,5/17,5
oak and spices, smooth tannin but structure ok, bit alcoholic, young.

49. ME Josef Etl - ok/good - 12,5/17
fairly colored, smooth tannins, good tannin structure, some MLF notes.

50. ME Heinz Thury - ok - 11/17
rather neutral, green hints, rather green tannins on the palate.

51. Cabernet Sauvignon Heinz Thury - ok - 11/17
rather pale colored, green, unripe, hard tannins.

52. Syrah Josef Stadler - yech - -/18
car paint, fumes, overripe, nearly oxidative, acetone on the palate.

53. Sweet wine Auslese (do not know the variety) Bernhard Lang - good - 14/17,5
acid/sweetness good balanced, rather neutral on the nose, bit short.

Some participants showed an astonishing lack of tasting competence regarding fault detection. They had not 1 faulty wine on their scorecards!!

4 Kommentare:

  1. Does not sound like you a had a lot of fun there. Self praise is not a recommendation. I am convinced you can find similar things around the world. Often people turning a deaf ear on things surrounding them. That is not very reflexive and intelligent. Wake up! Have a look over our fence!

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  2. The self prais was not the problem. The problem is if one doesn´t detect a fault one can not react properly and on time.

    Some are still working in the enological middle ages ... but if one cares for hygiene and some basic rules almost everybody is able to produce wines without faults.

    Another problem is the ignorance of some producers ... like your said ... one can´t do something wrong with a look over the fence!

    Cheers Franz

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  3. The Franz Schneider EF are your wines?

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  4. Actually my fathers but you know ...

    Franz

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