Right on the last day of 2015, Wine Advocate Stephan Reinhardt released his article on Grüner Veltliner & More from the Weinviertel, Austria on eRobertParker.com. He starts his describtion of winemakers with “Pfaffl has always been a good producer…” and ends with “And Pfaffl again, now represented by the Roman junior; the wines have become even better than they were and several of them are damn black. Pfaffl’s Hommage is a spectacular Veltliner Reserve and the reds St. Laurents, Zweigelt or blends with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon – are amongst Austria’s finest.” We are pleased to share with you the results for our wines:
94 Parker-Points
Weinviertel DAC Reserve HOMMAGE Grüner Veltliner 2013
Golden-greenish in color, the 2013 Weinviertel DAC Reserve Hommage was fermented in 2000-liter barrels, and opens subtle and fresh but deep and complex on the nose. This is a full-bodied and rich, highly elegant and well balanced wine with a lovely freshness and vivid mineral backbone, which gives tension and aging potential. This is a powerful but remarkable, finesse full Veltliner with a promising finish. Drink now or in 15 years.
93 Parker-Points
Weinviertel DAC Reserve HOMMAGE Grüner Veltliner 2014
From 54-year-old vines which were harvested late on October 10th, the 2014 Weinviertel DAC Reserve Hommage had to be fermented and aged not in the traditional 2000-liter acacia vat, but due to the low yield, in 300-liter barrels. Very intense, honey-sweet and spicy on the nose, this is a rich and full-bodied but also transparent and finesse full wine of great elegance, and provided with a vital and mineral complexity. Still influenced by oak flavors, this highly elegant Veltliner should be cellared for at least two years. The salinity in the finish is really lingering and stimulating. This wine has been launched in August, but the best you can get from it, you will get in the future.
(92) Parker-Points
St. Laurent ALTENBERG Reserve 2011
Nobly intense, clear and deep on the nose opens the dark purple-red 2011 St Laurent Reserve Altenberg, indicating spicy flavored and densely woven aromas of dark wild berries and super ripe dark cherries. Super elegant, precise, fresh and juicy on the palate, this full-bodied and powerful red has a silky texture and reveals a great purity and finesse. This is a lovely, sweet but dry and fleshy wine of great concentration but no overripeness at all. Highly recommended!
92 Parker-Points
Weinviertel DAC Reserve GOLDJOCH Grüner Veltliner 2014
From a warm, south-facing vineyard with sandy soils over limestone, the 2014 Weinviertel DAC Reserve Goldjoch was picked late (on October 10th) and fermented spontaneously (with natural yeasts) in 2000-liter vats. The wine starts super clear, very ripe and intense on the nose, displaying some tropical fruit flavors along with invitingly coolish mineral and stony flavors. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, this is a super precise, elegant and balanced Veltliner with a long and complex, vibrant and tension-filled finish. It’s lovely to drink young and fruity, but can be aged for more than ten years. An impressive wine!
92 Parker-Points
Weinviertel DAC Reserve GOLDJOCH Grüner Veltliner 2013
Golden-colored, the 2013 Weinviertel DAC Reserve Goldjoch opens with an intense fruit aroma including legumes, but is less fresh and crisp than 2014. Very rich and almost oily in its texture, this is a powerful (14.5% alcohol), concentrated, piquant and elegant wine with a firm and salty-piquant finish. Although it has the same residual sugar like 2014, it tastes more sweet. An impressive wine, and if you like it loud, this is your favorite.
91 Parker-Points
Heidrom Grand Reserve 2011 (Merlot/Cab.Sauvignon)
Made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2011 Heidrom Grand Reserve is the top red cuvée of the estate, which has made a remarkable step in producing red wines with junior Roman Josef Pfaffl. Clear, intense, fresh and polished on he nose, the Heidrom (an abbreviation of Heidi & Roman) displays super ripe and precise, highly concentrated, lovely earthy and nobly spiced dark berry and cherry aromas. On the palate, the full-bodied and nobly textured wine reveals a stunning freshness, finesse and elegance ,and develops a remarkable tension. If you like your Bordeaux from the southern part of Austria’s Weinviertel, the 2011 Heidrom Grand Reserve could be your wine.
91 Parker-Points
Weinviertel DAC Reserve HUNDSLEITEN Grüner Veltliner 2014
Picked at the end of October and bottled in May 2015, the 2014 Weinviertel DAC Reserve Hundsleiten was fermented in 50% traditional oak and 50% stainless steel, and opens with a very clear and intense, lovely, precise and aromatic bouquet. Full-bodied, piquant and mineral on the palate, this is a rich, crystalline and well balanced wine with a lovely mineral and stimulatingly piquant finish. Firmly structured, the wine is stunningly precise and full of tension, but does neither lack richness nor intensity. This is a top Veltliner with a very good price.
90 Parker-Points
Excellent Reserve 2012 (Zweigelt/Merlot/Cab.Sauvignon)
Made from Zweigelt, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon the purple-red 2012 Excellent Reserve opens with an intense and spicy flavored bouquet of sweet and ripe dark berries intertwined with cigar box aromas. Full-bodied, rich and very powerful on the palate, this is a big but elegant, still fresh and silky textured red blend with a long, sweet and powerful finish. The tannins are fine and everything is perfectly made, but the wine fails to fascinate me as much as the 2011 Zweigelt and the St. Laurent Reserves do. This is a more international style of wine and is very well made indeed.
90 Parker-Points
Zweigelt BURGGARTEN Reserve 2012
Very dark in color and spicy flavored on the nose, the 2011 Zweigelt Reserve Burggarten opens with a warm, very intense and concentrated but lovely, pure aroma of super ripe cherries and plums along with finely grained white pepper flavors. Silky textured and highly elegant on the palate, this is a medium to full-bodied, fresh and very well made Zweigelt; it has a lovely fruit intensity, very fine tannins and an aromatic finish displaying sweet black berries and cherries, as well as also violets in the aftertaste. Excellent and worth a try.
