Muhr and Niepoort’s 2004 Spitzerberg Blaufrankisch was vinified in essentially traditional Burgundian fashion, in two lots. One is picked very ripe and fermented with the stems. The other is picked a bit earlier, destemmed, and subjected to extended maceration. This bursts from the glass with a shower of Cabernet Franc-like black fruits and flowers (the latter no doubt enhanced by the portion of the wine that is fermented vendange entier.) Silky in texture and refined in tannin, the wine reveals saline, graphite, black pepper, and further floral complications on the palate, carrying into a long, refined finish, capturing a sense of vivacity and dynamic that characterizes the wine as a whole. I can easily imagine this having 8-10 years of interest in the bottle. Since 2002, Dorli Muhr (a local) and husband Dirk Niepoort, of Port fame, have been farming one of Carnuntum’s few traditional sites for Blaufrankisch, the Spitzerberg, where she had inherited and planted a small plot of vines. Niepoort fell in love with the Spitzerberg and its history as well as with the potential for Blaufrankisch. (“I think it’s the most elegant variety in the world, apart from Pinot Noir.”) The couple purchased additional acreage, and they have one contract for supplemental grapes. The early wines are already a revelation. The slope of the Spitzerberg reminds Muhr and Niepoort of the Cote d’Or and, accordingly, they have divided their production among three bottlings comparable to generic, village and premier cru. (There is also some Syrah, but thereby hangs a tale that will be told in these pages on another occasion.)Imported by: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400