Ludwig Neumayer Sauvignon Blanc Der Wein Vom Stein

點擊次數：3903

今年的 Sauvignon Giess 伴有醋栗和草藥味，這正是大家對這種葡萄所期望的味道，但是 2010 年份的 Sauvignon Blanc Der Wein Vom Stein 還展示出了一些 Sauvignon 的其他味道。比如，此酒伴有香鼠尾草、香菜和新鮮檸檬的味道，口感明快多汁、濃郁。余味清新，帶有白堊土氣息。風格也比那款 Giess 酒更有趣和圓熟。但是此酒也不甘甜。適飲期：未來 2 至 3 年內。

The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Der Wein Vom Stein (once again quite superior to its little sibling from the Giess, which was gooseberry- and boxwood- dominated) smells of oregano, sage, and pennyroyal, as intensely as if one were grubbing these herbs out of the ground by hand. Honeydew melon with the bitterness of its rind and tart cassis join the herbal chorus on the palate, and one arrives at an intensely invigorating exhibition of sheer Sauvignon typicity that should be quite useful at table over the next several years, or in lieu of smelling salts. On account of the hot, dry July, Neumayer says he only did one spraying against mildew and almost no manicuring of the foliage. He picked well into October, since he did not find he was risking such high potential alcohol as his 2006s had reached already in the early days of that month. These wines have what he calls the “cracking” of acidity that invigorates and refreshes. (Note that because of a change in importers at the beginning of this year, prices on these wines were not yet available to me, and the wines themselves will only begin arriving later in the year. Readers should consult my reviews of the 2006s in issue 177 for a ballpark idea of eventual retail prices.) The wines of this years’ Riesling collection chez Neumayer were all very slow to ferment and ended up completely dry at the upper twelve’s in alcohol.Importer: Winemonger, Los Angeles, CA; www.winemonger.com

Sauvignon was picked at the beginning of this year's harvest - contrary to usual practice - retaining Riesling-like acidity, and in the case of the Giess bottling, marginally ripe phenolics. The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Der Wein Vom Stein, harvested the same day as the Giess, offers a juicier, riper, and more harmonious profile. Passion fruit and narcissus aromas might strike some tasters as -stinky,- but I find them fascinating. Gooseberry, cassis, passion fruit, grapefruit zest and apple pit inform a palate that feels relatively full but is at the same time firm and faintly tart. Sheer intensity of essence-of-Sauvignon carry this through to a tenacious finish in which some sense of salty, chalky, or stony minerality emerges.Neumayer reports that a warm wind blew through the Traisental in the last days of September, after which he began picking on October 3; just over a month later, he was finished. I have been an enthusiastic proponent of the Sauvignon experiments of Neumayer and a number of Danubian growers, but it is impossible to overlook the fact that - in U.S. dollars, at least - excellent Sancerre can still be had for not much more than half the price of the Giess, and that with the Stein, we are in Dagueneau territory. Austrian Sauvignon outside of Styria may still count as an exotic, but if the wine is excellent, its price tends to be set with the high tariff that applies to single-vineyard Styrian Sauvignon in mind.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700

The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc Der Wein Vom Stein offers more aromatic pungency than the Giess, displaying pear nectar, gooseberry, melon, and caraway, along with citrus oil and an almost fiery note of mineral salts. Lush and dripping with fruit on the palate, it is deft and light on its feet, and finishes satisfyingly with pear, honey, gooseberry preserve, melon, caraway, nut oils, chalk dust, and salt.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700

The 2004 Sauvignon Blanc Der Wein Vom Stein, a cuvee that is given time in small barrels, although from significantly riper fruit, was further along in its evolution than the Giess when I tasted it. A nose of caraway, red currant, grapefruit zest and coffee suggests some of the piquancy that is present on the palate, but there is also a generous rush of juicy grapefruit and kiwi, honey and nut oils in the mouth, giving an overall impression of fullness and generosity. Pungent caraway, marjoram, red currant and citrus zest pick up again strongly in the finish but without detracting from the lush, juicy bigger picture. Neumayer, located in the little known Traisental south of Krems, has been one of my personal favorite sources for Austrian wine, so it is a pleasure to report that he now has an American importer. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800