Winemonger.com

This is the second vintage of award winning winemaker Michael Wenzel’s Kleiner Wald Pinot Noir that we are offering here in the US. The 2004 was a revelation to sommeliers and wine buyers alike, how could we not continue? Such an elegant wine- nothing overwrought or bombed out here. Pure Pinot fruit done Burgundian style. Definitely more old world than new, it evokes the best that the French have to offer and will definitely be the wine responsible for putting Austrian Pinot Noir on the map. The soil of the Kleiner Wald vineyard is mainly composed of limestone and marl, with sea shell sediments. High density plantation (7500 vines per hectare) with different clones is practiced.

• 100 % - Pinot Noir (AKA Blauburgunder, Blauer Burgunder, Blauer Spatburgunder, Spatburgunder, Pinot Nero)

The Wenzel wine cellar, located in the heart of the town of Rust, is over 400 years old. When you step inside the first thing you see is an enormous wooden grape press, weathered and ancient like some old grand leviathan. Scratched into the wood you can make out graffiti dating back 100 years.

They stopped using it just 4 years ago.

That‘s how it goes here at Winery Wenzel (“Family run since 1647”) History and tradition run very deep and result in some of the most exquisite noble sweet wines in the world. Their Ruster Ausbruch ‘Saz’ blends Furmint and Gelber Muskateller, which is the recipe followed for hundreds of years and only recently revived by this house. For those more familiar with Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), Michael Wenzel describes it as such: “The difference between Ausbruch and TBA is a matter of finesse and elegance. The acidity is more pronounced in Ausbruch, while TBA tends to be sweeter.”

But there are distinct new world influences here as well: Michael Wenzel, the latest in the family line, spent time working at the Happ winery in New Zealand and traveled extensively to see and learn how the new world is making great wines before taking over the reins at home. This bridge from old to new shows off best in the red wines: a traditional Austrian varietal such as Blaufränkisch gives a nod to international wine tastes while still remaining true to its varietal and terroir: the result is a powerhouse both like and unlike anything most folks have quaffed. Michael: “We want to bring back [the red wine's] reputation. To maintain individual styles, but to discuss issues such as oak, acidity to sugar relation, the elegance, the drinkability of the wines. There is a new generation here that understands the importance of creating a prestigious product.”

The west side of the lake... The Austrian wine establishment has now begun to call this region Leithaberg, after the local hillsides themselves, although it is hard to imagine winegrowing in this region without the benificent influence of the lake. The free city of Rust has been famous for its sweet wines for centuries, now producing memorable reds and dry whites as well. The towns of St Margarethen, Donnerskirchen and Grosshöflein are all proving to be sources of excellent grapes from the varieties Blaufränkisch and St Laurent, as well as for the more surprising Sauvignon Blanc. The major municipality Eisenstadt is the capital of Burgenland; the area has been settled since the early Iron Age, and evidence of viticulture exists in Celtic hill burials from nearly three thousand years ago.