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Austrian
wines part 10
Jurtschitsch
What a name. Too many t's, s's, c's and h's. Really
good wines, though. Jurtschitsch is one of those producers that hides
in the shadows a little. In the roll call of Austria's best producers,
they often fall off the bottom of the list. It's unfair, because these
are really good wines; the best of them are utterly world class.
 As
we arrive we are met by Paul (right), one of the Jurtschitch brothers. There are
three of them, Edwin, Paul and Karl, responsible for winegrowing,
winemaking and marketing, respectively. You have to admire any family
enterprise that can work in such a harmonious way. Families are the
way to run wine estates: in a business that relies so heavily on what
went before, and where the results of the work done now are largely
reaped by subsequent generations, the continuity family ventures
provide is ideal. The impatience of shareholders is
disastrous in the business of developing a top wine estate.
Jurtschitsch Grüner
Veltliner Alte Reben 2003
From 45 year old vines on clay soil. Quite a deep colour with a
nice full nose showing a little pepperiness to the slightly herby
fruit. The palate is full and rich with lovely density of fruit. Am
expressive ripe fruity style with a precise peppery character. Almost
aromatic. Very good/excellent 91/100
Jurtschitsch Grüner
Veltliner Alte Reben 2002
This vintage saw floods in August with 300 mm rain on 8th and 9th
of the month. A fine September and late harvest saved the quality,
turning it into a good vintage. Quite a firm, precise peppery nose
which is fresh and shows hints of honey. Savoury, firm, precise palate
with lovely herbiness. Tasty. Very good+ 89/100
These
bottles aren't as old as they look: perhaps late 1970s. They just
accumulate this
gunk in good cellars.
Jurtschitsch Grüner
Veltliner Schenkenbichl 2003
From the northern part of the Langenlois, fermented in bigger
barrels. Intoxicating, rich nose is full and fruity with notes of
honey and lots of pepperiness. Quite intense and expressive. The
palate is expressive and quite rich but with a lovely savoury
spiciness. Fantastic balance between the rich fruit and the spiciness.
14.5% alcohol, 5.6 g/l acid and 3.7 g/l residual sugar. Very
good/excellent 93/100
Jurtschitsch Grüner
Veltliner Schenkenbichl 2002
Distinctive herbal character to the ripe full nose. It’s very
aromatic with some pepperiness. The palate is concentrated, full and
savoury with lovely fresh acidity. Good concentration and nice
balance; less showy and a bit fresher than the 2003. 13.5% alcohol,
5.5 g/l acid and 3.3 g/l residual sugar. Very good/excellent 91/100
Jurtschitsch Grüner
Veltliner Spiegel Reserve 2003
Part fermented in barriques. Freshness to the nose, which is
fruity and lemony with some peppery spiciness. Youthful. The palate
has some richness, a hint of woodiness and lovely richness of texture.
Quite classy and precise; youthful and with potential. Very
good/excellent 90/100
Jurtschitsch Grüner
Veltliner Spiegel Reserve 2002
Lovely open nose with some aromatic herbiness, ripe (almost sweet)
fruit and some pepperiness. Complex. Very rich, savoury, full textured
palate is quite rounded. Bready, vanilla notes back up the herby
fruit. Oak is evident. Very good/excellent 91/100
Jurtschitsch Chardonnay Reserve Reid Ladner 2002
Nice nose shows a combination of toasty, bready oak with lovely
rich herby fruit. Expressive and well integrated. The palate is
savoury and full with nutty, toasty fruit, some vanilla notes and a
bready character. Classy and balanced. Very good/excellent 91/100
Jurtschitsch GrüVe 2003
Their massive commercial success: a bright, inexpensive Grüner Veltliner
with a striking label design that changes each year. Fresh, peppery
and very bright with a spicy character. Simple and full.
Grüner Veltliner
Jurtschitsch Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein
Reserve 2003
Expressive, aromatic, spicy limey nose. The palate is rounded and
expressive, showing some richness to the fruit and a nice spiciness on
the finish. Lots of potential to this concentrated wine. Very
good/excellent 90/100
Jurtschitsch Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein
Reserve 2002
Very expressive nose is full and herby, with good density. The
palate is concentrated and spicy with a limey acidity backing up the
full, concentrated lemony fruit. A dense yet expressive wine. Very
good/excellent 93/100
Jurtschitsch Riesling Auslese Zöbinger
Heiligenstein 1999
Very open, expressive perfumed lemony nose with some honeyed
sweetness. The palate is rich, expressive, rounded and sweet with
lovely acidity providing balance. It’s medium dry. Quite a rich wine
but with some finesse and delicacy too. Fantastic stuff. Very
good/excellent 94/100
Jurtschitsch
Grüner
Veltliner Spiegel Eiswein 2002
With 10.5% alcohol, 8.8 g/l acid and 203 g/l sugar, this is a wild
wine. Yellow/gold colour. Sweet nose of pure, candied fruits. The
palate is rich, smooth and concentrated with lovely balance. Very pure
and focused showing peachy tropical fruit notes. Viscous and full.
Very good/excellent 92/100
Jurtschitsch Grüner
Veltliner Steinhaus 1979
One from the archives. It’s yellow with a hint of gold. Fresh
nose is subtly herbal with a hint of pepperiness. Quite precise. The
palate is fresh with a gently herbal edge and some lemony fruit. Quite
a savoury finish. Very dry: the palate has flattened and thinned out a
bit. An interesting, delicate old wine.
 Jurtschitsch Rotspon Reserve 2002
A blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Zweigelt and 10% Merlot, with 50%
new oak. Fresh, savoury, taut berry fruits nose is a little shy. The
palate is chewy and spicy with fresh bright fruit and a taut, spicy
character. A nice savoury food wine. Very good+ 87/100
Jurtschitsch Zwiegelt Tanzer Reserve 2002
Open nose showing a caramelly edge to the rather woody red fruits.
The palate is tight and woody with some fresh fruit. Very good+ 85/100
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