Kracher’s 2005 #6 Muskat Ottonel Trockenbeerenauslese Zwischen den Seen offers, for this grape variety, a surprisingly subtle nose of chocolate-covered, candied orange rind and hints of sage. Chocolate and candied orange rind inform an oily rich palate, where in addition to a satisfying sensation of chewing white muscat raisins, the bitter side of all three elements – zest, sage, and chocolate – help to check the sense of sweetness. The finish here, too, is surprisingly demure, but certainly not lacking in complexity, with hints of sage butter, orange flower, chocolate, and white raisin. 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

Creamy and lush-tasting, with ripe peach, apple and marmalade flavors. Well-structured and balanced, with a firm well of mineral and spice notes on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 83 cases made.??–KM??Region: Austria / Burgenland Select to Add