Wieninger Pinot Noir Tribute

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Representing a selection (attempted in most vintages) of his best barrels, Wieninger’s 2007 Pinot Noir Tribute was matured in 500-liter barrels rather than classic barriques – a development to which I attribute the harmonious, discreet presence of its spicy, toasty oak elements – and bottled last December. High-toned herbal notes (thyme, black tea) and fruit distillates (kirsch and quetsch) make for a fascinating bouquet; then re-emerge on a palate of tannic refinement and persistent refreshment, a marrow-like meat stock richness adding depth of a lingering finish. With less sheer succulence but more finesse than its “Grand Select” counterpart, this should be fascinating to follow over the next half dozen or so years; its author in fact believes it needs several years just in order to really begin showing its stuff. Fritz Wieninger’s 2010 collection – like that of 2009 – was literally cut-down by hail (and sadly, several important sites on the Nussberg were savaged again on the eve of my brief stay in Vienna this June). Not that the poor flowering and autumn desiccation – hallmarks that they are of 2010 as a whole – spared Viennese vineyards either. Wieninger’s entire Nussberg holdings produced only 2,000 bottles worth of Riesling, though Gruner Veltliner was thankfully less dramatically reduced; and the overall 2010 crop represented around 40% of mid-term average. (I shall bring readers up-do-date very shortly on the outstanding 2008 and 2009 collections from this estate, whose impressive recent successes are owed in part, notes Wieninger, to cellarmaster Luis Teixeira’s arrival, having ushered in an era of four-hand collaboration.) The difference in grape sugar between lesser- and top-sites was relatively small in 2010, and the cool weather on top of vine trauma from hail made for relatively low finished alcohol across the board. “It’s a very Austrian vintage,” says Wieninger, well aware that the combination of moderate alcohol and pronounced acidity to which he thereby refers has been far from the norm over the past dozen or so years. “I de-acidified selectively, but not at all when it came to Riesling,” he relates, signaling a reversal of the approach taken by many growers, “because I decided that with this grape I could instead play a bit with residual sugar. And I de-acidified a bit even with my reds, otherwise the pHs were so low it would have inhibited malo.” Due to a late arrival on my part for our meeting, I omitted Wieninger’s latest bottlings of Chardonnay from my tasting.Importer: Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620