October 2024 Tasting Report: Wild in Germany, Making the Leap in Napa and Uniquely Victorian

Riesling wines from the 2023 vintage in Germany and Austria once again starred in our monthly tastings of 2,398 wines from 16 countries, with three perfect scorers from the two neighboring countries anchoring a deep vintage that also featured high-scoring offerings of blaufrankisch, gruner veltliners and chardonnays.

The most exciting wine Senior Editor Stuart Pigott uncorked in October was a late-bottled, wild-fermented 2023 dry riesling from the Gunther Steinmetz winery in the Mosel region of Germany. The Günther Steinmetz Riesling Mosel Neumagener Rosengärtchen V.d.T. 2023, made by fourth-generation winemaker Stefan Steinmetz, is a fantastic example of the textural and aromatic complexity you can gain when a long, wild ferment is combined with sensational quality grapes from old vines, Stuart said, uniting gigantic concentration and extraordinary finesse to create a perfect tasting experience.

And from the auction wine category, Stuart loved the stunning Jakob Schneider Riesling Nahe Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Über’m Häuschen Trocken (Auction Wine) 2023, which is Jakob and Laura Schneider’s best barrel of dry wine in the vintage from the legendary Hermannshohle vineyard site. “It is incredibly slaty with amazing wild herb complexity and brilliant acidity alongside a crystalline finish that doesn’t want to stop,” Stuart said of it.

Stuart also said that Markus Huber in the Traisental region of Austria scored a bullseye with his perfect Markus Huber Riesling Traisental Berg EL 2023 – “a giant of elegance and finesse – as well as the Markus Huber Grüner Veltliner Traisental Berg EL 2023, “which has a terrific cool-climate brilliance for a grape variety that tends toward opulence and roundness in warm vintages.”

The third 100-pointer from the month was the Hirsch Riesling Kamptal Heiligenstein-Rotfels EL 2023, an “incredibly graceful” dry Austrian riesling with extraordinary concentration that comes from a sub-site of the legendary Heiligenstein vineyard.

And Stuart sang the praises of Austria’s 2021 and 2022 vintages for red wines, particularly blaufrankisch. In particular, the sensationally concentrated Moric Blaufränkisch Burgenland Lutzmannsburg Alte Reben 2022 “has incredible finesse, the finish extending up and up as if you were climbing Mount Everest,” Stuart said. The enormously deep and powerful Schuster Blaufränkisch Burgenland St. Margarethen Ried Lamer 2022 and elegant and silky Dorli Muhr Blaufränkisch Ried Spitzerberg-Obere Roterd EL 2021 also scored high marks with Stuart.

Staying in Europe, Spain scored highly with offerings from its 2022 vintage, with the heavyweight producers Alvaro Palacios, from Priorat, and Comando G, from Gredos, making some fresh and nuanced offerings that bring out the best of the terroir in both places. Alvaro Palacios’ 2022 wines, Senior Editor Zekun Shuai said, “surprise with their freshness and elegance, with their finesse taking a lead over color and density.” This was especially prominent in their agile and elegant L’Ermita, according to Zekun.

You can expect similar finesse and agility from Comando G’s 2022 offerings, including El Reventon, which is citrusty, supple and expressive, 1er Peña La Mora and El Tamboril Tinto, which shows the deepest color of the trio with a distinctively saucy, iodine and warm-stone-like note.

From France, a pair of chenin blancs rose to the top in our monthly tastings, with the Domaine FL Savennières Roche aux Moins 2022 demonstrating what magnificent dry whites the chenin blanc grape can give in the Savennieres appellation, while the lusciously sweet and incredibly concentrated Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance 2018, with its aromas of toasted almonds, caramelized oranges, melted butter and floral honey, is a silky dessert wine that deserves a taste.

Continuing down the sweet wine track, Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli recommended a couple Italian vin santos wines – the Selvapiana Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina 2015, with its notes of orange peel, dried figs and toasted hazelnuts plus a richness reminiscent of vermouth, as well as the Capezzana Vin Santo di Carmignano Riserva 2016, which has huge concentration and tension but with a more old-fashioned style.

MAKING THE LEAP IN NAPA

From Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, Shafer Vineyards earned a nearly perfect score from Executive Editor Jim Gordon for its incredibly ripe, delicious and structured Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Hillside Select 2021, and the Shafer Vineyards Napa Valley Relentless 2021 was not far behind in quality and sheer attraction.

The nearby Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars also produced some exciting, age-worthy reds in 2021, as proven by the flagship Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 2021 and the equally high-scoring Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V 2021.

Over on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains, Colombia-born winemaker Bibiana Gonzalez Rave has mastered pinot noir, chardonnay and several other varietal wine types under three brands, Jim reported. Her Cattleya line is crowded with outstanding new offerings like the Cattleya Pinot Noir West Sonoma Coast The Goddess 2022, a charming but super-concentrated and fresh-tasting wine, and yet Jim’s top pick in Gonzalez Rave’s current portfolio was a one-barrel lot of a different grape from a different region: the Cattleya Syrah Santa Lucia Highlands The Reward 2022 a Central Coast offering boasting the tannins and body of a big wine, although nuanced in beefy, peppery flavors to complement its plush blackberry core, with so much grace and depth.

UNIQUELY VICTORIAN

From Australia, Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery found some superb wines in his tastings in the state of Victoria. In Geelong, he caught up with Lethbridge Wines co-founder Ray Nadeson, who brings his experimental mindset to his unique offerings. His 100 percent savignan Between Five Bells Savignan Geelong Yellow NV – inspired by the oxidative vin jaune style from France’s Jura region – is a standout, Ryan said. Another top scorer from Geelong was the Bannockburn Chardonnay Geelong S.R.H. 2023, which Ryan said is “a perfect balance of power and finesse, with layers of complexity and tension.”

In Victoria’s historic Rutherglen region, Ryan explored the four classifications of Muscat, with the All Saints winery leading the way with its rich backstock of older Muscats. Their All Saints Estate Muscat Rutherglen Rare NV, with an average age of 50 years, is extraordinarily complex, Ryan said, offering intense aromas of baked apple tart, caramelized fig, and burnt orange creme brulee. Remarkably, it retains its freshness and depth, with the potential to continue aging for another half century and beyond.

Founded by the Kinzbrunner family, the Beechworth winery Giaconda is dedicated to crafting exceptional, site-specific wines – especially chardonnay – and its Giaconda Chardonnay Beechworth Estate Vineyard 2022 is one of them, according to Ryan. It’s a masterfully constructed wine, showcasing the mineral-rich site where it’s grown, with a distinctive graphite-like minerality and textural mouthfeel.

And nearby winemakers are also raising the bar, such as Keppell Smith of Savaterre, whose Savaterre Chardonnay Beechworth Reserve 2018 has developed beautifully with time in the bottle, displaying a minerally and reduced nose, with wonderfully integrated notes of grapefruit rind, Meyer lemons, chalk and orange blossoms.

Two complex and well-crafted wines stood out for Claire Nesbitt during her tastings of South African wines from the Western Cape region, both from Sadie Family Wines. The Columella 2022, which is a syrah-based blend of six varietals from 12 vineyards in the Swartland, is seamless and seductive, showing aromas ranging from peachy stone fruit to green tea and violets. It’s the 22nd iteration of winemaker Eben Sadie’s flagship red, which has over time increased its proportions of mourvedre, carignan, cinsault and tinta barocca to add depth, freshness and tannin structure.

Just as impressive, according to Claire, is a relatively new wine to the range, the Rotsbank 2023 – only the second vintage of this pure chenin blanc planted in the granitic Paardeberg region of the Swartland. It’s tight, steely and full of energy, with a salty minerality.

Claire will have her full South Africa report out next week, and she'll go in-depth on all the wines from Sadie Family and more of the country's top producers.

HUALAI RISES

Finally, Senior Editor Zekun Shuai was road-tripping and tasting in Huailai, China, which is just northwest of Beijing. Huailai’s winemaking scene is rising within China, led by Domaine Franco-Chinois and Canaan Winery. The two producers' newly released 2019 vintage, one of the warmest in the recent years, features red wines of excellent quality and a style comparable to the celebrated 2014 and 2017 vintages. Canaan Winery’s Chapter and Verse offerings were among the standouts Zeken tasted, including the ripe but fresh and deep Chapter and Verse Merlot Huailai Reserve 诗百篇珍藏美乐 2019 and the meatier Chapter and Verse Syrah Huailai Reserve 诗百篇珍藏西拉 2019,

Domaine Franco-Chinois’ 2019 wines are equally noteworthy, with its Domaine Franco Chinois Huailai Reserve 中法庄园珍藏 2019 a restrained, polished and layered expression, while its signature wine, the Domaine Franco Chinois Marselan Huailai Reserve 中法庄园珍藏马瑟兰 2019, combines depth, richness and freshness.

– Vince Morkri, Managing Editor

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