Kracher’s 2005 #1 Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese Zwischen den Seen reflects a hint of the dark side of this vintage, with an expression of botrytis that is rather aggressively spicy and subtly musky and fungal. Grilled pineapple, pear nectar, and brown spices are the dominant themes, and there is an overtly shriveled, compressed fruit concentration rather than the juiciness, clarity, lift and even delicacy that is possible in the best instances of Kracher T.B.A. Still, this is formidably concentrated and should reward a decade’s cellaring with further complexity. The inspiring and otherwise irrepressible Alois “Luis” Kracher died last December 5, after a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. His son Gerhard, 27, and still-active father will continue the work of this exemplary estate. Note: I tasted the Kracher wines of 2005 and 2006 for the reviews above this Spring, and the 2004s in late 2007 and again this Spring. Kracher was restrained in his early judgment of the challenging 2004 vintage, in which he could not start picking noble rot until November, and continued until Christmas. “The first selections were wonderful; the second passage classic, good; the third – kaput,” was how he described it. “From two months of work,” he continued, “we netted 6,000 liters of quality T.B.A.,” from which he promises a modest-sized collection so that – as he puts it – he wouldn’t have to apologize for a vintage that is good but not great. I don’t believe that this was a tactical confession on his part. Kracher was genuinely surprised by the quality that emerged as his 2004 collection evolved, and in the end, he bottled the same number of Trockenbeerenauslesen – ten – as in the manifestly more classic botrytis vintage of 2005.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700

Intense and full-flavored, with glazed apricot, ripe peach and plenty of smoky notes, followed by a lusciously long finish of cream and spice. Drink now through 2018. 167 cases made.??–KM??Region: Austria / Burgenland Select to Add