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Rosi Schuster, Blaufränkisch

Other, Austria 2015 (750mL)
$22.00
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Rosi Schuster, Blaufränkisch

Our love for the great Austrian white wine appellations along the Danube—Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal—is well documented. But as I look over our recent tasting history, some of the most exciting, most talked-about Austrian wines around here have been reds.
I’d like to say two things about that: (1) it shouldn’t be a surprise; and (2) today’s red is the kind of benchmark indigenous wine that wins new converts. As grown in the Burgenland region of eastern Austria, running up to the Hungarian border, the Blaufränkisch grape feels poised for broader wine-world stardom—especially in the talented hands of Hannes Schuster, son of namesake Rosi and champion of not just Blaufränkisch but another Austrian specialty, Sankt Laurent, which may be related to Pinot Noir. Schuster’s focus is on red wines, and along with his friend and mentor, Roland Velich of Moric, he is the man to turn to when you want to see just how serious Austrian reds can be. Today’s 2015 is a buoyant, brambly, impeccably balanced red with exponentially more character than its modest price tag would suggest. Pinot Noir-ish in scale and texture but with a darker fruit component and a peppery, herbal kick, Blaufränkisch deserves better than the “one and done” treatment. This wine is proof!
Burgenland is the DAC, or controlled appellation of origin, that extends west and south of Lake Neusiedl near the Hungarian border. It’s part of a broad, warm central European lowland area known as the Pannonian Basin, with loamy soils and plenty of sunlight and warmth for ripening red grapes. Blaufränkisch is the region’s signature indigenous variety (it’s known as Lemberger in Germany and Kékfrancos in Hungary), with a distinctive character characterized by blue/black fruit notes and hints of both underbrush and warm spices; most are quite bright and accessible, like good Cru Beaujolais, but some take on greater weight and depth, and can be more assertively tannic.

The Schuster property spans 11 hectares of vines, the oldest of which exceed 60 years of age. Hannes Schuster came on board in 2005 and has been working toward converting the estate to fully organic viticulture; this ‘entry-level’ DAC bottling is sourced from younger vines and ferments spontaneously in open-topped vats. It is transferred into 500-liter oak casks (crafted by the Austrian cooper Stockinger) for about a year of maturation before bottling.

If you have some experience with ‘Germanic’ reds—be it Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt, Lagrein, etc.—the first thing that stands out about Schuster’s ’15 is its elegance. These reds are often soft, plump, spicy, perfectly pleasant, but somewhat clipped on the finish—not here. In the glass, it’s a deep, blackish ruby moving to garnet and pink at the rim, with aromas of wild blackberries and blueberries, black currant, fresh rose petals, coriander, leather, and crushed gravel. It is medium-bodied and silken-textured on the palate, its tannins as well-managed as you’ll experience with this grape, which can skew rustic on occasion. It offers great freshness and immediate drinkability after about 30 minutes in a decanter; serve it in Burgundy stems at a cooler-than-normal 60 degrees and enjoy it in many of the same applications you might otherwise plug in a Cru Beaujolais or Loire Cabernet Franc. The flavors would work well with full-flavored fresh water fish like trout or steelhead, prepared as in the attached recipe. And if this is your first experience with Blaufränkisch, be advised that this is a ‘gateway’ wine. We’re already hunting for the next one. Cheers!
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Country
Austria
Region
Other
Sub-Region
AustriaSt. Margarethen & Zagersdorf
Soil
Clay/Loam w/ Limestone & Sand
Farming
Practicing Organic
Blend
Blaufränkisch 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
500-L Austrian oak
TEMP.
60
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2020
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Broiled Trout w/ Roesmary & Lemon

Austria

Northeastern Austria

Weinviertel

Considered by most to be the oldest growing zone in Austria, Weinviertel is also, geographically, the largest in the country and covers the vast, northeastern expanse of Lower Austria, stretching from the western border of Slovakia, following the Danube inland and veering up to the southern border of Czechia. Its name, which translates to “wine quarter,” reflects the region’s rich, ancient wine heritage and, according to the Weinviertel DAC website, there are “7,000 years of artifacts to prove it.”

Northeastern Austria

Wachau

Austria’s Wachau appellation is the country’s most acclaimed region. About an hour northwest of Vienna along the Danube River, the vista of the steep, terraced vineyards of the Wachau creates a magnificent landscape akin to a verdant, ancient amphitheater—it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, after all. With rich and unique soils here of löess and gneiss, which lend vivid minerality to the wine.

Eastern Austria

Burgenland

The Burgenland appellation, running along Austria’s border with Hungary southeast of Vienna, has a diverse topography and a mix of soils, with more primary rock and slate at higher locations and dense loams in the rolling hills that extend toward the Pannonian plain.

Southeastern Austria

Steiermark

The region of Styria (Steiermark) is in southeastern Austria which sits near the border with Slovenia. This area is studded with long-extinct volcanoes whose deposits are a key component of the local soils and the vineyards benefit from a classic Austrian push-pull of cool Alpine air and warmer “Pannonian” currents from the east.

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