2009 Hiedler Grüners and Rieslings
Vin Vino Wine, Palo Alto, California
Tasted Thursday, December 9, 2010 by rjonwine@gmail.com with 855 views
Introduction
I was very impressed by the Hiedler wines I tasted at Vin Vino last week. This tasting was further evidence of the excellent quality of the '09 vintage in Germany and Austria in general, and of the good results (and generally good values) coming from this producer in particular. These are dense and complex Grüners and Rieslings that are juicy and tasty now, but that should also reward five to ten years of aging, especially in the case of the Rieslings.
Grüner is the focus of this producer, 45% of whose 16 hectares are planted to Grüner. The Grüners are exceptional, but the Rieslings (15% of their plantings) are among the best Austrian Rieslings I've tasted to date. They also produce a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and reputedly excellent Pinot Blanc, as well as Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and a Pinot-Sangiovese blend that sounds intriguing. Virtually the only varietals currently exported, however, are the Grüners and Rieslings.
The estate was founded in 1856 by Joseph Hiedler, the great grandfather of the current owner/winemaker, Ludwig Hiedler. Harvest is manual with three passes through the vineyard. Grapes are fermented slowly, with ambient yeasts, and the wines are matured in steel tanks or acacia barrels. Ludwig Hiedler, has a notion, explained on the winery's website, that, "The ecologically oriented management of the vineyards provides for the creation of a special yeast flora to the vine and grapes." He further claims that fermentation is done, without intervention, by these "specific yeasts" that develop in the different vineyards. The only problem with this theory is there is absolutely no scientific support for it. All the studies, from France, Australia and Italy, that I've seen on the yeasts that do the actual work of fermentation--Saccharomyces cerevisiae--show that none to only very small and insufficient quantities of them are found on grapes in the vineyard. Such specialized yeasts that actually take the grapes through the fermentation process live in winemaking facilities and do their work there. There are other strains of yeast, that don't do much in the way of fermentation, but can lead to bad things in the course of winemaking, that are found in the field, and kept under control usually with sulfur treatments, among other methods. For more info on this topic, see my report on the technical seminar on yeasts at this year's Pinot Paradise event: http://www.rjonwine.com/california-wine/pinot-paradise-yeasts/ Despite the winemaker's unfounded belief in the usefulness of "vineyard yeasts," however (a belief he is not alone among "natural" winemakers in holding), I think these are awfully good wines, that do a great job of conveying terroir and excellent vineyard management.
Flight 1 - Grüners (3 Notes)
We tasted three of Hiedler's Grüners, from the inexpensive Löss ($15 to $18), to the medium range and very impressive Thal (mid-$20s), to the most impressive but also quite expensive (high $50s) Maximum. All were good, but as a value play, I'd go with the Thal among these three wines.
Flight 2 - Rieslings (4 Notes)
These Rieslings were full of character and complexity. They range in price from low $20s for the Urgestein to mid- to high-$40s for the Heiligenstein. As the scores below show, my favorite was the Gaisberg, but all of them are impressive dry Rieslings.
2009 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Löss 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
Very light yellow color; peach, tart orange, green lentil, green herb nose; tight, tart peach, mineral, tart orange, lime, juicy palate; medium-plus finish
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2009 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Reserve Thal Kamptal 92 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
Light yellow color; focused, ripe lemon nose; tasty, ripe, tart lemon, mineral palate with depth; medium-plus finish 92+ pts.
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2009 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Maximum Reserve 93 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
Light yellow color; creamy, ripe lemon, floral nose; tight, tasty, rich, ripe lemon, mineral, peach palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts.
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